Jenna Fischer

Summary

Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade Episode: Jenna Fischer Release Date: May 28, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, the dynamic duo welcomes beloved actress Jenna Fischer, best known for her iconic role as Pam Beesly on The Office. Hosted by longtime friends Dana Carvey and David Spade, the conversation delves deep into Jenna's experiences in show business, her journey on The Office, and her transition into theater. The episode is rich with anecdotes, personal insights, and reflections on acting and life beyond the screen.

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Jenna Fischer's Journey in Show Business

[02:29] David Spade: "The lovely Jenna Fischer, who's pretty universally liked out there. I mean, very sweet, very talented, very fun and charming."

Jenna Fischer shares her path to fame, emphasizing her deep-rooted admiration for Saturday Night Live and her determination to break into the industry. She recounts her early struggles and the pivotal moments that led to her breakthrough on The Office.

[03:31] Dana Carvey: "She wanted to do a good job. She listens to the show. She has her own show, the Office Ladies."

Jenna highlights her friendship with Angela, despite their on-screen "frenemies" dynamic, and how their real-life camaraderie contributed to the podcast's success.

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Behind the Scenes of The Office

[24:33] Jenna Fischer: "My biggest takeaway from having rewatched it was that it's really good the whole time..."

Jenna provides a thoughtful analysis of The Office, debunking the myth that the show peaked in its early seasons. She praises the show's ability to maintain quality and deliver standout episodes even after key cast changes.

[28:12] Jenna Fischer: "It was really collaborative. And, you know, so many of the writers were also actors on the show..."

Delving into the show's production, Jenna discusses the improvisational elements and the seamless choreography that made The Office feel genuine and spontaneous. She credits the writers and the unique filming style for the show's enduring appeal.

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Transitioning to Theater: Ashland Avenue

[40:24] Jenna Fischer: "Ashland Avenue is the play. And she's doing it in Chicago..."

Jenna excitedly introduces her new venture into theater with the play Ashland Avenue. She describes the plot, centered around a man grappling with the obsolescence of his long-standing TV shop, and her role as his daughter navigating her own ambitions.

[44:33] Jenna Fischer: "This character is different from Pam for sure..."

Addressing audience expectations, Jenna explains how her new character diverges from Pam Beesly, offering her the opportunity to explore deeper and more varied emotional terrains in her acting career.

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Balancing Career and Family

[46:51] Jenna Fischer: "She said, imagine like your family is flowing like a river..."

Jenna opens up about the challenges of balancing a demanding acting career with motherhood. She shares insights from her conversations with a family therapist, highlighting the importance of fostering a child-centered home to ensure her children's needs remain paramount.

[47:43] David Spade: "She's kind of like a kid-centered type of parent. And so I have changed the things I've said yes to or the things I do acting wise..."

The discussion underscores the delicate balance Jenna maintains between her professional aspirations and her commitment to her family, emphasizing the conscious choices she makes to harmonize both aspects of her life.

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Anecdotes and Personal Stories

[16:54] Jenna Fischer: "She looked at me, took me by the shoulders, looked me deep in the eyes and said, don't give up..."

Jenna recounts a touching encounter with Molly Shannon at an early party in Los Angeles, where Shannon's words of encouragement had a profound impact on her perseverance in the acting industry.

[65:10] Jenna Fischer: "And now I never want to speak to him again. I will never speak to him again."

A humorous yet candid moment unfolds as Jenna shares her awkward yet memorable conversation with Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live, about her preparedness for the apocalypse—a topic that seemingly connected them in a unique way.

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Reflections on Acting and Creativity

[26:17] Jenna Fischer: "Sometimes I watch it and I'm Like, I'll never do work that good again..."

Jenna reflects on her dual feelings when revisiting her performances on The Office. While some moments fill her with pride, others make her cringe, illustrating the honest self-assessment actors often experience.

[29:04] Jenna Fischer: "We had two camera operators with cameras on their shoulders and both of these guys were from Survivor..."

Providing an insider's view of the show's filming process, Jenna explains the innovative camera work that contributed to the show's realistic feel, emphasizing the collaborative and energetic environment on set.

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Advice and Final Thoughts

[60:37] Jenna Fischer: "Dare to bore me. It was so scary..."

Jenna shares valuable advice from her casting director, Alison Jones, encouraging authenticity and restraint during auditions. Her storytelling highlights the importance of genuine performances over theatrical flair.

[69:11] Jenna Fischer: "We usually record there in person together. And you guys are all set up at home, like you guys have cool setups, but we sometimes go in person."

Concluding the episode, Jenna discusses the logistics of podcast recordings with Angela, emphasizing the flexibility and camaraderie that fuels their collaborative efforts.

