As I’ve stated many times, The Office is probably my favorite show on television, not just because it makes me laugh, but also because the writers do such a phenomenal job making the audience feel like they are really getting a peek into these characters’ lives. They don’t feel like blown up caricatures, they feel like real people. John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer keep Jim and Pam true to life, and have the incredible ability to make you invested in their characters and their relationship. Krasinski not only directs his first feature, he also wrote and stars in it. Titled “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men,” it is based on a book of short stories by David Foster Wallace. He spent his first Office paycheck to buy the rights to this film, and a staged reading in college was what made him decide to become an actor. I recently attended a screening of the film, and got the chance to interview Krasinski after to ask him about his passion project, and of course, a few questions about The Office. Read on to find out an EXCLUSIVE Office scoop that he gave just to The TV Chick!

I asked him why this book of short stories resonated with him so much:

“I did a reading of it in college–a staged reading. I think that there are few authors that write the way that David wrote. I think that his perspective and view of the world is so specific and unique that he forces you to take in what he’s saying. Whether you like it or not, it forces you–it’s like a weird, incredible talent that he had to allow you to bring the material in and decide how you felt about it. And he always challenged you to look at these characters or anything that he was writing in a few degrees differently, before you made any decisions. So for me, being a junior in college, this was sort of an epic, existentialist [thing] to be like oh my God, look at the world in a different way, this is amazing. Sort of brass tacks later on, but it was a good start.

For those who haven’t seen the movie yet (you really should!), Sarah is the narrator. I asked him if it was his goal to create such an objective narrator.

“Absolutely. I think that was the way it was presented in the book. I think the power of the book is what you get from it, so I didn’t want to tell my audience what to feel. I wanted to give them the experience as if it were documentary-esque. It’s absolutely not a documentary but I wanted it to be deliberate as if people were just seeing it.”

David Foster Wallace is an incredibly complex writer. I wanted to know how hard it was to adapt his work into film.

“This book, in particular, because it was written as dialogue was a lot easier. The first big challenge was editing down the material without losing any of the impact. Hopefully, we did that but the cerebral side of everything is kind of what makes him special. So I tried not to take it all out. This book in particular was presented as immediately it’s some of the best acting material I had ever read. Hopefully the actors felt the same way. It’s so incredibly complex and it has the perspective of the world that only this author has been able to achieve, in my opinion. I pray for the people who are trying to do Infinite Jest and by the way, that’s still going on…that toil. But to me that was one of the things that was very intimidating about doing a movie was I knew how big of a film fan he was. And trust me, I was incredibly tempted to go do some crazy David Lynch shots. At the end of the day, you realize that you are such a fan of his…like I was…that the words are going to do the work for you. “

Shifting from actor to director is a big change, but Krasinski said that he had amazing actors to work with.

“It became incredibly obvious right away that I should just sit back and shut up. So anytime that there were slight adjustments, it was really fun to be able to talk to them without saying think about your parents and what you’re going through. They were like do I need to turn this way, or this way. I would say the left would be great. And that was all we needed to do.”

Krasinski’s passion shines through in the entire movie and he was even able to speak to David Foster Wallace before his death to get his blessing to make the movie.


“It was really scary, because I think [there] are liberties that you are taking. I wanted to be as close to the book as I could, and when you start taking any liberties, it’s terrifying. But we had a phone conversation, when he gave me his blessing to do this, which was thrilling. And one of the things he said that was so great was that it’s completely surreal that someone’s making a movie out of my book because books are supposed to be written, and then they go on a shelf. That’s what they do. The fact that it’s going beyond that is very weird, and I’m not really sure I’m going to see your movie. I just wanted to say that right up front. And I was like “got it.”

In true Jim Halpert form, he even made fun of himself: “Dealing with the actor was the hardest part. Total diva. Once we got all red M&M’s in his trailer, he came out.”

And interestingly enough, he wasn’t even supposed to play a part in the film.

“I was going to do the really cool thing and not be in the movie at all. And if it went poorly, be like “It’s all the actors’ fault.” We actually had a scheduling conflict, we were about 2 weeks away from shooting that scene, and I think the only thing on my resume that made me above the other actors, is that I had read the book 100 times. So people were like “okay, well we’re not going to explain this whole thing to someone, maybe you should just go do it.” And it was the scariest thing I have ever done, truly, acting wise. I was really scared, and I hope I did people justice.”

After this experience of writing and directing a feature film, I had to ask if he could see himself writing or directing an episode of The Office.

“I think I am directing one this year. Fingers crossed. You just got the scoop! I haven’t told anyone yet.”

