My role in The Office series finale

I was honored and thrilled to play a small role in the last episode of The Office, Finale.

Here are my notes about this surreal and once-in-a-lifetime experience!

For the full listing of my 2013 set visit content, go here.

tanster on The Office Finale

January 24, 2013: The inspiration

Like so many things that happen at OfficeTally, the original idea for this came from one of your comments!

Back in January, Eric added this comment to the Customer Loyalty post regarding the documentary crew:

“How many levels of awesome would it be if we found out that Jennie Tan was involved!!? I’d squeal like a pig in heat if that is any part of the reveal!

I thought, yeah, wouldn’t that be cool, to just be shown in the background, like part of the crew?

Then I thought, there’s no harm in asking, right?

February 10, 2013: the ask

I emailed The Office Executive Producer Greg Daniels with my request. Would it be possible to take part in the finale in some way?

He wrote me back immediately with the response, “Of course! I’ll write you in.”

Oh. My. God.

He’ll “write me in”?! What does that mean?

March 7, 2013: the week before

I get an email asking for a headshot and “actor’s resume.” I put together the shortest resume ever. Just like Pam’s. :) I am told that I will be hired as a day actor, with shared end credits.

Hired? — as in, get paid? Credits?! — this is crazy.

March 8, 2013: the week before

I get a call from Carolyn in Wardrobe, and that’s the first time I hear who I’ll be playing. Myself! At a cast Q&A!

Wha-what?! Because I have been at a real cast Q&A. Fiction melding with real life. I can barely process this.

March 10, 2013: the day before

I fly in to Burbank.

At around midnight, less than 10 hours before my call time, I am finally emailed the script.

Oh. My. God. I have SEVEN LINES!

I pace my hotel room frantically trying to memorize the lines. I’m kind of freaking out.

I get very little sleep that night.

March 11, 2013: the day of filming

I arrive on set before my call time of 9:30am. The location is the AT&T Building on Olive Street in Los Angeles, substituting for the Scranton Cultural Center.

Omigod, I have my own trailer!

tanster on The Office Finale
I am a dork, so I take a picture of my trailer. (Look, it’s Dwight’s car in the background!)

I check in with Wardrobe, who takes one look at my own clothes and says, “you look pretty cool as is!” So no wardrobe change needed, I end up wearing my own clothes for the scene.

Next up, makeup and hair. I’m like, this is so exciting!

Throughout the morning, a production assistant checks in with me and reports my whereabouts into a walkie talkie. “Jennie has arrived. Jennie is now in makeup. Jennie is walking to the set.” This keeps the production running smoothly and on schedule.

Okay, finally time to shoot my scene.

First, a rehearsal. I look at the cast, and they are all still reading from their script. So I do, too. And lol, I mess up. So for me, the rehearsal didn’t go so well. I start to panic.

But for whatever the reason, once the cameras start to roll on the first take, I’m calm and get through all my lines.

I do it again, second take. Then a third. No mistakes!

tanster on The Office Finale
Andy Buckley (“David Wallace”) takes this photo of me from where he’s sitting on the stage.

And each time, John and Jenna would look directly at me as they gave their answer. It was SO SURREAL. I was playing myself but talking to Jim and Pam. I was asking the question that many of you had, but something I would never have the courage to ask in real life.

I think filming is going well but then… they call a break. People are scurrying back and forth between Greg Daniels (writer) and Ken Kwapis (director). I’m not sure what’s happening.

I’m about to pass out from the stress, lol.

Then one of the writers’ assistants comes to me and says, “we have a new line for you.”

Omigod NO! I can’t memorize new lines on the spot!

This new version has me ask my question to Pam in a more pointed way. Greg rewrote it on the spot, and I believe he wanted my question to more strongly push Pam to address the issue.

I look at the new sheet of paper that they just handed me, and I see that they rewrote some of Meredith’s lines on the spot as well. Meredith’s new lines appear right above mine on the page, which confuses me because Meredith doesn’t say her lines before mine!

I think at this point, I start to have a panic attack. Kate Flannery calms me down, walks back up the stage, and nails her new lines. (Thanks, Kate, for talking me off the ledge!)

I somehow get through my lines as well. But every time Pam would say her lines to me, I teared up. Well, all the way up to my ‘Harry Potter’ line. (By the way, I’ve never watched or read ‘Harry Potter,’ so I had to pretend I knew its significance, lol. As Holly channeling Jon Lovitz would say, “acting!”)

Andy Buckley emailed me in the middle of my performance, “You’re doing great, Jennie!” So sweet.

John was so nice, too — he kept flashing me the thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs sideways sign to make me laugh, as I was standing at the microphone waiting for cameras to roll. I think he knew I was a little nervous. Afterwards, he said to me, “I was asking Jenna, ‘has Jennie acted before?'” Awww.

Jenna said to me afterward that she wished I could’ve asked real fan questions! That would have been so great.

By the end of multiple takes, I was ready to collapse from anxiety and emotion.

Once the rest of the scene was filmed, I ran up the stage to talk to everyone, and that’s when the audience let out a big round of applause, this time as fans of The Office, not the documentary. :)

tanster on The Office Finale
I run up to the stage as soon as the scene wrapped. Credit: Andy Buckley

Rainn grabbed my camera and said, “turn around, let me take a photo of you with the audience!”

tanster on The Office Finale
Me with a bunch of very excited Office fans! Credit: Rainn Wilson

I went up to John and Jenna and started to cry. I told them it was an honor to be in a scene with them. Especially that scene, with what Pam ends up saying.

Post-March 11

So… for the past two months, I’ve had to keep kind of mum on all of this. It’s been hard. (That’s what she said.)

At one point, I emailed the production staff and asked them, “Can I just mention on OfficeTally that I filmed a scene with Jim and Pam?”

The response I got back was, “You can say that you might be in a scene, but you can’t mention who it’s with.”

So that’s what I did.

As Grave Wedding Minister points out, even when ddker guessed pretty closely what my role would be, I showed superhuman restraint in my response:

My prediction for the finale – so from the pictures it looks like there is some sort of Q & A with them. Our very own tanster gets the mic and says that she loved the documentary so much that she created a website for it. Within 5 minutes OfficeTally crashes from the waves of people getting on the site :)

[ from tanster: lol. oh god no, please no website crashes! ;) ]

But secret secrets are no fun. So true, Elizabeth. So true.

My lines

My original lines, exactly as written by Greg Daniels, were:

Hi, Jennie Tan. I run a website devoted to your show. This is for Pam and Jim. Everybody watching could tell how much you loved each other, how you were soulmates. Which is why a lot of us had trouble understanding why Pam resisted moving to Philadelphia. Was it fear, or doubt, or...?

(later)

You mean like Harry Potter?

My lines, rewritten by Greg Daniels on the spot:

Hi, Jennie Tan. I run a website devoted to your show. This is for Pam and Jim. Your relationship means so much to people. Everybody watching could tell how much you loved each other, how you were soulmates. Pam, how could you doubt that when he moved to Philadelpha?

Other trivia about this scene

Many of the people asking questions are actual staff on the show, mainly writers! Such a sentimental finale, as Greg Daniels I think wanted to include as many of The Office staff as possible.

  • How did it feel to see your lives played out on TV: Brent Forrester, The Office executive producer and writer
  • How did you pay Jim back for leaving Athlead: Amelie Gillette, The Office writer
  • Jim could do anything: Allison Silverman, The Office co-executive producer and writer
  • What was in the teapot letter: Dan Sterling, The Office producer and writer
  • Does your life feel pointless: Steve Hely, The Office producer and writer

Greg Daniels’ wife, Susanne Daniels, was the Q&A moderator.

tanster and The Office's David Rogers
Me with The Office’s director, producer, and editor, David Rogers.

tanster, Ed Helms, Ken Kwapis, Ellie Kemper
I wanted a photo with director Ken Kwapis, then Ellie Kemper pulls herself and Ed Helms into the picture and says, “let’s photobomb!”