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Conclusion

This episode offers listeners an intimate glimpse into Jenna Fischer's professional journey, her thoughtful analysis of The Office, and her passionate foray into theater. Dana Carvey and David Spade skillfully navigate between lighthearted banter and profound discussions, making for a rich and engaging conversation. Notable moments, such as Jenna's inspirational encounter with Molly Shannon and her candid reflections on acting, provide depth and relatability, ensuring that both long-time fans and newcomers find value in the dialogue.

Key Quotes:

• Jenna Fischer [16:54]: "Don't give up. Whatever you do, don't give up."
• Jenna Fischer [60:37]: "Dare to bore me."
• Jenna Fischer [46:51]: "Imagine like your family is flowing like a river..."

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Enjoyed this summary? Tune in to Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade every Wednesday on Audacy for more behind-the-scenes stories and engaging conversations with your favorite entertainment personalities!

Transcript

[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

Elevate your closet with quints. Go to quint.com fly for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q U I N C E.com fly to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com fly David Jenna Fisher Jenna Fisher.

[David Spade]

The lovely Jenna Fisher, who's pretty universally liked out there. I mean, very sweet, very talented, very fun and charming.

[Dana Carvey]

Famous for the office. She's done a lot of movies and a lot of other Things. But she was Pam on the Office.

[David Spade]

The small mash for all 98 seasons. Yeah, that show just kept grinding it out. And yeah, there's a spin off. Now we talk about. We don't only talk about the Office. Of course we have. She does plays. She's doing a new one. We're talking about. She talks about. I asked her about Nick Schwartz and about Will Ferrell. She loves snl. And I hit her up after the interview and, you know, I think she had what we had. She's always like, she's like, exactly. We say, did we ask the right questions? Was I interesting? Was I fun? And we, we always finish and going, I think we did that wrong. Whatever. But she's very sweet about it. She wanted to do a good job. She listens to the show. She has her own show, the Office Ladies.

[Dana Carvey]

And she, she tells some really funny stories, interesting stories about her struggles before she got on the Office. And there's a whole arc of story involving Molly Shannon. And that's a very interesting story.

[David Spade]

I like that story. Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And sometimes when that we finish the podcast, we keep our laptop open. So I ended up talking with her for a half hour afterwards. She's very easy.

[David Spade]

Well, she's easy to chat.

[Dana Carvey]

So anyway, I hope you enjoy this one.

[David Spade]

Jenna Fisher.

[Dana Carvey]

I was just asked by our producer and it's a profound question. When you're driving around a long drive, two hour drive, whatever, what's your entertainment? XM news, music, podcasting or just rap phone calls to pay back. You have 10 seconds.

[Jenna Fischer]

Ooh, it's not music. I do not listen to music. My first car did not have a working radio and I just got used to driving in silence and it's my preference. But now I would say news podcasts or phone calls.

[Dana Carvey]

So I love the idea that I literally could go like just the silence. Two hours, three hours, just.

[David Spade]

Jesus.

[Dana Carvey]

Silence.

[David Spade]

Jesus. It's chasing inside, by the way.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. I drove from St. Louis, Missouri all the way to California with no radio, just open windows in the trunk. My first car was really just. It just moved you from one place to another. There was no luxury in home.

[Dana Carvey]

But.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

What kind of, what year of car?

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't remember. I think it was like an 87. I mean, it had originally, when it was built, had these features. They just didn't work anymore.

[Dana Carvey]

So you do the office all those years and then you buy a used Buick from 1988. I mean, I'll talk to Correll if I have to, or no, I'm gonna call Greg. Okay, go ahead.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, no, no. So I had a Mazda 323 hatchback.

[David Spade]

Sweet.

[Jenna Fischer]

And that was the car I drove across the country.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then I upgraded to a Volkswagen Jetta, which was my favorite car maybe I've ever had. It was awesome. But then when I got my big office paycheck, I got a stupid car.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, okay.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Rolls Royce it was. I walked into a Mercedes dealership and they had a little sedan. They only made like seven of these. And it had like the engine of a race car, but in like the body of like a C class Mercedes. So it was like cute and compact, but it. I was 100% an asshole driver, like, because I could cut around anyone I could. It was. Oh, it was great.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you keep it?

[Jenna Fischer]

I leased it and I gave it up after the lease.

[David Spade]

Lease.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I went more practical.

[Dana Carvey]

We all have that story. You want me to go first, David, because it's similar to yours. Okay. Got a little money, some movie, whatever. Got extra money, went to a Mercedes dealership, bought a. Oh my God. Convertible, little Mercedes coupe. Like, oh, wow, this is awesome. Drove it for three or four days and realized when I had the canopy up, I was looking through a plastic windshield in the back. So took it back, traded in for SLE or a big A420 slide. And then I started getting people paying attention to me. I lived in the Valley when I would go to like 711 or a gas station. So then I went to Honda. I just wanted a lo fi car. That's my story.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, the problem with LA is that you get this awesome car and then you can only go like 32 miles an hour in it because you're always stuck in traffic. So it's kind of like after a few years, I was like, oh, the best I can do is like whip down the on ramp.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. 300 horsepower and you're just.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then. That's exactly.

