NBC’s best comedy. “The Office” features a great ensemble cast headed by Steve Carell as Michael, Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, and their office mates Ed Helms (Andy) and Angela Kinsey (Angela) who took some time out to talk to Monsters and Critics on a conference call a few days ago.
Angela and Andy, Photo from NBC
The roads all led to the subject of their complex love triangle that currently exists in Dunder-Mifflin’s hallowed halls.
“The Office," NBC's critically acclaimed Thursday night comedy is in its fifth season, premiering back on September 25.
Dunder-Mifflin is the fictitious paper supply business that houses the office archetypes who are led by the hopelessly obtuse regional manager, Michael Scott (Carell), who post-Holly romance will be cheered up by his travel perk: A trip to Winnipeg on behalf of the company.
Winnipeg was described as "the Scranton of Canada" by the comedy's writing staff.
Dwight and Angela, Photo from NBC
Angela and Andy, meanwhile, are sorting through their pre-wedding announcements as Dwight feverishly tries to pin down Angela to come to her senses and choose him.
How do you approach your characters?
Ed Helms: Well no I think it’s funny, like a lot of characters in comedy are atrocious in real life and that’s - it’s the sort of bubble of television or a movie or whatever sort of vehicle you’re looking at it through that makes it - it gives you license to laugh at it.
I think I’ve tried to find a lot to love about Andy and a real sort of sincerity. If anything, he’s guilty of caring too much sometimes.
I think we have the ability to laugh at jerks on TV, but also playing the dichotomy, playing like the - both the positive and the negative and giving - hopefully trying to give the audience something to hope for with Andy but also a lot to just kind of roll your eyes at, at the same time.
Angela Kinsey: Well, I actually had a few odd jobs in the corporate world as a struggling actress. I worked in customer service. I worked in the mailroom. I was an operator at 1-800-Dentist and I had a bunch of ridiculous meetings I’d have to go to. I’ve had to work with people who I probably would never have hung out with socially.
I found that in my character - I found a little bit of her in these different companies I worked at. There was always sort of the stickler and the busybody and the person who like just had this little amount of authority in their life and went berserk with it.
I try to like make her real and she’s definitely prickly. But I try to find in my own way -- the way Ed does -- like a way to like her even with all her craziness that like yes she’d probably drive you crazy but she’d probably completely organize your desk for you if you let her.
I try to find the hills and valleys in her. But it’s definitely a lot of fun and I definitely draw on my past experience in the corporate America.
Ed Helms: You know what’s funny is I have - the hard part that I have is justifying Andy’s affection for Angela.
Angela Kinsey: That’s true.
Ed Helms: You know, like my dad asked me recently, he’s like why are you with that woman? And it’s a very valid question.
Angela Kinsey: Aw, poor guy.
Ed Helms: I do think that there’s just this unflappable optimism and like if there’s one thing that’s really great about Andy is he’s so decisive and like he goes with something.
Once he decides it’s what he wants, he’s just in it and he throws his whole heart into it.
Angela Kinsey: Yeah.
Ed Helms: And I think that’s just what’s happened in this relationship with Angela. It’s like 'this is my life partner and this is going to work god dammit.'
Angela Kinsey: Come on board.
Have you had feedback from fans who don’t approve of the way you’ve treated Andy?
Angela Kinsey: Not yet, but I kind of stay close to home with my baby. I’m a little afraid. No, I wonder what it would be like to be sort of out in a mall right now.
But, I have to say our fans are such die hard fans of the show and they’re really great at appreciating all the characters and their quirks.
I think they’ve seen enough of us outside of work that they know that we’re not that character. But occasionally, like one or two - like I had this woman come up to me and say will you take a picture with my friend.
She was too scared to approach you because she was afraid you might be like your character.
And then I was in an elevator and this man said - I guess I had my Angela Martin face on which is scary that it’s become like my natural resting face. And he came up to me and he goes hey, everything is going to be okay, you know. And I was like oh no, what do I look like right now?
But it’s kind of an occupational hazard I think for me to wear a frown when I leave work.
Ed, did you miss being in the fake news business during the run-up to this week’s election?
Ed Helms: I don’t miss that really much at all. I feel so lucky to be a part of The Office and it’s so fun, so consistently. I loved being in the fake news business.
