Rainn Wilson was 'mostly unhappy' on The Office : 'I wanted to be a movie star'
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Years after it first aired on NBC, The Office remains a generation-spanning TV favorite. Fans new and old continue to binge the sitcom, and many of its cast members routinely celebrate production anniversaries and tease reunion possibilities. Former cast members Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey even host a rewatch podcast, Office Ladies, where they discuss their memories of making the show. But not every star recalls the series so fondly.
In a new interview with Bill Maher for the Club Random podcast, Rainn Wilson — who played Dwight Schrute on all nine seasons — recalled feeling frustrated for most of the show's run.
"When I was in The Office, I spent several years really mostly unhappy because it wasn't enough," Wilson said.
Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank Rainn Wilson on 'The Office'
Wilson continued, "I'm on one of the great TV shows. People love it. I wasn't enjoying it. I was thinking about, 'Why am I not a movie star? Why am I not the next Jack Black or the next Will Ferrell? How come I can't have a movie career? Why don't I have this development deal?'"
Wilson's frustrations make sense when you consider that his costar Steve Carell was taking off as a movie star at the same time he was starring as lead character Michael Scott on The Office. After breakout roles in the likes of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Get Smart, Carell left The Office after season 7 to take on more leading roles.
"When I was on The Office...I was making hundreds of thousands," Wilson said. "I wanted millions. I was a TV star, but I wanted to be a movie star. It was never enough."
Watch the full interview above.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