During the first few takes of the scene, the audience applauded too boisterously, and Ken had to give them the direction, “remember you’re a PBS audience, not fans of the actors, but fans of the characters in the documentary.”

Ken instructed the audience to 1) laugh at Kevin’s orange juice joke, 2) shhh the guy who gives Andy a hard time, 3) ooh and aah over the end of Pam’s speech, and 4) ooooh at the question directed at Oscar. All other times, the audience should be “engaged, but quiet.”

(I realize that items 1, 2, and 4 didn’t make it into the scene. There was so much good stuff shot, I’m hoping it all makes it onto the DVD!)

I could hear my heart pound during Brent’s question, because I knew I was up next. As soon as I started talking, though, I looked directly at John and Jenna and the lines just poured out. Can I say for the record though, I would never ask such a pointed question at Jenna in real life! I told her that, too, afterwards.

I’m thankful to say I didn’t mess up my lines once during filming. On the other hand, i have no recollection of performing any of them. I kind of blacked out, lol.

tanster, Rainn Wilson, Kate Flannery
Me with Rainn Wilson and Kate Flannery. I was so shocked when I saw Meredith in non-Meredith clothes and hair!

tanster John Krasinski Jenna Fischer
What an extraordinary honor to act opposite John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer.
Credit: Andy Buckley

tanster John Krasinski Jenna Fischer

This was an experience of a lifetime. Thank you, Greg Daniels, for letting me be part of such an amazing show. I can’t thank you enough.

The Office Executive Producer Greg Daniels
Me with The Office creator, executive producer, and Finale writer, Greg Daniels.

tanster on The Office Finale
My name in the opening credits. Speechless.

My scene, woo hoo!

[Video no longer available]

Behind the scenes

Andy Buckley (“David Wallace”) shot this on his iPhone while sitting on the panel. That’s Director of Photography Matt Sohn filming the action. Thanks, Andy!

109 comments

  1. Jennie, so cool to read this behind the scenes, thank you so much for sharing. You really deserved to be a part of this episode. I was so excited to see you on the screen, and it felt like you were standing there for all of us here who visit OfficeTally. What a great reward for everything you have done for this show and for us, the fans. Congratulations, and thank you so very much.

  2. Jennie, you did a beautiful job. Congratulations! I’m so proud of you. :) Thank for the inside scoop and the awesome photos. You rock!

  3. I was pointing you out to my hubby in the retrospective and watched, rewound and replayed your scene in the show as we watched. So proud of knowing you got to be part of it like ever fan of your site wished for you.

    Way to go!!

  4. Wow! This is beyond cool! I can’t believe you got your own trailer =) I didn’t hear you say that you were running a website… I was screaming too loud! And you should really read Harry Potter xD (My level of obsession for TO is only rivaled by those books.) You were awesome, though!

  5. Congratulations, Tanster. You deserved to be a part of the finale. You’ve done so much for the show. What a ride it has been for you!

  6. Jennie, I squealed when I saw you on screen. What a fantastic and well-deserved gift to the person who truly has been the Office’s biggest fan! So happy for you and you were perfect! Loved the Harry Potter line. Brava! Sooooo happy for you!! :-)

  7. I was watching with my hubby and when you popped up on the screen I yelled “omg! That’s Jennie!” and my husband was like “who?” I had to explain who you were.

    I was so happy to see you part of the finale. You were such a big support for the show, it’s awesome you were added in. :)

  8. So happy you were on the finale AND had a speaking part. Great job. Well deserved. You really have done so much to help others like myself enjoy the show even more.

  9. I’m so so PROUD and so so HAPPY for you. And I can’t type anymore because I’m gonna cry.

  10. Tanster, I was SO excited for YOU that you were a part of the finale! Congratulations and thanks a billion for giving us all somewhere to discuss/dissect/obsess over the minutiae of the little show that could.