[David Spade]

Yeah, yeah. Total waste. When I moved out, I got something when I first paycheck and I went and I had no car, so I got a car. Dana knows the story. Six thousand dollar Honda. I didn't go flashy. I only had six. And then I drove it to the improv and then I brought it out. I brought my buddy out to show him and it was stolen.

[Jenna Fischer]

What? How long you had it for? Like a night. One day you went one place and.

[Dana Carvey]

Kevin drove a car eerily similar to that. I'm not saying he had anything to do with the robbery, but it was kind of weird. But my first car was a Volkswagen Bug. Are you going to go to first car or first car when you got an extra paycheck?

[Jenna Fischer]

Me?

[Dana Carvey]

No, you are. We know your story.

[Jenna Fischer]

We know my story. Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

David, you got.

[David Spade]

Oh, I. I had my fair share. Cause I do like cars, but I, I. My neck gives me trouble. So every time I get a car I love, it just starts. It's just too painful. And like Jenna said, when you're starting and stopping all day, it's not like you live in the Midwest and you can floor it. And there's big parking lots. Like when you go to Wendy's in Arizona, there's like 300 parking spots. And when you go here, there's one at Kmart, and you go, are we all sharing this? You can't believe when you get to la, how little there's some people. Businesses have absolutely no parking. So I don't know what we're supposed to do. So that, that kind of threw me. And I realized I didn't need big, fancy cars. I could just tell people I had them. I didn't really need them.

[Jenna Fischer]

My first car was also a manual transmission.

[David Spade]

Oh, boy.

[Jenna Fischer]

And my left foot would, like, truly ache at the end of, like, driving all day in la because there was. You were constantly just going, like, in and out of third and fourth gear. There was like. You never made it to fifth gear in this car.

[David Spade]

God, no one has a stick anymore.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, it's a. It's a. You know, this was the cheapest car. Like, the manual transmission was the cheapest car. My dad's very practical. He was like, you'll get this car. I'll teach you how to drive it.

[Dana Carvey]

Firm, but all you need.

[David Spade]

You don't need any frills.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, Yeah.

[David Spade]

I mean, St. Louis.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Do you. You've been to St. Louis, I bet.

[David Spade]

I'm going to St. Louis to do a show.

[Jenna Fischer]

Have you had emo pizza in St. Louis?

[Dana Carvey]

Emo's pizza in St. Louis? No, but I like it as a town. I like walking around. I like that stadiums are really close in, you know.

[David Spade]

Jana, do you know what Chesterfield is?

[Jenna Fischer]

Chesterfield is where I grew up.

[David Spade]

Oh, is it really?

[Jenna Fischer]

Chesterfield is where my family lives now. Yeah, I actually grew up in, like, Manchester slash Chesterfield in an unincorporated area, but, yeah, Chesterfield for sure. Why?

[David Spade]

Because that's where I'm going for my tour. And they said Ice was with Nikki Glaser this weekend, and she's from St. Louis, and she goes, why don't they put on your tour? St. Louis? No one says Chesterfield And I go, oh, I don't know. I don't even know where.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, if you're from St. Louis, you know what Chesterfield is, you'll know.

[David Spade]

Okay, good.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's not like. Yeah, it's not downtown. I mean, St. Louis is downtown. You're going to be in the burbs. You're in the suburbs.

[David Spade]

That's fine with me. And I think it's a great place. I've been there before. I think it's new. Anyway, we'll set up comps for everyone you know from high school. Other than that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Great, Great.

[David Spade]

You know what?

[Jenna Fischer]

You say my high school ladies are gonna come out for your show.

[David Spade]

It's. It's super fun. Dana and I had a question. First of all, I'll tell Dana a little. Pretty free question that you don't know.

[Dana Carvey]

All right, let's try to keep our. Our guests off balance, like, with questions she's not asked all the time.

[David Spade]

Oh, yeah, we're here to.

[Dana Carvey]

We want to surprise you.

[David Spade]

She's going to come out here.

[Jenna Fischer]

I love it.

[David Spade]

So great.

[Jenna Fischer]

Everyone loves that.

[David Spade]

In an interview, I thought of doing this with Dana, and then I called Jenna. Right. Jenna, do you remember this?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, of course. Yes.

[David Spade]

And you were very sweet. You took the call, and you kind of walked me through how it works and what you did. And it really gave me a little boost to say, this might be fun. And if it has to be a Dana, it has to be. That's fine, whatever. And so. And then Dana had a question of, do you really need a part?

[Dana Carvey]

Has it ever gone through your mind? I could have done this by myself. And then the money doubles. Has that ever gotten through?

[David Spade]

Or.

[Dana Carvey]

Or, you know, maybe Angela, but that.

[David Spade]

Dana and I think about that all day, every day.

