In just the last two weeks, The Office has gone through as many regional managers: The great Michael Scott has flown off to his new life in Colorado, and the not-so-great Deangelo Vickers was last seen shuffling around the streets of Scranton in a hospital gown. Which leaves Dunder-Mifflin Sabre with a position to fill! And in tonight's episode, none other than Dwight K. Schrute finally ascends to the title he's coveted for so long.
This morning, TV.com talked to Rainn Wilson, the man behind the beet farmer we all love so much, about this turning-point moment in Office history.
TV.com: Has Dwight Schrute finally beaten Jim Halpert at his own game?
Rainn Wilson: Yeah! I'd say this is it. He's finally shown Jim up. He's taking over as acting manager.
How long will that last?
Well, it's going to last about 21 minutes and 30 glorious seconds in tonight's episode of The Office. But possibly on into the future. Dwight kind of blows his chances in tonight's episode, but he definitely tries to keep his hat in the ring.
Have the writers actually settled on who is going to be taking over?
They have no idea what's happening over there. I went in last week and was pitching some story ideas and comedy and stuff like that, and they're just trying to figure it all out. Fortunately, they've got a good amount of time before we start shooting in late July to figure out next season. It's quite a challenge but it's also been reinvigorating for the show.
It's definitely shaken things up, I'll say that. Do you think you're up for the job to helm the show, and company, at this point?
Well, Dwight certainly thinks he could helm the company, absolutely. As for the show, you know, we have the greatest ensemble on television. Sorry, Modern Family. We really do. It's such a deep bench, and so many great characters that the fans have come to know and love over the years, and it's about shifting the show to more of an ensemble show where everyone gets to shine in different episodes.
But so much of the humor seems to come out of everyone having one person to focus their resentments on.
That's true, but there's plenty of people to resent on the show! No matter who takes over as manager -- whether it's me, or Andy, Jim Carrey or Warren Buffett, there's still going to be that dynamic there.
When I first heard about the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, for some reason Dwight popped into my mind. What do you think he'd have to say about that whole operation?
I think Dwight would still be very upset that they left the helicopter behind. He would want to be in charge of the mission to go and rescue the helicopter. He'd want to go back and fix it and fly it away from the compound.
You mentioned you've pitched ideas to the writers. Do you have any aspirations to write entire episodes?
I did early on. I pitched them episodes that I wanted to write and it never really worked out. Now I'm happy to not write an episode. It's a lot of work, and I have a lot on my plate. I've been enjoying directing some episodes. That's been really fun. I did the last "Classy Christmas" episode. I think the time I spend writing projects, I probably wouldn't want to write Office episodes. I'd want to write other stuff.
Back in 2007, you had hosted Saturday Night Live with Arcade Fire as the musical guest. Was that one of the greatest moments of your life?
It really was. It really doesn't get much better than that. To say it was a dream come true is preposterous, because I never thought I would get to this point. I just wanted to be a working actor. So I never had this dream, "I'm going to be a star! I'm going to host Saturday Night Live!" So the fact that I got to do it is fantastic.
Last question: Who in The Office's cast cracks you up the most?
Oh man, they all make me laugh in different ways. If you want really someone who makes you laugh, I would go with Creed Bratton. He is, mostly unintentionally, hysterical—all the time. If you ever just want to laugh at something ridiculous, just have a conversation with Creed Bratton. He is a fantastic human being.
Rainn Wilson saying about Creed that he is a fantastic human being is even more evidence of Creed being the Scranton strangler.
Good article. While I love the ensemble of The Office, I think Modern Family and Parks and Recreation have ensembles that are just as strong, if not better.
Creed is the BEST.
Me too! I noticed he compared the Office with Modern Family - as I often do myself - saying that the Office was superior.. At one point I would have agreed wholeheartedly but now it's hard to say. Anyway, nice article! This was an interesting interview.
I love Rainn and Dwight can't wait to see how he handles the job tonight, but the show is not so good with Carell so far but I will give it a little before I stop watching
Wilson is totally right that The Office has the best ensemble cast. The tv.com list is bs.
I agree with him on Creed. That dude usually says or does something hilarious. He gets wayyy too little screen time. As far as 'The Office' goes, its just not the same without Steve Carell.