    What do we do now?!

  11. Jennie! How cool was that? I’m so happy for you. I feel like you let all the fans get a cameo in the finale through your appearance. Superstar.

  12. Super cool. I guess I just want to second everything that darth scranton said. Thanks so much for giving us the details of your cameo. You did a great job!!!

  13. I was so happy to see you in the finale! I was like “it’s Tanster!” And my Mom was like “who?” Then i explained. I was so excited that you were on there! :-)

  14. Thank you so much for sharing this experience and the entire 9 years with us Jennie. It’s just a TV show and a fan site to most, but to the fans that come here, like myself, OfficeTally has been part of our lives for almost a decade. Thank you so much for everything!

  15. I knew you were going to be in the finale! It wouldn’t have been an office finale without you. :) I said to my husband, “there’s Jennie Tan from office tally!” when you came on screen. You did a wonderful job, with both your lines tonight and with this site.

  16. “Day actor”. Does that mean you didn’t need to get a SAG card to do the scene? Or did you?

  17. This was awesome, great job! I was so surprised and excited to see you haha!

  18. I saw your name come up on screen at the beginning, & excitedly told my husband who you are…soo happy for you, what an experience! You did great! Thanks for the amazing community you have built for the fans.

  19. Way to go, Jennie! My mom and I thought you were awesome on the finale. :)

  20. when I saw you onscreen I went – OMG IT’S TANSTER!!!

    and no one I was watching with had any idea what i was talking about. I let them know my extreme disappointment in their lack of office loyalty (obsession?)

  21. I saw you in the finale and screamed! My family was like how do you know her and i was pretty much just freaking out and just… yeah. I’m so happy for you!!! Ahhh! How exciting!!! :):):):)

  22. Jennie! I just got to your part in the finale! I smiled so big when I saw you on screen. I hadn’t read this post before the finale so I had NO IDEA you would be on! I’m so glad they included you in the finale. You couldn’t be more deserving =) Officetally has consistently made me love the office even more. What are we going to do after tonight! Maybe you should adopt a new show in the fall =)

  23. This was awesome :) I got SO EXCITED when I saw your name in the opening credits!!

  24. This was awesome, Tanster. For real.

    I recognized you immediately, which is a little weird. Had to explain to my friends “That’s who who runs OfficeTally!”, then had to explain what OfficeTally is.

    This episode made up for the so-so episodes in the last few years (and Nellie’s role). Bravo (brava).

    Thanks to the cast, and thanks to you.

  25. I don’t know if any other series has or would do what they did…include a real fan in the finale. That says a lot about this show’s creators, producers, writers and actors and how much they appreciated their loyal fan base. Amazing.

  26. “Like Harry Potter” haha Had me rolling. I was so hoping you’d make an appearance. I got so excited for you when I saw your name in the opening credits, Tanster! You were awesome. This show is simply the best.

  27. Congrats Jennie!! Your role was well deserved. I smiled when I saw you on screen and thought, of course tanster would be in the finale! As bad as I felt for Pam, I loved that your “character” asked that question. And the Harry Potter line at the end was awesome!

  28. Oh, Fancy Ms. Tan! Look at you with your role on the office, calling Pam out on everything we’ve been thinking. So deserved, Tanster. So well deserved! You were awesome! It was like seeing one of us on the show. Thanks for representin’!

  29. I totally squealed when I saw you! I was thinking “One of us!! One of us!!”

    You rocked it!!!!

  30. How awesome was that, a glimpse of you in the retrospective & then actual speaking lines in the finale! Way to go, tanster!!

    And I thought “24” was so cool for having the fan phone…but this show just takes it to a whole other level. Just amazing.

  31. So awesome! I was so excited to see you on there that I yelled at the tv “Hey it’s Tanster!” So cool, great job Jennie!