[Dana Carvey]

People always ask us forever, why, you know, why us? Why now? Are you really friends? Do you get that? I mean, you guys are famously really close friends. But Spade and I was like, what, the Tommy boy guy and the Wayne's World guy? I don't know.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Well, I mean, also, because Angela and I were frenemies on the Office. Our characters were not friends. And people are always very surprised to learn that we are best friends in real life. I could not have done the podcast without her. I am all, like, structure and order and spreadsheets. My version of Office Lady's podcast would be very informative, but also way less entertaining. So Angela brings all of the, like, funny and all of the quirky and all of, like, the weird observations. So we're actually. We're a pretty good pair of.

[David Spade]

Yeah, I think that's smart that you did that because there is kind of safety in numbers. Dana is way better at this, and I don't think I could do it myself. I think Dana really, really drives it and makes it easier to do it for me. But jokingly, it's fun to joke around with him too, because he's funny guy, obviously, and we have a good time with that. And I think you guys have a real friendship, so people like to hear that you're friends, even though it doesn't seem like it on the show.

[Jenna Fischer]

You guys, I love your podcast. Like, I. You have no idea how excited I am to be on your podcast right now. I listen to you guys. I think you are so good together. Dana, I can't believe you're talking to me right now. That's kind of blowing my mind. I'm a huge Saturday Night Live nerd. The greatest part about being on the Office is and being on NBC was that I got to breathe the same air as Saturday Night Live people. This is like that. We would have to be at the same corporate parties together. And I was a total groupie. That is who I gravitated toward. It was just the coolest. But that's going way back. I actually have a crazy story from my very early days in LA and Saturday Night Live. Okay, So I made my living when I landed in LA as a typist and a transcriber. And you know how you'd have to go to those events. They're called, like, the Television Critics association. And you would sit on a panel as a cast, and you would introduce new cast members. This would be for any show. Well, my job was to go and sit in that room and take notes and. And then go back to a hotel room, a hot hotel room filled with like, 12 people and 12 computers, and then listen to audio and transcribe these, like, press events.

[Dana Carvey]

Wow.

[David Spade]

These conversations. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And if we got our work done on time, by that evening, we were allowed to go to the quote unquote parties, which, as you know, are really just cast members of TV shows mingling with reporters who are trying to get sound bites. But we would get to go. We'd get to eat the food, drink the drinks, and just watch all the famous people. Well, all I wanted more than anything was to go to the Saturday Night Live party. I wanted it more than my little new heart in LA could stand it. And so I knew what night it was coming up, and I started planting the seed. The day Before I started pretending like I didn't feel good because I was gonna make an excuse that I was sick so that I could get off work on time and then sneak into this party. But I needed the hours, you know? So I planted that seed. The next day, I was like, man, I'm still not feeling good at 3 o' clock. I'm like, I'm so sorry. I gotta go. I gotta go home. The guy was like, fine. I had planted a change of clothes in my car. I went. I changed into a cocktail dress. I sneak into the party, and I can't even tell you. It was amazing. Norm MacDonald, I'm looking at him in the flesh. I can't. My mind is blown. Then I see Molly Shannon, and I think, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna go say hi to Molly Shannon. And I walk up to her, she's giving sound bites to the press, and I say, molly Shannon, I am a new actress in la, and I just admire you so much. And I. I just wanted to tell you just what you mean to me. You know, the stuff you say.

[David Spade]

Yeah, sure.

[Jenna Fischer]

She looked at me, took me by the shoulders, looked me deep in the eyes and said, don't give up. Whatever you do, don't give up. It took me 10 years to get on Saturday Night Live. And my best advice to you is just know it'll happen eventually if you just stick with it. Okay?

[Dana Carvey]

You guys sounds like the Molly we know.

[David Spade]

Yep.

[Jenna Fischer]

I was about to say amazing, and I went and I. Like, I had this encounter with her, and then I turn around and my boss from the transcription room is standing there, along with everybody else who got off work on time, and they came to this party, and I was like, am I fired? And he goes, you are fired.

[Dana Carvey]

I was like, okay.

[David Spade]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

He fired me. But it was fine, guys, because I met Molly Shannon and she gave me that advice, and I went home and I told my mom. And every time I had a hard day for the next 10 years, my mom would say to me, jenna, don't you forget what Molly Shannon told you. She said, don't give up. She said, it took you. It took her 10 years. You guys. Wait for it. 10 years later, I'm at the premiere of Walk Hard, the movie Walk Hard that I did with John C. Reilly.

[David Spade]

Yeah, right.

[Jenna Fischer]

I shit you not. Guess who's at that party?

[Dana Carvey]

Molly Shannon.

[Jenna Fischer]

Molly Shannon, your boss. And I got to go up to her and I got to say, molly Shannon, here's this story you told me. 10 years. And she was like, and look, it's 10 years later and here you are and I got a picture with her. I made the photographer come over and like, take a picture of us. Is that the greatest thing ever?