And being The Office fan that I am, I had to ask about what to expect for Jim in the new season.

“The wedding coming up I think is one of the most terrifying episodes to hear about, and then you see the writers and what they did with it, and I think honestly it will be one of our greatest episodes. It’s one of those things where I think we all start getting–we all got really choked up shooting the scenes that we were doing for the wedding — we had sort of –a little bit of a walk down memory lane in different ways seeing all the characters and what they’ve meant to these characters. And then you realize that you’ve actually been on the air for almost six years. It’s mind-numbing. So it’s a real celebration for Office fans who have been watching for a while. And even if you haven’t, it’s just a really great episode.”

“Brief Interviews with Hideous Men” is out at the IFC theaters in New York and Los Angeles. But it is also available to everyone who subscribes to IFC on Demand. This is truly a wonderful, intense, thought-provoking movie that you shouldn’t miss.

The Office continues its 6th season on Thursdays at 9pm on NBC. Look out for Krasinksi’s directorial debut!

After five seasons of adorably awkward courtship, TV’s cutest couple are finally making it official—and this week’s Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive preview of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) long-awaited wedding on October 8. The special hour-long episode of NBC’s The Office is a happy occasion, but one that in TV terms is also fraught with risky finality, since marrying off The Office’s resident Ross and Rachel could damage the couple’s plot-generating will-they-won’t-they energy. “It’s about keeping this relationship as real as we can instead of making it a television romance,” explains Krasinski. “When you have two characters who are so perfect for each other, it’s a little weird for them to not get married. So you have to put that step in, whether it’s been done on television successfully before or not.” Adds exec producer Greg Daniels: “We didn’t want to do the soap opera-y thing and cheapen it. Besides, our ratings keep going up, so I don’t think anyone minds them being together.”

The duo’s first smooch in the season 2 finale set the budding lovebirds on a complicated and unconventional course of courtship, featuring love triangles, long-distance agony, and job stress. “I don’t think it’s the typical romance you see on TV,” says Steve Carell, who plays Jim and Pam’s extremely unself-aware boss Michael Scott. “It’s complicated and it comes out of a difficult place. That’s the way relationships are in real life.” Last season brought Jim’s surprise rest-stop proposal and the shocking revelation that Pam was pregnant in May’s finale. “That was thrilling,” Krasinski says. “To have these characters who are squeaky-clean facing this very real thing is exciting.”

Of course, the whole Dunder Mifflin gang tags along to the wedding, and that’s when the fun starts—including a rehearsal-dinner gaffe from Jim that will wreak some pre-ceremony havoc. “When I got married, people told us, You have no idea where it’s going to come from, the thing that will go horribly wrong,” says exec producer Paul Lieberstein (a.k.a. HR sad-sack Toby). “That’s exactly what happens: Jim ruins his own wedding.” Still, Jim and Pam’s big day left Carell all choked up. “I feel very emotional,” he says. “I’ve been with these people longer than anyone I went to high school with. These are the people who have shared the biggest ups and downs. There’s a lot of nostalgia and sentiment wrapped up in this.”

Meanwhile, Pam is only four months along, which means Fischer is facing a series of progressively larger prosthetic bellies. “When I sit down, it presses in on my bladder, so I actually feel like I have to pee all the time,” she says. “And it makes my lower back hurt because I sway form wearing it. All that’s missing from a real pregnancy is my ankles swelling.” Still, once Pam has the baby (the birth will fall conveniently sometime around February sweeps), “I don’t think the show will become The Office Baby,” says Carell. Lieberstein promises that “we’re certainly not going to ignore the kid. But one of the things that’s great about being an office comedy is kids don’t really come to work with you.”

Pam and Jim are getting their own wedding website at HalpertBeesly.com. The characters on “The Office” who will get married this season, put up their photos, welcome guest to drop in some comments and would soon reveal details about their wedding through the website.

“I would hope that if you’re looking at our wedding blog, you already know us,” the couple wrote in ‘About Us’ section. “So an explanation of who we are and what we do seems kind of pointless, but in case you accidentally stumbled on this site: He’s a paper salesman. She’s a paper salesman. Together, we’re easily the seventh most interesting couple in Northeastern Pennsylvania paper sales.”

Few characters from the show have also chipped in the ‘Guest Book‘. Michael Scott, who is their boss at Dunder Mifflin, said “Pam, you are like a daughter to me, and Jim is like a son. I’m so proud that my son and daughter are to be wed! Tis a thing of beauty! Glory be!!!” Not only people from the office, but members of their family have also written. “Wow, my big sis is getting married and I totally promise to cry at your wedding!” said Penny Beesly.