But it was so taxing to do those interviews and to just - and especially - I have great memories from the 2004 campaign coverage. But it’s really, really hard - really hard work. And it’s very hard on your constitution. So I loved it,, but I don’t yearn for it.
The thing that I miss is just that feeling of being like very close to the heart of it, which was really exciting and, you know, we attended the conventions.
And we spoke to a lot of people who were right in the middle of it which was really, really exciting, and especially such an historic election this year. There were pangs of sort of like maybe a little bit of nostalgia perhaps. But not a real yearn for it.
I’ll tell you what’s funny is that what you asked Angela about feeling that people think she is like her character, I have more trouble with that on the Daily Show than I have on The Office because I played a sort of heightened, jerk-ish version of myself on the Daily show.
My friend was like yeah, I was just talking to my buddy and he was like oh you’re friends with Ed Helms? That guy seems like kind of a jerk. And I remember getting really like, despondent about it because if I didn’t - I was like wait a minute, don’t people realize that we’re different characters on that show?
But I think there is a blurry line sometimes between perception even though - even when you give an audience full credit for like knowing the difference, there’s just something kind of visceral that kicks in when you see somebody and you have all these associations with them.
Angela Kinsey: Yeah, totally. I went to Scranton with Brian and everyone was coming up like Kevin, I want to have a beer. And then they’d be like Angela, eeh. And I’d be like I’ll have a beer too. And they’re like oh, okay.
Office romances - have you guys ever had your own office romances in the past in your corporate days?
Ed Helms: Tabloids bombshell, Angela and I are dating. That would (cut through) it all.
Angela Kinsey: What? Oh no.
Ed Helms: That’s completely false. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a workplace romance. Yeah, I don’t think I have.
Angela Kinsey: I have not had a workplace romance. I was asked out at one of my corporate jobs by a co-worker and I went. And it was awkward and then I had to work with that person every single day.
I definitely didn’t reciprocate the - I was like oh we’ll just go out. It’ll be friends, you know, friends - co-worker friends, yah, and then it was like oh, he wants to smooch me. Aahh.
And then I had to like go and see him everyday at work. So that was somewhat awkward.
Ed Helms: I totally had the workplace romance and it was my first job out of college. And this entire company was four people and we hired a new like bookkeeper or something.
We started dating, and we totally hid it. I remember we were just sort of like yeah let’s just not tell the other two guys in the company.
But they completely knew.we were like 22 and 23 or whatever and they were like in their 30s and just far more sort of savvy. And they were like guys; we know what’s going on.
Angela, your character is sort of sexed up these days?
Angela Kinsey: I don’t know what’s happened to my character. She’s like crazy like I don’t know. It is so much fun to play because, you know, it’s just - it’s like a buffet, you know. There’s so much to choose from happening with her.
So as an actor I love it. My poor dad is being put through the ringer though. Like - he’ll like watch an episode and he’ll be like are you serious man, what’s going on, you know, because his daughter is like kind of the office skank. I don’t know. But it’s definitely a lot of fun to play.
Ed, your Andy is this kind of lovesick guy…
Ed Helms: I love it. I love - I was mentioning to Tim earlier it’s like I found so much to love about Andy and I think there’s a lot of me in him. Like there - the things that I’m kind of ashamed of, I just like blow out of proportion for Andy and - or the things that I might be insecure about I just make them the biggest parts of Andy.
So I don’t know, I love it and I love the dynamic. I love his passion for Angela. And it’s - as the show - as sort of Andy has grown on - in the world of The Office and all the characters continue to get more and more fleshed out, it just gets more complicated which is so much more fun as a performer.
And it gets so much more information and data. It accumulates and it’s just more to work with. So I love it. It’s a blast.
Angela Kinsey: Yeah. I think you bring up a good point, too, that I think no matter what kind of character you play -- even if they’re evil or sinister or skanky -- you bring a little bit of yourself to that character.
I mean I know for Angela Martin - sometimes I overly like organize. Like I’ll take on a project that’s ridiculous like I organized all of my wrapping paper and my ribbons, and my tissue paper. And...
Ed Helms: In real life?
Angela Kinsey: In real life.