[Dana Carvey]

Does Molly know as she heard this story or did you just.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, I told her that night at the Wild Card premiere.

[Dana Carvey]

Wow.

[David Spade]

Unbelievable.

[Dana Carvey]

But now.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And I wrote about. I wrote a book and I wrote that story in the book. And I have a picture in the book too. Mm. You know how it goes. Getting super into something that can lead to watching it, listening to it, reading about it, maybe even picking up something to go with it. That's where prime comes in. Amazon prime isn't just fast free delivery, though, to be honest, that's a lifesaver. It's also prime video, Amazon music, and so much more. Whatever the interest, it's on Prime. Lately there's been a dive into new recipes, catching up on lifestyle documentaries, and building the perfect playlist to match. And prime has been part of it all. It's like a one stop shop for any passion, whether it's fashion, food, family, or discovering the next favorite show. So for anyone always exploring something new or rediscovering something meaningful, prime is right there. Whatever you're into, it's on Prime. From streaming to shopping, it's on Prime. Visit Amazon.comprime to get more out of whatever you're into Amazon.com Prime I'm Emma Grade, and I've spent the last 20 years building, running and investing in some incredible businesses. The more success I've had, the more people started coming to me with questions. How do you start a business? How do you raise money? How do I bounce back from failure? On my new podcast, Aspire with Emma Greed, I'll be answering these questions and more through weekly conversations with the smartest minds out there. Listen to and follow Aspire with Emma Greed an Odyssey podcast available now. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, when I met David, he was 19. I said, you hang with this and in six months, don't give up. Because in six months, no, David was out of the blocks fast. If it was a sprinter, he was like, boom.

[David Spade]

Dana said, you're going to move to LA and in six months you'll get crabs. And I go, okay, Police Academy.

[Dana Carvey]

Hello. He got a movie at.

[David Spade]

Well, he's had a. I got a movie early on. That's the police Guy movie that I made. I had $6,000 to buy the car that got stolen, so. So I was back to zero.

[Dana Carvey]

Wow.

[David Spade]

Yeah, great story. You still type 85 words per minute. That's nothing to sneeze at.

[Jenna Fischer]

I do, I do.

[David Spade]

90% accuracy.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's all in the accuracy. Anyone can type garbage.

[David Spade]

You're 90% right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. I mean, right? You want to type words. Anyone can just type nothing.

[Dana Carvey]

My father was high school true teaching. A typing teacher. My father for. For decades.

[Jenna Fischer]

Can you type? Can you guys type with all your fingers or are you like two finger typers?

[David Spade]

I can't do anything.

[Dana Carvey]

If you see a. A non taught young person like in their 20s, they. They're really fast. And I don't know if it's technically all using all their fingers, but you know, we picked it up later. But I. I'm fast enough. But I don't.

[David Spade]

Jenna, I have a good question that ties into signing live. What is it you did Blades of Glory. You wound up getting to have sex with Will Ferrell, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, that's right. I had a sex scene with Will. Oh my gosh.

[David Spade]

That's one of the best all time goats of SNL for sure.

[Jenna Fischer]

That was nuts. But also, by the way, Amy Poehler was in that movie.

[David Spade]

Oh, that's right, Amy.

[Jenna Fischer]

So just playing my sister.

[Dana Carvey]

Wowee.

[Jenna Fischer]

And Will Arnett was in that movie. Yeah, I mean I. That was. That was terrifying. That was terrifying. And Will was so polite when we shot that scene. Cause he had to like grab my boobs like several times. But what was crazy about it was I probably had on more clothes in that scene where I look like I'm just in like a nightie than I normally wear. Like they. Cause they put you in like Spanx and then a corset and then a thing. And they painted my body with makeup. I mean, I felt like so covered. It was crazy.

[David Spade]

He has to go and grab your boobs through your stuff. But it's like that kind of thing. You can't even feel it because you've got 18 layers of.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, it's like I was wearing body armor. So I was kind of like maybe like wink when you grab them. Cause I can feel nothing predates intimacy coordinators.

[Dana Carvey]

There was no one there.

[Jenna Fischer]

There was no. There was just.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was just like.

[David Spade]

It was just a director going, let's do this.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, exactly.

[David Spade]

Was Swartzen in that? You know Nick Schwartz in that Little Fool?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, yes, he was.

[David Spade]

Oh my God. We are friends with Nick and you know, it's a real roller coaster, Jenna.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'll tell you it is. I found him lovely on the film, but what do I know?

[David Spade]

No, he's great. He's so funny hall pass. We haven't even gotten to the goddang office.

[Dana Carvey]

Look at the question about the Office.

[Jenna Fischer]

What is it?

