In Part Two of my conversation with The Office’s Michael Schur, we talk about character development and what it’s like to work with the other writers.
Things get a little out of hand.
Mindy talks about Season 4
SPOILER WARNING! There’s one little spoilerish item about the new season …
BostonHerald.com talks to Mindy Kaling about The Office’s Season 4:
“I think that Ryan is in for it,” Kaling said recently. “I don’t think Kelly would even know where the phrase ‘hell hath no fury’ is from or even know what that means, but we’re going to see that literally enacted upon Ryan, which I think is going to be funny to see. My character is kind of such a sweet ditz, so to see her be scorned and turned into Medea will be really fun and a challenge as an actor.”
Link: ‘Office’ dirt: Cambridge native Mindy Kaling spills the secrets of the hot NBC sitcom
Greg Daniels interview
Dead Things ON Sticks interviewed The Office’s showrunner Greg Daniels at the Banff World Television Festival last week:
… the cameramen on The Office, specifically Randall Einhorn, although Matt Sohn his number two is also very good … but he’s our DP and I used to sit him down when I told him what we were looking for and I’d say, “truth and beauty. we’re going for truth and beauty.” He really responded to that. “Cool,” he’d say — he lived in Australia, he’d go, “Truth and beauty, mate!” And then he’d go out … so he was always trying to find that moment of behavior, or that thing in the camerawork.
The process of making and writing The Office is one of my favorite topics ever!
Links: DTOS Part 1 | DTOS Part 2 | More Greg Daniels interviews at Banff
Tipster: Wasa-B
Ken Kwapis interview
MoviesOnline Canada spoke to Ken Kwapis, director of License to Wed. Ken is also a director and co-executive producer of The Office, and mentioned our favorite show several times in the interview, including a cute story about Jenna Fischer’s audition for Pam:
[Jenna] said to the casting director, “I’m so desperate to get this part. What do I need to do when I go in there and meet the director?” And the casting director said, “Just go in there and bore them.” And I thought that was the most brilliant advice because that’s the style of the show — people who kind of disappear under the woodwork. She came in to audition and just sat in the corner for awhile and I remember literally someone came up to me and said, “I think that woman is under the misperception that she’s here for a receptionist’s job.”
Greg Daniels at Banff World Television Festival
The Office Executive Producer Greg Daniels is in Banff this week leading a master class for the World Television Festival.
Here are some interesting related articles (I’m tagging this with a SPOILER ALERT because Season 4 is discussed, but nothing is revealed that is earth-shattering):
- 6/12, Blogcritics Magazine: An Interview with The Office Creator Greg Daniels. “It’s just almost embarrassing when you see the promos for 30 Rock and Scrubs and there’s all these good gags in there, and then there’s ours and it’s all “I loooove you.” And I’m like, OK, that was a good moment, but we had guys in inflatable sumo suits also.”
- 6/12, Edmonton Sun: Office talk. “People on college campuses have more passion for our show than they have passion for Two and a Half Men.”
- 6/11, Toronto Star: Funny business as usual at NBC. “The writers have “broken” the first 13 episodes. Each has two or three rough outlines — Daniels brought his two to Banff — and the plan is to reconvene after July 4 with completed scripts.”
Hamilton College talks to Paul Lieberstein
Paul Lieberstein’s alma mater, Hamilton College, interviews him about his various roles on The Office:
Best Part of Your Job: When we are in pre-production, this is the best job in the world. Working 10 to 7, sitting around and brainstorming with the other writers, making things funnier and writing and rewriting scenes — that’s as fun as it gets.
Link: Interview with Paul Lieberstein
Tipster: AE
IGN interviews Brian Baumgartner
SPOILER WARNING! Article and subsequent comments will contain spoilers.
IGN talks to Brian Baumgartner about JAM, Scrantonicity, and the famous directors that have worked on The Office this season:
IGN TV: You’ve had some pretty big directors come on the show to take over the reigns for an episode. JJ Abrams, Harold Ramis, and Joss Whedon have all come on to direct. Did you find things pretty much stayed the same or did they came in saying “I’m going to do this the Harold Ramis way …”
I think it’s a bit of both. We’re pretty wired now, but some of the directors like you mentioned bring their own unique vision to it and they help to make the show that much better. But our structure and how the show is written is all there and pretty much doesn’t change. Harold might have ideas or specific changes that would change a moment.
Link: IGN Interview: The Office’s Brian Baumgartner
Tipster: Skippy
TV Guide interviews Oscar Nunez
TVGuide.com talks to Oscar Nunez about The Office and his Comedy Central show, Halfway Home:
TVGuide.com: Was it difficult to keep a straight face while shooting the Michael-Oscar kiss in this season’s opener?
Nuñez: You know, that’s not one of my weaknesses. I’m pretty good at keeping a straight face. Steve [Carell] has made me break a handful of times during the season, but that wasn’t one of them.