NBC
For most actors, having a starring role in one of the most widely-beloved sitcoms ever made would be a dream job. For The Office star Rainn Wilson, however, it was a source of unhappiness.
During a recent interview on Bill Maher’s podcast — which is called “Club Random”, which is an absolutely insane name for a podcast hosted by a 67-year-old man — Wilson detailed how he was unhappy while making The Office because he felt he deserved to be the “next Jack Black or Will Ferrell.”
“When I was in The Office, I spent several years really mostly unhappy because it wasn’t enough/ I’m realizing now, like, I’m on a hit show, Emmy nominated every year, making lots of money, working with Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski and these amazing writers and incredible directors like Paul Feig. I’m on one of the great TV shows. People love it,” Wilson said.
“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?’”
Since starring in The Office, while Wilson has certainly not become the next Black or Ferrell, he has appeared in episodes of TV shows such as Mom, Star Trek: Discovery, Room 104, Transparent, and more. He’s also had roles in films such as The Meg, Blackbird, Jerry & Marge Go Large, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
You can watch Wilson’s interview with Maher below.