[Dana Carvey]

The question is, is for you and your partner. Re watching all these episodes and talking about them.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

What, how is your perception, if it at all changed about the show or what did you learn about the show or, or if anything, because it is now officially a phenomenon in the way it travels around and then explodes again. It's evergreen and it's a, it's a unique show. And yesterday I was watching the Office with Ricky Gervais. Very different. I mean it, you know, he said it came from that office, but it went, it, it has its own complete original thing. Greg Daniels, one of the great writers. So what did you guys. What, what do you feel about that thing after doing hundreds of podcast. Did you, did you go through every episode at some point?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, every single episode. All 201 episodes. And then a lot of interviews with cast and crew.

[David Spade]

Writers.

[Jenna Fischer]

Writers, exactly. My biggest takeaway from having rewatched it was that it's really good the whole time because I think there was this lore, especially among the cast and the creatives that maybe we hit our peak in season three or season four. And also this belief that like the two seasons after Steve left, we were just treading water and maybe they weren't as good. But when I watched everything, like some of my favorite episodes were in seasons eight and nine after Steve had left, like there were still these amazing storylines. And also I have to say now when I look back, some of my favorite episodes were also in seasons four through six. Like Dinner Party was season four. Michael Scott Paper Company. That whole arc was in season five. And that's just great tv. But yeah, I think some of the award nominations stopped after season three. So I think maybe we got in our heads and thought, oh, I guess we're not creating as great.

[David Spade]

I think that just happens no matter what.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, you're not the new shiny object anymore.

[David Spade]

Exactly. And they kind of slow down.

[Dana Carvey]

I mean, when you're watching yourself and you're, you're watching the thing and then you come on and stuff and it's something you did years ago. Do you ever. Sometimes because you sound like you're a normal actor comedian, that's sort of like a little self critical. How was I? Do you ever kind of look at yourself in a scene and go, damn, I nailed that. Why? Did I feel insecure or what's that like?

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, I have both reactions. Sometimes I watch it and I'm Like, I'll never do work that good again. Shit, that was great. But then there's other scenes where I just cringe, where I'm like, oh, God, I remember how I struggled with that and I couldn't do it. And now here it is for everyone to see, and I guess I just have to move on. So I've had both reactions, and I.

[Dana Carvey]

Don'T know the complete specifics of this, but first of all, it was always an ensemble. How great Karel is, and that part is, you know, everybody knows that, but it always was an ensemble. And so many people came out of it now have these long careers. But it's. I forgot my train of thought. Sorry.

[David Spade]

Do you ever see something, Jenna, when you can watch it and say, I was in the pocket. Because sometimes you watch it and you go. You're just in. In the pocket of going, this is a great scene. This whole idea of this episode's working. And they whip the camera back, get a great look, whip back to you, perfect timing, get a great look. And when you see it, you go. Because you know you can only feel the camera when you're shooting, and you don't really know. And then you go, God, they nailed that. Boom, Boom. Edited. Well, everything about this is just. That's why people really get enchanted. But I mean. And also just your face is so part of the office, and it's so cute. They always cut to you and you. And you have these little story lines. It's really. I see why people get hooked on it. No matter when you turn it on, you can just grab any episode.

[Dana Carvey]

I remember what I forgot, which is, was how much, if any improvisation was there, because it comes off very improvisational in totem. But I know there wasn't completely improvised. I know that's pretty cool word, right? So were you allowed to kind of go, you guys, could I try this? You know, do you mind if I do? You know, that kind of stuff?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, it was really collaborative. And, you know, so many of the writers were also actors on the show, so they were with us, and they would be sometimes pitching alternate jokes right there on the set.

[David Spade]

That's kind of fun.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, so that was neat. And we did a lot of improvising, but I don't know how much of it actually made the cut. We got to play and have fun. But I would say, say, like, 90% of what you see on the screen was written on the page down to, like, they would write in ellipses for our speech. Like, so you knew to kind of pause because they knew they were going to whip the camera during that pause and so they could get back to you. So there was a very elaborate choreography of whipping the camera a little too late so that it seem. And you'd have to give handles. Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

So it seemed like they didn't quite do it right. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, exactly. And so a lot of times when we would do a rehearsal, they would say, jenna, will you give a handle before your next line to. So we have time for that camera whip. So that would be. We would add things like, well, they'd find you so that they could find you like in the right timing. But so great.

[David Spade]

But it also seems very real.

[Dana Carvey]

A lot of the nonverbal acting and the. Those cutaways to a character that isn't saying a line but just sort of non verbally doing some kind of attitude and stuff. It was immediately just felt so new. I'm not going to say fresh. David would use that word a lot. But immediately, I think for comedians as well, watching it going, this looks cool. This looks fun. This looks different and really funny. It doesn't push at all. You know, it's the end of the.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, we had two camera operators with cameras on their shoulders and both of these guys were from Survivor. So these guys had like walked through the whatever, the wilderness with the Survivor people capturing Survivors. So this is where they came from in the documentary world. And camera A. Randall Einhorn, who was also our cinematographer, who went on to be a director and is now, you know, the executive producer of Abbott elementary and all those things. Randall was our A camera and his job was to get all of the dialogue. And then Matt Sohn, he was our B camera and then his job was to get all of those things you're talking about, Dana, all of the acting that was happening in the background. So whenever a scene was happening, we were all in the background of each other's scenes all day long on set, the full 12 hours, Steve Carell included. I can't tell you how many times Steve Carell had to sit in Michael Scott's office just to be in the background of Jim and Pam looking at each other.

