The Office: What surprising benefit did Rainn Wilson gain from playing Dwight Schrute? Actor reveals 

Dwight Schrute is one of the most iconic characters in The Office. Played by Rainn Wilson, Dwight is portrayed as the Assistant Regional Manager at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. He is known for being socially awkward and overly serious, often coming out as rude and aggressive.

In a recent interview during Fan Expo in Chicago, he revealed the unexpected benefit of playing Dwight Schrute. He expressed how he now has the freedom to be blunt or

“a little bit of a d**k” in real life, because people associate it with Dwight.

They find it funny instead of an offence, which was quite surprising for the actor. He also drew a comparison with his Office co-stars, Jenna Fischer (Pam), who in the show is portrayed as the kind one, but in reality has some edgy humour.

Read on to know more about what Rainn Wilson said about his The Office character.

Being Dwight in real life

As mentioned, Rainn Wilson at the Fan Expo pointed out how even when he says something rude or edgy, people have stopped taking offence and actually appreciate him being "Dwight-like".

"One of the things that's great - and maybe you noticed this - is that Dwight is a little bit of a d**k. And Rainn is a little bit of a d**k! Having played Dwight allows me to kind of be a d**k to people, and people laugh," Wilson said.

Dwight in The Office is written as abrasive and rude, and the audience has started to expect a little of that from the actor, too. So when Wilson cracks up sharp jokes in real life, it always lands well, making people go "classic Dwight".

On the other hand, Jenna Fischer, whose character is remembered for being kind, wholesome, and empathetic, is expected to be the same in reality, even when she has a "raunchy sense of humour". Wilson emphasised how, when she tries to be herself in public, people react negatively.

"I can be kind of an a*****e and people are like, 'Isn't that charming?' So it's one of the benefits of playing like Dwight," he admitted. "I talked to Jenna [Fischer] - Jenna plays Pam, who's so sweet - and she can't tell any really edgy jokes because people are like, 'Pam would never say that!' So Jenna has to kind of keep her kind of dark, raunchy sense of humor in check because people really recoil."

Wilson also recalled his character's most famous quotes from The Office

According to Wilson, the most common line fans repeat to him is “Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.” However, he explained how his character, Dwight, never actually said it. It was John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert who delivered the line while impersonating Dwight in one of the show’s most beloved cold opens.

“I like the quotes that are a little more out-of-the-box,” Wilson explained. Some of his favorites include “Identity theft is not a joke, Jim,” and “The eyes are the groin of the head.”

Wilson said he’s especially delighted when fans dig deeper into Dwight’s quirky catalogue of lines.

Trending

“One time, a guy came up, and he showed me a text chain with his daughter where they were exchanging Dwight quotes, and it said, ‘Fact, I can and do cut my own hair.’ And I thought that was okay, that’s good, that’s good. That’s not one I ever hear.”

Rainn Wilson played the eccentric Dwight Schrute for nine seasons on the NBC sitcom and became one of the fan-favourite characters.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback