Rainn Wilson starred as Dwight Schrute in “The Office” for nine seasons.Photo:Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
He continued, “I wasn’t enjoying it. I was thinking about, ‘Why am I not a movie star? Why am I not the nextJack Blackor the nextWill Ferrell? How come I can’t have a movie career? Why don’t I have this development deal?'”
The actor also wasn’t thrilled with the salary he was earning, especially as he watched Carell’s movie career take flight withThe 40-Year-Old Virgin,Little Miss SunshineandDate Night.
Rainn Wilson visits the SiriusXM studios in May 2023.Theo Wargo/Getty
Theo Wargo/Getty
All that said, the actor recognizes how much the acclaimed comedy series — whichaired 201 episodes between 2005 and 2013— has meant to viewers. In October 2020, he and Carell appeared together on the finale of Wilson’sHey There, HumanInstagram Live series and chatted about how the show enjoyeda surprise resurgence of popularityduring the pandemic lockdowns.
“One thing that’s been really gratifying for me is during this really dark time, I’ve heard from so many people that they’ve really appreciated havingThe Officethere — that it has a warmth and humanity to it, kind of a family feel that makes it a special thing and that’s helped them during this time, and even helped their mental health,” Wilson said at the time.
Carell, 60, acknowledged that audiences “who watch the show definitely know the show better” than they do now. “Maybe we watched it when we’d all get together and watch episodes. That was most of my watching the show, so I don’t know all the details. It’s great that it caught on like it did, because we all felt that it was special when we were doing it.”
Mitchell Haaseth/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty
Overall, Wilson — who has gone on to appear in films such asWeird: The Al Yankovic StoryandJerry & Marge Go Large— still gets a kick out of the fame the show has brought him. While on a flight in April, theMomstar captured a funny moment whenhis seatmate appeared to be watchingThe Office, completely unaware that the man who played Dwight was sitting near him.
In the clip shared on his Instagram Story, Wilson — looking unrecognizable wearing a face mask, hat and headphones on the Delta flight — shook his head before panning over to his fellow passenger watching an episode of the hit seriesas they enjoyed an in-flight meal.
“When the person sitting next to you has no idea who you are…” he quipped in the video’s caption.
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The Officecan be streamed in full on Peacock.
source: people.com
