Q. Did you guys come up with names for all of the characters in the game or just the ones we heard? | Luke
Danny: Originally, I only came up with names for a few characters. But the props dept. wanted to make character cards for every actor, so I wrote up some other Southern pun names of which I am both proud and ashamed. They are:
Dick Seeland (Kevin)
Chad Anooga (Oscar)
Jeeves Julep (Dwight)
Barbie Cue (I forget)
George Apeach (Jim)
Paul Metto (BJ)
Connie Federate (Meredith)
Carl Erdgreens (I forget)
Q. Is Belles, Bourbon, and Bullets a real game? Where can I get it? | Caleb Crawdaddy
Danny: Not real. The magic of imagination!
[from tanster: but there is an NBC.com website about the game …]
Q. Did you have to buy all those board games for Michael’s office, or did different employees just bring them in from their homes for the shot? | Vidsub
Danny: Someone bought them. And then we just threw ’em away! (I’m not sure about that last part.)
Q. Did you write, or did Steve Carell ad lib, the line about going to see “Mama JuJu BooBoo” when Pam asked Michael “Where to now, Caleb?” | Stapler
Danny: That was a Steve ad lib. I’m not sure if it was intentional or he just forgot the real name. Either way, awesome.
Q. What was used as Meredith’s fake brains? | Tina
Danny: Roast beef from the sandwich platter that Michael mentioned earlier.
Q. My question is if the idea for this episode started before The Office Clue game came along or was the tie-in advertising for the Clue game just a natural thing to do since the episode was very Clue-like? | MaybeNowUWillEstimateMe
Danny: The Office Clue game never came up. I didn’t know it existed until after I’d written my script.
Q. Why isn’t Pam showing yet? She was showing a little in Koi Pond, but you could hardly see her baby belly last night! | Danielle
Danny: It must just have been what she was wearing, because I promise you she had a baby belly during the shoot.
Q. I’m actually interested in hearing about how the writers determine character progression, particularly Pam’s evolution. She has noticeably changed from the quiet, unassuming girl she was in the earlier seasons. Is this a conscious decision? | Liv
Danny: We talk a lot about the development of the characters. It’s definitely a conscious decision. It’s usually based on a mix of a) how we really think that character would change as their life situation changes, and b) what we learn from the actors’ portrayals.
Great interview! Thanks, Danny! I agree that one of the best lines from Thursday was “Just poopin’. You know how I be.” I chuckle often while I watch TV, but rarely do I laugh out loud. That was an LOL moment.
That was a great Q&A, very informative and funny.
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! So very interesting.
Thank you for answering questions! And I agree with you and #1. “Just poopin’, you know how I be” was awesome.
Thanks so much Danny! really funny answers and very informative. I’m also a part of the large group of people who “lol’ed” at “just pooping, you know how I be” It was so unexpected.
These were the best As of any Q&A ever. Thanks so much for all of the great behind the scenes info–it was really funny and interesting! I’d think I’d even be happy to read Danny Chun’s to-do list or grocery list any day–his writing is so fun to read! The collaborative, generous efforts that go into the scripts are so impressive. I loved this episode, it was so funny and well done. (I wish that Michael’s line about Shawn Mullins had been in the final cut too!)
Funny that he didn’t know the abbreviation for Jim and Pam! JAM<3
Loved the Q&A. Thanks Danny!
Thanks for the Q&A! And also thanks for answering my question :)
Danny, you just broke the first rule of Fight Club!
LOL i thought that i was the only one who ROTFL when andy is talking to michael about his standup comedy
I literally died laughing when I was reading the Southern pun names. Being from the south, I love that he made a pun using the name of the city where I live. Awesome. And the accents cracked me up too, mostly with how far off some were.
Awesome interview! He’s hilarious! Thanks Danny for answering our questions!
I agree with #7! Someone should have told him that the shorthand for Jim and Pam is JAM! :D
#7 and #12: Are you familiar with sarcasm? ;) Lol. I’m pretty sure he was being ironic. This is an Office writer after all.
But yeah, thank you so much Danny Chun! GREAT Q&A, and keep up the good work!
Ahhhh!! Oh my goodness :D All my questions were answered! Thank you so much Danny and Tanster. I’ll just believe the hamster was really named Tina. lol
Danny, thanks for doing the Q&A, you are such a wonderful asset to The Office team!
I love that your episode is titled MURDER – every time I see that, I think it’s called MUKDUK :)
*** You guys, I’m pretty sure he was being funny re. JH & P ***
I’m pretty sure Danny knows about the term ‘JAM’. :)
Thanks DChun! Loved the episode and the Q&A!
What a fantastic, funny, in-depth Q&A! The Southern pun names are so great – I think Carl Erdgreens is my favorite. And I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at the Michael line about Shawn Mullins. I wish that had made it, too.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for us, Danny! Awesome read. :)
Thanks for taking the time to do a Q&A Danny! And thanks for answering one of my questions! Wooo! A first for me!
I loved all the pun names as well. So clever!
And it’s a shame Michael’s line about Shawn Mullin’s didn’t make it into the ep. It was a good one.
(And yeah, I think he was joking about the JAM term, too.)
I agree – the Q&A was just as funny as the episode! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed out loud at a Q&A. Hopefully we’ll be seeing Danny’s name in the writing credits more often. Thanks for answering my question too. (You’re sure the hamster wasn’t named “Stapler”?)
:)
Thanks for answering my question, Danny! It’s awesome that an Office writer acknowledged my existence! I loved the answers. One of the funniest Q&As ever. I love Rainn’s response.
thanks! keep up the great work
The Murder Mystery episode was one of my favorites; it was just too much fun. They did such a great job with everything, awesome work everyone.