  32. Well deserved role. It couldn’t have happened to a greater fan. We are all envious, but I think we can all agree that after years of dedication to this site and its visitors, it’s the least the show could have done for you.

    Thank you for all your hard work Jennie. We all love you and this site.

  33. You nailed it, Jennie! I am so happy for you! Oh, and greetings from “the Scranton of the Europe” :)

  34. Jennie, I have followed Office Tally since Season 3, and I was so delighted to see you pop up on the finale. You were great! I squealed almost as loud as I did when Steve Carell appeared!

    This show will forever touch my heart, as I know it has yours.

    Josh

  35. Well done! Of all the things that The Office does right, I am particularly impressed by the way the series treats its fans.

  36. You were fantastic Jennie! I was surprised how easily and naturally you delivered your lines. Not a hint of nerves – nothing! Anyone who didn’t know who you were wouldn’t have a clue that you weren’t a professional actor. You should be really proud :) I was really glad to see you as it’s been a long time since your last cameo but also a perfect time for The Office to include people who’ve contributed to the show. Well done Jennie! And thanks for the blog. You may know that over the last couple of years my comments have been more critical than favourable, but it’s been great to have a place to discuss a show that’s played such a huge role in all our lives. Thanks to you for that. Goodbye Jennie :waves:

  37. What a buzz that must have been! Thanks for posting about your day in the episode. You did great work too, loved the Harry Potter line!

  38. Adam and I were SO excited to see you! You were incredible. It felt very right to have you in that part of the finale. So proud of you!

  39. I too was excited to see you in the final. I cried out WOW. My wife is only a casual fan thought you were a plot twist based on my reaction. Good for you. Please keep the site up.

  40. What I like best is how open you are about your experience and how sweet Andy Buckley is to you. ( making photos for you to remember this by and emailing you ).

    Thanks and congrats. I had to giggle when I saw your name in the intro.

  41. That was just absolutely fantastic. Congrats to you, what an amazing experience that must have been.

  42. When I saw you last night I started jumping and down and pointing at the TV screaming “It’s her! It’s her!” I think I freaked my kids a little. I love that Michael Scott came back, but, you were the best surprise. This is more evidence that this show appreciates us, the fans.

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You have done something here that totally changed the way we relate to the show. I will always be grateful to you for all the work you put into this blog.

  43. I have never seen a show that has this kind of relationship with its fans. It really looks like they consider you part of The Office family, and you deserve it!

  44. I’m pretty sure I scared my dog out of the room two times last night. The first was your part. I yelled “Tanster!” You did a great job :)

    The other time was when Michael showed up as Dwight’s best man and I screamed like a fan girl. :)

  45. Loved it! I squealed when I saw you, though no one else in my living room knew why I was excited. Glad you got this opportunity. You deserve it for all the hard work you’ve put in for all of us.

  46. You were perfect!!!!! And I still say you should write a book about your experience with The Office.

    Or maybe your own TV show…

    I’ve said this a hillion-jillion times before, but thank you! We couldn’t ask for a better “Fan for the Fans”!

  47. I just found this website because I’m sad about The Office ending. I found this article and I was like “hey I just found a website made by someone that was in The Office!”

  48. Amazing! Such a great honor and so well deserved! I had to hold back my gasp of astonishment when you came on screen because I was the only one in the room that knew who you were. :)

  49. This is my first time on the site, came here from a Vulture link saying a superfan was incorporated into the finale and I just have to say: So cool!

    The site looks great and now, in addition to missing the show, I also regret not having been playing along with your recaps. A great finale, and congratulations on playing a part in it!

  50. So incredibly cool, Jennie! When watching last night, I gasped and then paused the show to explain to everyone who you were and why it was so awesome you were in the show. Thanks for all you’ve done over the years.

  51. When you appeared last night, there was honest-to-God cheering in my living room! We were so excited for you! :) It was a great way to honor not just you and OfficeTally, but all fans. Thanks for doing that, Greg.