“The Office” has premiered its sixth season last week but the wedding scene will not occur until the fourth episode which is airing on October 8. Pam and Jim will get married in Niagara Falls on the account that none of the people from the office will be able to attend.

Noticed anything different with Michael Scott (Steve Carell) on The Office? For one, he lost 25 lbs.

En route to the NBC comedy’s September 17 return for its sixth season, Carell revealed that he indeed lost a lot of weight back in 2005, right after he debuted on the Office’s six-episode first season.

“That sort of partially formed the look right there. I think that first year, the look was really scary. I don’t know if there was a memo from the hierarchy at NBC that he needed to be at least reasonably watchable. There wasn’t any big, conscious decision, though. The hair changed a little bit, and it got a little fluffy.”

And that is how we got to today’s Michael Scott: lean and just the right weight. But will he ever ran out of tricks now that The Office is on its sixth season?

“I just model it after my own shallow self,” Carell jokes, adding that he owes it to the writers to make his character “evolve” and give him a little more self-perspective.

“It’s been fun, over the course of doing five seasons, to figure out what makes this guy tick, and how he might change and grow.”

He also revealed that there was some pretty massive change in his character from the pilot season, from an antagonist to a “sympathetic” character.

Which, on all accounts, is easy to see. Over the five seasons, despite his wacky and sometimes off-putting antics, it has somehow become easier to relate to Michael Scott’s character, from his being temporarily sacked to his hapless love life.

Anna Camp will travel from Bon Temps to Scranton for a wedding. The actress who plays anti-vampire Sarah Newlin on “True Blood” has been billed to fill in a guest spot at “The Office” as Pam’s sister named Penny.

A rep from the show has told E! Online that Camp’s Penny will be at the wedding of Pam and Jim which is held at Niagara Falls. No word yet whether Penny will discover Pam’s secret of carrying Jim’s baby. The episode is scheduled to be held in the fourth episode airing October 8.

To go along with the family affair storyline, an actress has been hired to be Pam’s mom earlier this month. Linda Purl, who was relatively unknown, nabbed the role because an average actress would suit the show’s chemistry.

Premiering September 17, the new season will pick up a few months after the fifth season finale when Pam and Jim discovered that they are going to be parents. In the episode called “Gossip”, words are flying that at least one employee is pregnant, one is cheating on his or her partner, and one is questioning his or her sexuality.

TV.com chatted with The Office’s Oscar Nunez about his character, working with Steve Carell, and what fans can expect from Season Six.

Season Six of The Office is fast approaching, and while fans are getting excited about Jim and Pam’s pregnancy and upcoming nuptials, we here at TV.com wanted to catch up with some other Office notables. So we sat down with Oscar Nunez, who plays Oscar Martinez on the show, to chat about the upcoming season. A couple story lines are revealed, but there are NO SPOILERS in here! (Even the stars don’t know what’s scripted for the future.) To find out more about the making of the show, read on.

TV.com: Other than Jim and Pam’s engagement and baby news, how does Season Six start?

Oscar: Andy has a lot of funny stuff coming up, and, of course, Dwight, as usual. They kind of team up in a couple of episodes together as buddies, and it’s actually quite funny. I think we’re shooting that one right now.

Michael has a relationship that he gets into that is absolutely sick and hilarious. And it’s not long-lived. It’s a short-lived fling, but it is absolutely hysterical and we just finished shooting that one.

Michael is trying to do something good, and it comes out horrible, and then he backtracks and tries to fix it by making the hole even deeper and worse. There’s gossip flying around the office about everyone, little things about everyone.

TV.com: According to a preview video released last week, there will be an episode about office gossip this fall. Why hasn’t office gossip come up on the show before?

Oscar: Bear in mind it’s a 20 minute show. What comes out on TV always surprises me because it’s only 20 minutes. So it’s never the way I picture it.

TV.com: What was it like last year when Michael Scott was replaced as the boss?

Oscar: Oh dear God, he was still there. He was still there, even when he’s kicked out, he’s still there. He won’t leave. He can’t leave that place. There’s an umbilical cord. And poor Idris Elba’s character tried to not lose his cool, but Michael was always there. And then had like a stupid office down on the first floor or whatever. He never goes away really.

TV.com: What role does the accounting corner play on the show?

Oscar: It’s like we’re on a really really good basketball team, like the Lakers. We win championships and we get rings, but we’re on the bench, and if they need us we come in and we do our thing, and we try to get some rebounds and score some — that was a bad analogy — and score some points. But we’re on the bench and we’re happy to be there. But we’re not the starters.