[David Spade]

Piece of them.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Cause we're gonna see a piece. We're gonna see a piece of you is like something we could put on a mug that'd be. Actually be a great cast gift. Yeah. And so he would grab and push in on all of the, you know, anyone who was in the background of a scene and get their reactions in real time. It was such a cool way to work.

[David Spade]

Yeah. And you have to stay alive, though.

[Jenna Fischer]

You do every scene, but it keeps your energy up.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know, because that's the hardest thing for me about acting in movies is like the long amounts of downtime between when you're actually acting. It's just like, oh, God, I gotta ramp up again.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. And it's just. I. You know, I don't know if this is the correct way to say it, but if you feel like if you're discovering something new in the moment, it's really nice. It does keep your brain alive. And in traditional movies, what I was doing, you know, you do the three masters at 7 or 8am or whatever. And then by 5 or 6 o' clock you start and. Well, don't you in the master. Eight hours ago, your left elbow was up and you open the car door. At this point, it's the antithesis of what you guys had. Like, least the way it felt, it popped felt real, you know, for sure.

[Jenna Fischer]

And we did not have marks, you know, those. The. For people out there. Like, you put tape on the ground and then you have to stand on it because that's how you're going to be in focus. But we had no marks. And if the boom dipped in shot, we just kept it in because, you know, it worked in the world. And. And when I finished, when I, you know, going back to Blades of Glory, Blades of Glory was the first big movie I did after being cast on the Office. And I repeatedly kept looking down the barrel of the camera. Like, I would do a scene with Will and Amy and then I would, like, give a look to camera. I'd be like, fuck, I can't do that. And also, I suddenly had to hit a mark and I was. I was so stiff. It was really stressful. Cause I'd been in this other world.

[David Spade]

You can watch when people in movies sometimes. Have you ever watched someone looks down and they walk in, look for their mark, and then they look up?

[Jenna Fischer]

I love.

[David Spade]

So horrifying. I want to say. Also, I was gonna say the show is fresh, but it's funny that the term fresh is stale.

[Dana Carvey]

But also, I'm gonna bring it back. The Office was fresh. And the new one called the Paper. Yeah, Peacock. Have you seen that? Do you know much about it?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, I haven't seen it, but I got to go to the set. Angela and I got special access to the set and got to talk to all the actors. We got to see it. It's really cool. But we're not allowed to see anything. Oh, yeah. I think it's in the can. Like they. They finished it. It comes out in September.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, interesting.

[David Spade]

September on where?

[Jenna Fischer]

Peacock. I don't know. Peacock. Right, Peacock.

[David Spade]

Dana, it's award season, which means we're due for some classic red carpet combos like strapless dresses and statement necklaces or acclaimed directors and long acceptance speeches.

[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

They handle the complexities, the paperwork and the stress so you don't have to. No guesswork, no, no going it alone. Just clarity, confidence, and someone in your corner from start to finish. When the stakes are high, having a trusted professional makes all the difference. Don't let what you don't know stop you from starting your next chapter. Find your [e-mail] so with John Krasinski, like the Jim and Pam narrative was. Became such a big thing. Thing. I talked to some people in their early 20s today, told him I was gonna interview you. And on the Office they go, I go, she was Pam. Oh, Pam. You know, this is like a famous character. And Jim and Pam. I'm just kind of curious because John Krasinski, I find it really, really interesting how he came up with that horror film the Quiet. What was it? The Quiet.

[Jenna Fischer]

A quiet place.

[Dana Carvey]

Quiet place. And it's interesting when actors just all of a sudden you see them and like, wow, this guy can really direct. And did you see any seeds of that in him intellectually or just the way he was around? Was that a surprise to you when he came out directing?

[Jenna Fischer]

It was a surprise to none of us.

[Dana Carvey]

I didn't think so.

[Jenna Fischer]

John. I would always say to John, I think you're gonna be like our Tom Hanks. Like, remember how Tom Hanks did Bosom Buddies? And he was like a very famous, successful TV show. But like when you think of Tom Hanks, you don't think of Bosom Buddies. You think of everything else Tom Hanks has done. And I was like, I think the office is gonna be your bosom buddies. Like you're going places, it's very clear.

[Dana Carvey]

And did he look down at the ground and go, oh shucks, you know, or how did he did.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's very. Yes, he's very humble in that way. You know, like that would be. If I say that to him, that's embarrassing to him, you know, like he doesn't want to be like fussed over like that.

[Dana Carvey]

It's just.

