‘The Office’ stars recall the movie of Pam’s big screaming scene with Dwight

On the surface, The office is a goofy and light hearted workplace comedy. But at its heart, the show contains layers of drama, intimate relationships, and complex characters who are not afraid to be vulnerable.

The scene from the parking lot in “Casino Night” is a perfect example of how good The office handle more serious scenes. But it was certainly not the only time the show went deep. On the last episode of the , former co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey talk about filming “Back From Vacation,” which has an engaging scene between Pam and Dwight.

For those in need of a recipe, ‘Back From Vacation’ focuses primarily on an intimate photo of Jan accidentally circulating Michael after returning from his trip to Jamaica. While Michael tries to delete all copies of the photo, Pam tries to help Jim navigate his first argument with Karen.

Although Pam clearly enjoys spending time with Jim again, the circumstances are not ideal and the Karen conversation clearly takes a toll on her. Towards the end of the episode, Dwight finds Pam crying in the hallway and he tries to comfort her. (You can watch the scene here, starting at 1:12 p.m.)

“Angela, I saw this scene and it just brought tears to my eyes because I remember it shot so clearly,” Fischer said. “This was already so early in the show, and if we had these really emotional scenes, like the scene of the parking lot between Jim and Pam, we would just shut everything down. And I remember we closed the set and we have hours prepping and shooting this screaming scene. “

“It was really important to Greg [Daniels, The Office showrunner] that I really cried. They did not want to put false tears in my eyes. He really wanted me to go along with it, “she explained. This is a really big challenge for an actor. And so what they did, they made everything really quiet and no one talked to me for about half an hour. I put on the saddest music I could find, and it was sad because it was personal to me … It was music that brought back memories of breakups – music that I had after several times in my life after listening to when I had a particularly hard time – so it would evoke a lot of emotions. “

Fischer explained that she had spent the previous week creating the perfect screaming playlist, and before she shot this scene, she sat alone and listened to it until the tears came. “Dan Kelly, our first [assistant director,] came and took the headphones off me, and she started rolling. And so they could start the scene crying. “

“When you play a scene, Angela, and you have dialogue and connection with a person, many times that will bring the emotion out of you. But it’s really hard to start a scene in a full cry, to “You just had to get yourself there,” Fischer said.

“That’s so true,” Kinsey replied. “It’s really hard because you basically take yourself emotionally from zero to 60.” Kinsey recalls a similarly screaming scene she had to do when she was filming Haters Back Off, and then shared a useful trick she learned in acting class.

“I took this acting class and it’s talking about emotional travel,” Kinsey said. “The actress teacher encourages us to choose one song – one song – because you may not have the luxury of listening on purpose … So everyone chooses one song, and in your mind you sing that one song, and in the end, you should be in that emotional place. And it worked for me. “

The song that Kinsey chose to sing in her head was Lefty Frizzell’s, “That’s The Way Love Goes.” And although Fischer had a very screaming playlist for that episode, she remembers listening to a Ben Folds song to help her cry like Pam.

“I had a whole Pam soundtrack that I would listen to at my station to work on in season 3 when she and Jim were estranged,” Fischer added. “It was Norah Jones. She’s just so soulful and desirable and a little lost.”

While music is a common tool that actors use to help them cry, it was the performances of Rainn Wilson and Dwight that made both Fisher and Kinsey emotional when re-watching the scene.

“I remember you guys doing this show, and I remember it from the filter of your BFF. I remember you were really scared of it. You wanted to get it really good, and you did all the prep,” said Kinsey. “And when I see it again, Jenna, it made me tremble, it’s so beautiful. And I think I see Rainn as Dwight trembles. But sure, Dwight wouldn ‘t fix it, but I think Rainn, your friend, pushes. to see you cry. “

“Angela, it makes me choke to say it, because this is a bit of a place where the line is blurred between the Rainn you and I know and Dwight,” Fischer replied. “Rainn just could not do that scene without empathy with Pam. Every time we did a take, he shrugged when I cried harder. It was like Rainn Wilson, the man was unable to sit next to a person in. pain without feeling her pain, and this is something we know about Rainn.It’s something we love about Rainn, and when I saw it in the scene, it just made me think Rainn was so wrong, because that’s who Rainn is to me on a personal level. “

“Yeah, I just saw Rainn,” Kinsey said. “I just saw him, and he’s tearing, and he has to go back to Dwight and the line say, ‘You’m pretty PMSing hard, right?’ ‘She laughed.

“One of my favorite things he does as Dwight in this scene is that he takes his coat off of him, and you’re positive he’s going to wrap it around Pam, and he’s tying it so awkwardly around his own waist,” he said. them through.

“Yes, that was in the script,” laughed Fischer. “That’s the other thing. All the little beats, all the little moments – he puts his coat around his waist, wraps the handkerchief, and awkwardly pulls his arm around her shoulder. That’s all written down, all those moments.”

“It was a beautifully written play, and they gave us great time to figure it out and shoot it,” Fischer said. “I’m really proud of that scene. It’s one of my favorites from the series.”

Be sure to listen to the full podcast episode to hear more behind-the-scenes stories about filming the episode “Back From Vacation” and learn more screaming tips from Kinsey and Fischer.

You can stream episodes from and follow along with the podcast each week on ,, as.