After playing one character for so many years, it’s not uncommon for actors to take up some of their mannerisms off set. The Office star Rainn Wilson reveals that having played Dwight Schrute for nine years gave him a hall pass to be mean to people without any consequences.
“Here’s the great thing: There’s not very much [about me that’s] like Dwight, although obviously there’s some mannerisms because I played him for 200 episodes over nine years,” Wilson said at a panel at the Fan Expo in Chicago. “But one of the things that’s great — and maybe you noticed this — is that Dwight is a little bit of a dick. And Rainn is a little bit of a dick.”
The actor goes on the explain the perk of “Having played Dwight allows me to kind of be a dick to people… and people laugh.”
From The Office‘s inception in 2005 until 2013, Dwight was a unique presence on the show for his eccentric humor, outrageous antics, and ability to annoy every employee at Dunder Mifflin without fail. His demeanor on the show made Wilson’s character a household name, with the actor explaining that fans find Dwight’s attitude charming.
“I can be kind of an a‑‑hole, and people are like, ‘Isn’t that charming?’ So it’s one of the benefits of playing like Dwight,” said the actor.
Compared to The Office co-stars, Wilson says he enjoys more freedom to act how he wants around fans. He pointed to Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam, noting that audiences expect her to embody her character’s kind and sweet demeanor, which can differ from her real-life personality.
Unlike Dwight, the actor reveals that Fischer can’t tell “edgy jokes” because fans will automatically call her out, saying, “Pam would never say that!”
“So Jenna has to kind of keep her kind of dark, raunchy sense of humor in check because people really recoil,” added the actor.
Wilson played Dwight until the series’ end with Season 9 and still joins the original cast for fan events. He also occasionally guest stars on the Office Ladies podcast created by Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
The Paper, the spinoff series to The Office, will premiere on Peacock on September 4.
