Jenna Fischer Shares Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of The Office Cast’s Relationships with Each Other and Fans During Sitcom’s Production
Jenna Fischer reminisced about her time shooting The Office. On The Office Ladies podcast, she shared that the cast members would IM each other and interact with fans during filming. They used their celebrity computers to send instant messages, creating a real office environment on set. Fischer disclosed that everyone received AOL instant messages based on their character names during the July 17 podcast episode she co-hosts with Angela Kinsey.
The Mean Girls actress revealed that John Krasinski suggested setting up the cast’s IDs so they could have fun messaging each other behind the scenes.
Jenna Fischer revealed John Krasinski installed the IM on the set computers at The Office
During a conversation with Kinsey on The Office Ladies podcast, Fischer mentioned that Krasinski went around setting up AOL IMs on the cast members’ computers. The accounts were created using their character names rather than their real names. Fischer recalled, “John went around to our computers and set up an instant message. When we got the Internet, he did this so we could joke around in the background of scenes.”
She added, “I got to work one day, and he was like, ‘Check it out.’ And he showed me my little instant message screen and said that my name was ‘receptionitis15,’ I was like, ‘What is this name?'” Kinsey also remembered how Krasinski tutored them on using the software, leading to continuous fun behind the scenes.
Aside from the main cast members, other actors including Steve Carell, B.J. Novak, Rainn Wilson, Leslie David Baker, Kate Flannery, Phyllis Smith, and Brian Baumgartner also enjoyed using the software.
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Jenna Fischer shares her experience of IM-ing the fans during The Office shoot
Jenna also mentioned that she not only messaged the cast members but also interacted with fans using the software. Initially B.J. Novak’s idea, she quickly embraced it. She shared, “We weren’t just IMing each other either; I would IM with fans during scenes.”
She continued, “Remember when we had MySpace? Somehow, I would get the IMs of fans through MySpace, and I would write things, and I would say, ‘When you watch the episode ‘Healthcare,’ there’s going to be a scene where Dwight is talking about hot dog fingers, and I’m IMing you during this scene.’
Jenna Fischer played Pam Beesley in the mockumentary, which garnered her popularity worldwide. The Office ran for 9 seasons from 2005 to 2013.
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