    And thank you so much for clarifying who the guests were in that scene! I had recognized Brent, Allison, Dan, Steve, and Susanne, but not Amelie. I think I need to pause the warehouse picture scene and see who else I can pick out! (Though I admit that I couldn’t quite figure out why Fern Widgale was invited to the party…must have bought a lot of totes. :))

  52. Office Q&A was a perfect spot for you.

    Being Kevin Malone’s new girlfriend would have been awesome!

  53. Jennie, I have been following you all these years. I don’t say much… but have been YOUR fan, too. You’ve done a lot for The Office, and I believe all us superfans have, too. Gary (Bobblehead) and I talk a lot.

    I am so happy that you got to do this. All those actors are great and we “CARE”. This also shows how sweet they are, and how sweet Greg Daniels is.

    Congratulations…you will always get to be part of the show now. Of course, you always were.

  54. Simply stated, congrats Tanster! You were awesome and thank you for all your hard work on the site over the years. I wish you all the best with the future :-)

  55. I gasped when I saw you ask your question!! So cool….you did a great job! You’ll have that memory forever, and so will we! Thank you so much for all your hard work. :)

  56. Jennie – Thank you so much for sharing this w/ us and for joining the old-timers and new-timers in the chat last night. I was so excited to see your name in the credits and you did a perfect job in your role. I absolutely loved how you delivered the Harry Potter line! And in a way, you really represented all the Office fans in your appearance, so again, thank you for that and for all you did over the years with Office Tally. Tallyhead for life! :)

  57. Applause, applause Jennie ! I, too, shrieked when you appeared. Your composure was so natural and well-poised, it did look like you’d acted before. I’m so happy for you that your devoted and diligent involvement has led you to play such an important part in driving the show to its success all these years. Meeting you in Scranton (Blogger’s breakfast)was just as crucial as wanting to meet the cast, and I am so honored I got that chance.

    The Office may be over, but long live Office Tally !

  58. Thank you Tanster for all of your hard work & dedication you put for this website. This site brought me closer to the show. I still remember friending you on My Space years ago! Congratulations on your involvement in the series finale. You deserve it! Thank you, again, from Malaysia :)

  59. Well done and well deserved. It’s going to be hard without the show around to discuss. TWSS.

  60. When I saw you I actually shouted to everyone in the room, “Oh my gosh, that’s the lady from Office Tally!!” What an amazing experience, I’m so happy for you, that you got to be a part of the show in such a cool way. And you did brilliantly! How fantastic that the cast and crew were so supportive during your time there, that warms my heart. :)

  61. Hi Jennie! I haven’t commented here in awhile, but I just wanted to say how happy I am for you and how excited I was to see you in last night’s episode! It felt like watching a friend of mine! Thank you for everything you do with the site and for the fans. You’re the best. Tallyheads forever (I think I may have been the one to coin that phrase!)

  62. You were excellent and so deserving to have a part in the series finale. And thank you again for this website. What an incredible, incredible resource for all of us.

  63. Thanks for telling us about your experience! How exciting! I’m so glad you got to be a part of this. I was thrilled to see you. I shouted out, “That’s Jennie Tan!”

  64. Tanster I jumped up and down in the living room when I saw your scene… congratulations…it was as if all of us made it into the scene through you …loved it!

  65. Congratulations, Jennie! I was excited (and, OK, a little jealous) to see your name in the credits. What’s funny is I thought of the similarity to Harry Potter before you even said the line!! Great minds… :)

    [ from tanster: that is the brilliance of mr. greg daniels. :) ]

  66. Hello Jennie!

    I’ve been going to your website for quite some time now, but I’ve never commented before. However, I just wanted to say congratulations on the part in the final episode! I was so excited when I saw you on there!!

  67. SO.COOL.

    You are the epitome of “It never hurts to ask!”

    AWESOME. Congratulations!

    ((even though you were nervous – you totally could not tell!!))

    [ from tanster: as pam said, “be strong, conquer your fears, just go after what you want.” :) ]

  68. Congratulations Jennie! I freaked out when I saw your name in the credits. I was so excited. When you got to ask your question to Jim and Pam I had the biggest smile on my face. “Like Harry Potter” was one of the best lines of the night. It was even a worldwide trending topic on twitter! I know it was Greg who wrote it (man is a genius) but you got to deliver it, and it was AWESOME! I stumbled upon your site pretty late into the game, but better late than never, right? Thanks for all that you’ve done in keeping us fans up to date on this amazing show and, once again, congratulations!!!

    [ from tanster: “like harry potter” trended on twitter?! wow, i didn’t know that! i’ll have to let greg know. :) ]

  69. That they recognized your contribution to the show by allowing you to be a part of it is beyond awesome. What an amazing group of people. Thanks for sharing.

  70. So, SO happy for you, tanster! I had been avoiding all possible spoilers about the finale, and did not know you had a role. But I recognized you right away, and I screeched out loud when I saw you, “Oh my gosh, that’s TANSTER!”

    As John alluded to in the retrospective, fan involvement was an integral part of the success of The Office, and Office Tally was a driving force of that involvement. Your work allowed all of us to feel connected to The Office in a way that I don’t think had ever been seen before. It was fitting that you were included in the finale!

    “Thank you” isn’t enough. But, thank you! I hope Office Tally remains available for us to reference when we all inevitably rewatch The Office.

  71. I hope I’m not repeating someone in an earlier comment, but this is a prime example of what makes “The Office” different–its dedication to the fans. Putting Jennie into the series finale is such a huge gesture to all of the fans.

    On a side note, when watching, I blurted out, “OMG that’s the girl from the Office Tally blog!” And my wife was like, “Um, how do you know that?”

  72. I am so happy for you, Jennie! What an amazing experience! I got so excited when I saw you in the finale, my husband thought I’d lost my mind. Also, that Harry Potter line cracked me up because as Pam was describing her marriage as a book you never want to end, I immidiately thought of Harry Potter! Lol!

  73. I saw your name in the opening credits! And then there you were! I don’t even know you, but I felt like my best friend just got to do the coolest thing ever. Congratulations and thank you for giving us a place to hang out all these years.

  74. Omg I almost fell off my chair! I was so excited to see you!!!!! You did great. Wooo hooo!!!

  75. Omg. Your cameo makes SO much sense, especially since the debate over JAM’s troubles and Jim’s ‘sacrifice’ was often so heated on this site. The amazing things about shows like The Office and Parks & Rec are how the audience can use the characters to process and discuss things in their own lives. Thanks tanster, Tallyites, and, most of all, Office writers, actors and crew. You’re all EXACTLY “like Harry Potter.” :)

  76. I may have shouted “TANSTER!!” at my screen last night when I saw you :)

    I was so excited for you! It sounds like it was an amazing experience. You deserve it!

  77. This may have been referenced before, but check out comment number 36 by Denise (ddker) on Fri. May. 10, 2013 | 7:07pm on the page below:

    https://www.officetally.com/the-office-finale-photos

    Great restraint on your part tanster! I may have preferred having you use a fictional name on the show but hey that’s just me. Good for you JT. Also, this had to have been a first for a fan of any show.

    [ from tanster: thank you! i’m going to add that to my report. :) ]

  78. This was awesome. I remember shouting “TANSTER!” when I saw your name on the opening credits and again in the Q&A scene. In fact, my surprise at your name in the credits was so much that I only now realize that there is somebody credited as “Tuba Heatherton” LOL.

    [from tanster: lol!]

  79. So amazingly awesome for you and it was also a gift to all your readers. Excellent all around.

  80. Great job Tanster! I was so excited when I saw you in the episode. Thank you so much for running OfficeTally all these years. I checked OfficeTally.com every day for 8 years, checking to see if there were new spoilers or episode descriptions or deleted scenes. You are awesome!