Ed Helms: Oh my god.
Angela Kinsey: And, that sort of freaks people out when they see my wrapping paper section of my closet. But I’m like oh, Angela Martin would do that, so you sort of bring a little bit of yourself to that.
Alex Davies: Oh my gosh, that is so funny.
Ed Helms: Leave it at the office, Angela.
Angela Kinsey: I know, don’t bring it home right?
Okay. Now Angela, you’re sitting at your desk. Angela Martin, she’s making a decision tree. Dwight or Andy?
Angela Kinsey: Oh my.
What are some of the pros and cons, the positives and negatives of each guy?
Angela Kinsey: Oh my god. Well I think - I really...
Ed Helms: Keep in mind I am on the phone. And Dwight is not.
One is more handsome than the other, what?
Angela Kinsey: No, I think that... I think that there’s part of Angela Martin that kind of wants to do what society would think would be appropriate. And I think Andy seems very sort of appropriate. She could bring Andy to church. I don’t know if she could bring Dwight to church.
He might show up with like some squirrel pelts to give people. It’s a little off-putting, you know.
I think Andy sort of, on paper, is what she thought she wanted. And I think Dwight sort of has that sort of - she has this kind of crazy chemistry with Dwight that she doesn’t understand.
It doesn’t fit into her plan for her life, and that’s sort of the thing she goes back and forth with.
Like the person who she thinks is more appropriate and the person who she really has sort of a deep passion for.
Andy has like this enthusiasm and he wants to plan this perfect wedding. And he’s so accommodating to all her needs and her needs are crazy.
Dwight is kind of more in her face, and I think challenges her, and they fight more. But maybe she’s more exhilarated by that.
Ed, what do you think?
Ed Helms: Yeah, it’s the Madonna whore thing in reverse for Andy and Dwight. Dwight is your dirty guy and I’m your...
Angela Kinsey: Clean cut fellow.
Ed Helms: Yeah.
Ed, who is your character’s favorite person in the office situation? And will we see any kind of fisticuffs or anything with Dwight in an upcoming episode?
Ed Helms: Well I think that Andy has a kind of bro crush on Jim.
Angela Kinsey: Totally.
Ed Helms: That’s why he kind of like - he’s kind of tries to be like him, but also doesn’t want to be too kiss-ass so he’s like kind of also like kind of a jerk sometimes just to make sure Jim knows that Andy is like his own man.
But it’s all part of a broader attempt to just impress him and like all Andy wants is for Jim to kind of take him under his wing.
But I think separate from that, there’s like there’s a very shrewd part of Andy that really wants to get in Michael’s good graces, obviously and Michael - so he has kind of a corporate crush on Michael, if you will.
Right. But no fisticuff with Dwight?
Ed Helms: In - what do you mean?
Well is it going to get to a point where Dwight is so insistent that he wants her to make a decision…
Ed Helms: I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s really fun for us to show up for table reads and find out what the writers have come up with for our characters. So I don’t mean to dodge the question, but there’s something we share in the - what I guess I’m saying is we share in the sort of excitement and anticipation of what’s going to happen.
And there’s a lot of trust and I think admiration that we have for the writers that it’s like what are you - what’s it going to be? What are you going to give us? So I don’t really think in those terms.
I don’t really - because in a way that’d be sort of rewriting the show. It’s sort of a wait-and-see thing.
Angela Kinsey: Oh, only time will tell. Gosh, I don’t know. I feel like they’re giving us - there’s so much that’s going to unfold in the next coming episodes that have been so amazing to play. I can’t give anything away. And the writers have taken what kind of little idea I might’ve had in my head and not shared, and made it ten times more amazing and I couldn’t even believe that they took my character that way or the show that way.
I do sort of like leave a table read in awe many times. Like oh my gosh, that’s so awesome. I can’t believe we’re doing that.
Favorite episodes?
Ed Helms: When Andy’s world just crumbled around him and all of like - all of his very shrewd efforts to suck up to everyone suddenly implode and the Rockin’ Robin music is no longer enjoyable. It’s like this death (melt)...
Angela Kinsey: He had a full on meltdown.
Ed Helms: Yeah, it’s this full on meltdown. There’s nothing more fun as an actor than to just completely melt down.
