"They flew me out to Michigan": Wendi McLendon-Covey reveals she was once fired for 'not being pretty enough' for a film that 'went nowhere'

The Goldbergs lead Wendi McLendon-Covey recently opened up about an unfortunate incident that occurred earlier in her career. In her recent appearance on the Office Ladies podcast hosted by former The Office stars, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, she revealed that she was once fired from a film purely based on the way she looked.

"I had just been fired off a movie. I had auditioned. I had done all these things. They flew me out to Michigan. I was there one night, got in the passenger van to go to set, and the money guy decided I was not pretty enough to do the role. So I was put on a plane crying to go right back to L.A."

Wendi McLendon-Covey, now an industry veteran, described the situation as follows in hindsight,

"It was pretty brutal and yet a blessing because that movie went nowhere. And I would have had to be in Michigan for seven weeks waiting to film for only five days, on intermittent days."

The actress went on to surmise,

"Sometimes you're in the wrong place, and something horrible has to happen to get you in the right place."

Wendi McLendon-Covey shares more on the Office Ladies podcast

While the experience of rejection definitely sat with her for some time, Wendi McLendon-Covey went on to detail how her change in fortune directly afterwards was in fact a kind of karmic blessing.

"When I land in L.A. I look at my phone, and my phone's blowing up because I had gotten an offer to do The Office. The next day. So thank god I got fired, right? Because nobody saw that movie, but everybody saw this."

At the time she joined the cast of The Office, Wendi was also on Reno 911!. While she talked fondly about her time on the set of The Office, she went on to share the effect it had on her existing spot on ‘Reno’.

"[We began on] a Friday. The weekend goes on. Monday, I come back, and during lunch, I'm in my trailer eating. I get a call that I'm not gonna be on Reno anymore. So, I am sobbing in my trailer. I was like, ugh. I mean, I was like, 'Well, now I'm gonna get fired from this job because I can't collect myself. It was terrible."

Thankfully, experiences like this did not deter her passion for acting.

Wendi McLendon-Covey's most popular roles

Fortunately, it all worked out for Wendi McLendon-Covey, who has enjoyed a long career in television and film.

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In terms of the small screen, after her brief stint on The Office, she had several smaller arcs on popular shows, including Wizards of Waverly Place, Cougar Town, and Modern Family. She also had more significant roles in Rules of Engagement and The Goldbergs.

On the big screen, Wendi McLendon-Covey had her breakthrough role in 2011's hit comedy Bridesmaids before also appearing in several other successful projects. The list includes such hits as Magic Mike and Blended.

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