  81. I don’t call, I don’t write, but I love The Office and officetally and totally enjoyed reading your great piece about the finale. Thanks for the details. Soooo interesting! Hey, never HOITS TO ASK!!! Cool stuff.

  82. Tanster – I’m ashamed to admit that I totally missed your name in the beginning credits, but I am one of the ones who shouted “TANSTER!!!!” at my TV when you appeared! I was SO EXCITED for you!! And I loved reading your account of everything, it kinda felt like we were all there with you. Just a little. And yes – I am so super jealous. :)

  83. It was a great surprise to see your name in the credits! It was already awesome to see you onscreen, but your notes made it feel even more so. And I can’t get over how lovely this cast is!
    Congrats, Tanster, and thank you for all you’ve done throughout the years. I have enjoyed frequently visiting OfficeTally as much as I did when I first discovered it a few summers ago. I remember spending so many consecutive days/hours on it, seeing what I missed out on. May both The Office and Office Tally live on!

  84. Jennie, I squealed when you popped up in the scene! It was like the entire OfficeTally community got to make an appearance. A dream come true for all of us…as great as seeing Steve. Thank you so very much for building this wonderful place over the past 9 years. As I finish my freshman year in college, I realize that the one thing that’s remained constant as a teenager was my love for this show. I spent my entire middle and high school years on this site and this show’s community has shaped my comedic sensibilities and teenage experience an immeasurable amount. You deserve as much thanks as the cast and crew for that. A once in a lifetime fandom experience. All the best.

  85. I’ve not seen your site before but was directed to this write-up and it was really cute and I’m SO glad this happened for you. What a great story and experience and you handled it all perfectly. Well done!

  86. Thank you so much for sharing this experience and thank you for working so hard for the rest of us fans!

  87. You were great in the finale. I did wonder how nervous you would have been – I mean, IT WAS IN FRONT OF THE CAST lol. But you nailed it. The bit that got me the most though, was Andy emailing you through your scene, that was SO adorable, I heart him.

    [ from tanster: andy is a sweetheart. i heart him too. :) ]

  88. I was so excited when I saw you, Tanster. It was a great surprise. So happy for you! Nice job!!

  89. 1-You should read Harry Potter in your new found free time. It’s really good. I used to have to plug my ears during the Money scene where Dwight reads from the final book b/c I hadn’t read the last book yet when that episode aired.
    2-Can we do a Q&A with you about the blog and your set experiences like you did with the writers?

    [from tanster: thanks, jmje! if there is enough interest, sure would love to do a Q&A!]

  90. I’ll second the comments that you should definitely read/watch the Harry Potter series, tanster. It seems like something that you would really enjoy (maybe not to the level of The Office- but we knew that wouldn’t be possible!).

  91. Thanks for this post! I’m a big fan of your site, but I have difficulty recognizing faces. On the other hand, my boyfriend doesn’t really keep up with your site at all… but the second you appeared on screen during the finale, he shouted out: “Oh! There’s that lady! The one that runs that website you go to!”

    Thanks for the in-depth account of your experience! You truly deserved it after all you’ve done for the show. To others who don’t want to pursue an acting career but still would like to get a taste of it: try becoming an extra in a film/show. It’s actually really fun, and something worth adding to your bucket list.

  92. OMG! I have just started to see the final episodes of The Office; for many reasons I couldn’t watch them on TV as they were showed, so I’m making it up by watching them online. I literally yelled “OMG there’s Tanster!” when I saw your scene, and immediately got here to see this post. Awesome! Thank you for everything, Tanster :)

    [ from tanster: thanks! :) ]

  93. Awww, I loved this so much!
    Thanks for sharing your experience, you did a great job.

  94. *7 years later* WOW! I just finished watching The Office for the first time and I’m so glad I found your blog!
    Makes me so happy that they invited a real fan to the finale… I had no idea! Congratulations and thanks for sharing this behind the scene details, i love it!! :)

    [from tanster: thanks so much for the kind words, isabella! ❤️ ]

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