Angela Kinsey: That’s so true because I was going to say my favorite episodes for my character are always the Christmas episodes. But if you look back, in every Christmas episode my character has a total breakdown.
Ed Helms: Right.
Angela Kinsey: Like she’s screaming and smashing ornaments or, you know, like full of anger. And that’s just - those are my favorite.
What is Angela’s psychology?
Angela Kinsey: Well okay. But I think that there are times when she’s - I think I’m - Jen Celotta, one of our writers, I think said it really best.
She was like I think - because I went and asked her - I was like look, I need a little bit of insight because what she’s doing in this situation is so foreign to how I - you know, I’m trying to find a way to make her human, you know.
And Jen was like I think Angela is in this situation that sometimes people get in where they kind of say yes to something and this snowball effect starts to happen, and they weren’t really prepared.
And they don’t know how to handle it, and then they just go through it with blinders on to the very end.
Ed Helms: Yeah.
Angela Kinsey: And so that made sense to me and I think that’s kind of how she is. I think she’s got these blinders on and it’s all going to work out. I don’t have to pick or decide, or choose, and it’s all going to be fine.
I do think her family is pretty disturbing. I mean she doesn’t speak to her sister. We find out that she was in like little girl pageants.
So, you know, like there’s definitely some issues there.
Ed, where did your stage chutzpah come from?
Ed Helms: It’s one of my greatest traits is my lack of dignity. But I think it actually goes back a little further than the Daily Show. Before that I trained and worked at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, and I did stand up for years in New York. And I...
Angela Kinsey: Oh, you need to be fearless.
Ed Helms: What’s that?
Angela Kinsey: You have to be fearless to do stand up.
Ed Helms: But the thing is you’re never fearless.
Angela Kinsey: No, I know.
Ed Helms: It’s like fear is such a huge part of it. It’s just a matter of like - of embracing the fear and sort of being drawn to it in a way. And there’s nothing more exhilarating than sort of like throwing your fear at - just throwing it out there.
Then the Daily Show, I think, was - it’s funny that you say it - that you used the word fearless because I was terrified every single segment on that show. It was very nerve-wracking.
That’s sort of what I was talking about before, like it’s just very taxing. But yeah, I just - I think there’s a certain - I just - I also love to break out in song in real life.
Angela Kinsey: This is true.
Ed Helms: And there’s nothing funnier to me than a really inappropriately timed Broadway number. So I don’t know. I think fear is a big part of it and...
Angela Kinsey: Pushing through it.
Ed Helms: Yeah it is. But also, kind of, there’s a - there’s almost like a little bit of an actor’s high, if you will, of like going...just like really like leaping into the fear fire.
Angela Kinsey: And you get a little bit like of this adrenalin rush. But I have to say it’s something that’s so adorable about Ed is that sometimes I’ll see him kind of in the moment improvising something for his character and getting cracked up.
It is so cute. It’s like - he’s like wait I got something, I got something. Oh this is funny. We all do it, too.
Angela, Phyllis and Andy, Photo from NBC
What about Phyllis?
Ed Helms: She’s like the J. Edgar Hoover of The Office.
Angela Kinsey: Totally, totally. She’s keeping tabs on everyone.
So she’s probably going to get some kind of blackmail material so she’ll leave her alone about Dwight and...
Angela Kinsey: Yes.
Ed, what do you think Andy will do if and when he finds out about Dwight and Angela?
Ed Helms: Let’s see, I feel like this is a dangerous area for me to get into.
Angela Kinsey: Totally.
Ed Helms: But just in terms of - but I’ll just - in broad terms, I think that Andy’s anger issues - I’d like to think that they’re still very much there. I’m not sure anyone who has a real problem with that ever fully gets past it.
Angela Kinsey: Right.
Ed Helms: But he’s really learned a lot of coping mechanisms and has - I like - I have this image in my head. You can buy like an inflatable, like a little inflatable gremlin or something and it’s like you can beat this up and take your anger out on this thing.
So Andy has one of those at home. But for some reason I like the idea that Andy like beats up this little inflatable doll, like so much that like - he like swings it around his room and he’s actually damaging things around his house, like it’s not working because he’s still damaging things around him.
Angela Kinsey: Right.