TV.com: What was it like auditioning for The Office?

Oscar: Well, I just hoped we wouldn’t mess it up, because I was a big fan of the British one, which was genius — I watched all the episodes. And then I heard they’re making an American version, and I auditioned for it, and luckily I got picked, and then I thought, well okay, it’s a pilot. We’ll shoot the pilot, and that’ll be it. It won’t get picked up. I’ll make a little money, and go back to whatever it is I was doing.

And then I found out Steve Carell was cast as the lead, and then I kind of thought, you know what, we have a shot at this because that’s perfect casting. Other than Ricky Gervais, I think only Steve could do that part.

TV.com: What’s it like working with Steve Carell? What, if anything, have you learned from him?

Oscar: It’s nice to see him, like, learn huge amounts of monologue in five minutes, and that’s inspiring and it lets you think you could do it. And then you find yourself doing it. Everyone’s nervous when you first get there and then you get used to it, and you’re like “Wow. This is kind of really cool.”

He’s funny. Everyone has their own funny thing. Everyone [on the cast] pretty much has chops, but what I’ve learned from Steve is not how to be an actor, but how to be a person. He’s very very responsible. Loves to be with his family. Works his butt off. And is pretty damn normal, and that’s a cool thing.

TV.com: How are you different from your character on The Office?

Oscar: I’m not that anal. Not at all.

TV.com: Who (or what) inspires you as an actor?

Oscar: I always liked Tony Randall on The Odd Couple.

TV.com: How have the characters developed over the past seasons?

Oscar: You know who we are, but in the end it’s a workplace, and so we come into work and just kind of do our jobs. I always think: I’m at work, and I’m being filmed by a film crew that I don’t want to be here. And I don’t want to be filmed. I just want to do my accounting work.

There’s been a lot of buzz on the ‘net recently about how John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer were spotted together in Niagara Falls, filming sequences for Jim and Pam’s wedding on “The Office,” but when I talked to Oscar Nunez earlier today (I’ll post the whole interview in the near future) and the topic of the impending nuptial episode came up, he teased that there’d be a guest star turning up. He wouldn’t give any specific names, damn him, but he let slip that it was someone from the cast of “True Blood.”

So who is it?

After doing some digging and checking in with NBC, I was able to confirm that Anna Camp, who you may remember as Sarah Newlin – you know, Reverend Steve’s hot and sexy wife – will be playing Pam’s sister, Penny.

One of the most high profile job openings in Office history — the role of Pam’s mom — has been filled. And true to their word, producers resisted the urge to cast Meryl Streep. Or Goldie Hawn. Or Bonnie Hunt. Or…… anyone else whose name you’d recognize. Instead, they handed the plum part to Linda Purl, a relatively unknown actress whose biggest claim to fame was playing Andy Griffith’s daughter in the first season of Matlock.

Stop the presses! On second though, don’t.

It’s not like I didn’t see this coming though. Last month, Office producer/star B.J. Novak warned me that Mrs. Beasley probably wouldn’t get an A- (or B- or C-) list portrayer. “That’s the rule we have stuck to on our show — it is supposed to be real average Joes, and casting a famous actor takes away from that,” he said. “We have only cast a famous actor when they can blend right in as was the case with Amy Ryan. Or if it makes sense for the role, like with Jack Black.”

I can respect that. I don’t have to like it, but I can respect it.

Back to whatsherface Purl, she’ll make her Office debut next month at Pam and Jim’s wedding.

Bonus footnote: This is technically a recast. We first caught a glimpse of Pam’s mom in season 2 when she was played by actress Shannon Cochran (The Ring).

Thoughts? Happy the show maintained its creative integrity by hiring Purl? Or are of the “Screw creative integrity, hire Bette Midler!” mindset? Sound off below! (Additional reporting by Jennifer Armstrong and Carrie Bell)

MICHAEL GETS CAUGHT UP IN OFFICE GOSSIP–Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) feels left out as the rest of the office gossips about the summer interns. While Michael searches for the next juicy rumor to share, Andy (Ed Helms) struggles with heterosexuality. Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Brian Baumgartner, Leslie David Baker, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Oscar Nunez, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, B.J. Novak and Ellie Kemper also star.

Yes. Jim and Pam are actually going to get married this season on The Office.

That’s finally been established, so the only question is when. The current rumor is sooner rather than later. Episode 4 of the upcoming Season Six, according to TV Guide.

Why the rush? Because Pam doesn’t want anyone to know that she’s expecting: “Hilarity ensues when an unlikely party becomes her accidental confidante. No, not Phyllis.”