Ed Helms: But yeah, there may be some little like - he has a little punching bag - metaphorical punching bag or literal, I don’t know, in his garage that allows him to kind of stay a little more centered and adhere to social norms a little bit better.
Does he have any new nicknames that he’s working on?
Ed Helms: It’s funny, I forgot this but someone recently reminded me that -- and this was just in improvisation during a shoot -- but I had called BJ’s character, Ryan, Big Turkey one day which was - because, you know, Big Tuna came from Jim bringing in a tuna sandwich...
So the theory being that one day BJ brought in a turkey sandwich and he’s Big Turkey now. But I actually am quite a nicknamer in real life, too. So it’s - there’s always something brewing.
What about the open hostility between two people who are supposedly engaged. Do either of you have any experience with something like that?
Angela Kinsey: Oh my gosh. I think that if you sort of like are part of like a huge group of couples, there’s usually always one.
I think that’s why I love that SNL sketch so much, the Bickerson’s, you know, because I think there’s always like one. And definitely - yeah, I’ve definitely been there.
Ed Helms: I think that relationships like - the definition of a working relationship is so different for everyone and it...
Angela Kinsey: Completely.
Ed Helms: You know, and what may work for one couple is horrifying to another couple. And I think that, you know, what Andy and Angela have is largely horrifying.
Angela Kinsey: Right.
Ed Helms: But there is a real - in some ways, who they are dovetails perfectly, like who each person is fits - they fit together because I think there’s a little bit of a feedback loop of Angela being so demanding and Andy being so accommodating.
And it doesn’t work. It’s like it’s not healthy, but it works. You know what I mean?
It’s like - and by works, I just mean it keeps them together.
Angela Kinsey: I think also, too, like I think we’ve all like had relationships where different people bring different sides of you out more prominently, you know.
And sometimes you're with someone and you’ll be like what am I doing? But I think Andy and Angela have a lot of that. They sort of bring each other’s sort of crazy...
Ed Helms: Yeah. But I do think that there is an undercurrent like anyone - with the exception of Andy’s parents, anyone who knows our couple is probably like what the hell is going on here? I’ve certainly had that experience at a wedding before, just being like - like the entire wedding party at the reception being like oh god.
Do you have specific moments where you just couldn’t handle it anymore and you had to shoot it several times because you couldn’t stop laughing?
Ed Helms: There are so many.
Angela Kinsey: My gosh, every day. I’m not kidding. We just had one.
Ed Helms: There’s so many. But Angela, What was the one that we had recently?
Angela Kinsey: It was so bad. I mean they had to stop rolling. It was actually me, Ed and Rainn. And they literally gave us like a five minute break to try and collect ourselves.
What was hilarious was like first, I think I went first and then Rainn got tickled. And then Rainn and I finally get it together and then Ed lost it. It was so funny.
Ed Helms: I think it was the season premiere this year when I come up to your desk and I go hey Ang, and you give - shoot me this dirty look and I go hola.
Angela Kinsey: Yeah.
Ed Helms: A la, a la...
Angela Kinsey: Under my angerella...
Ed Helms: Under my angerella...
Angela Kinsey: Yeah.
Ed Helms: And Oscar was sitting next to, you know, Oscar’s desk is right there. So he - and Oscar never breaks - ever, he never breaks.
Angela Kinsey: I know.
Ed Helms: It’s sort of like this running bet, like he’ll give anyone $100 if he breaks. And I was doing the Angela thing and I made eye contact with Oscar. And he didn’t break, but he had this twinkle in his eye...
And it was like I’m about to break him. And it made me lose it. It’s so frustrating because sometimes it’s like your favorite take. It’s, you know, it’s like the take that’s going the best that’s always the funniest and it makes you lose it
Is Angela pregnant with Dwight’s baby? And if so, are they going to have a shotgun wedding?
Angela Kinsey: Wouldn’t you like to know? Wouldn’t it be funny if all of a sudden I had to be pregnant since I was just pregnant for real? Oh my god. I cannot answer your question.
I can’t. I can tell you this. Things get really complicated pretty quickly.
Ed Helms: There you go. That’s the right answer.
Angela Kinsey: In the next few episodes. That’s all I can say.
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