[Jenna Fischer]

But I was like, no, it's true.

[Dana Carvey]

Mr. Well, it's a herculan task to direct a movie. I mean, just physically and mentally.

[David Spade]

But Dana fusses over me all the time.

[Dana Carvey]

Fusses?

[David Spade]

Yeah, you fuss over me. I want to hear more about you being a telephone psychic. When you got.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, that was.

[David Spade]

She worked as a car wash.

[Jenna Fischer]

I did work at a car for three summers and that was my best job. I worked at Long John Silver's. That was my first job. I worked at an ice creamery serving ice cream and then I got the job at the car wash. All of those were on this road called Manchester Road in St. Louis, out in the suburbs. And I got fired from Long John Silver's, I got fired from the ice creamery. And my dad would say, oh, you're just looking to get fired from every business on Manchester Road. I guess. But the car wash set. And that was great. There was great money. I was outside just drying off the cars.

[Dana Carvey]

You know, how big are tips in that world? Because I try to tip well, but okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

This gorgeous Jenna.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Like back then. Well, and by the way, they would always make me give the gentlemen back their cars.

[David Spade]

Oh, yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Because you have to like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You gotta stand at the car and wave, you know, in your little shorts and your little cut off shirt and like, your car's ready. I'm sorry, I would, I'm not, you know, not to brag, but I would get a five. Sometimes I get five bucks fiver. But then you. I had to put it in like the group bucket.

[David Spade]

Oh, no. Pooling tips.

[Jenna Fischer]

Pooling tips? Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

You're in your.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, a few of them made it into my pocket. I'm not going to lie now.

[David Spade]

How, what, what percentage of you is really a psychic? Do you think? Some of you.

[Jenna Fischer]

I would say zero percent.

[Dana Carvey]

Do you believe in psych, the potentiality of psychics at all? Or do you think it's all just.

[Jenna Fischer]

They creep me out. Like, I don't want a psychic to tell me what's going to happen to me. I like to believe I have free will, you know, I don't want to have that. That. That just will give me nightmares. I saw one psychic one time, and it still haunts me.

[David Spade]

Yeah, it will change what you'll do. The second they tell you something, you'll make a different decision. That's what I feel like. You will do this and this. They go, okay. They'll say, oh, random example, you'll get married within the next 10 years. So you meet someone and maybe you give them a different chance than you would before. You're like, I think this is the guy I'm going to marry.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's exactly right.

[David Spade]

It's weird. You change. Every little thing changes a little bit, so you can't really get the same outcome. It feels.

[Jenna Fischer]

I went to a psychic in college, and my big question for her was, am I going to marry this guy I have a crush on? I was obsessed with him. Am I gonna marry him? I can marry him. She said, no, you're not. You're not gonna marry him. She said, but you're gonna be famous one day. I said, I am. I wanna be an actress. I'm gonna be famous. She said, you're not gonna be famous for acting. You're gonna be famous in the world of religion.

[Dana Carvey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, she said I was gonna be a famous religious leader.

[David Spade]

She had it with acting.

[Dana Carvey]

She should have said, it' Office, ladies is a religious experience. This was from the St. Louis dispatcher. No, I made that.

[David Spade]

Dispatch. Dispatcher.

[Dana Carvey]

If you want to have fun, you have a play.

[David Spade]

By the way, you've done plays. It looks like from your prep here, you've done plays, but you have another one coming up. Ashland Avenue.

[Jenna Fischer]

Ashland Avenue. World premiere at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. Yeah, I'm heading out there in August for rehearsals, and then the play opens in September.

[David Spade]

Tickets go on sale in June on 27th. Now, doing a play. Dane and I were just talking about this before you came on. Doing a play, is it more exciting or is it just something I couldn't even imagine wrapping my head around? The full script that you have to memorize. Does that take days, weeks, or are you good at that?

[Jenna Fischer]

It takes weeks. I think I'm okay at it. Plays are my favorite thing. I was a theater major. There's no money in doing theater, but it's where my heart is. And what I love is that you get to tell the whole story and go on the character's complete journey every night. You don't have to prepare it, and then you shoot it out of order. And I also just love that it lives and breathes with the audience. And each play can only be seen one time. Like, each performance is slightly different and you have it. And then just like, only the people who were there got to see just Is, like, really magical to me. And I love it. It's all I want to do moving forward. I want to just be a theater actress.

[Dana Carvey]

It's interesting. I've gotten more into plays the last 10 years, just in London. I'm not an intellectual in New York and stuff. And it's interesting the. The curtain call, and then they stand and there's a standing ovation. And then you can tell by their body language how they felt, especially when they're walking off. Like, sometimes they're slumping. And sometimes you see someone literally twirl around almost like we or high fiveing know that you saw one that had that chemistry. Like you said, they're not always at that level. That's why you have.

[David Spade]

Right. They're like fingerprints. Dana, you. I think you'll agree, standup is, you know, I go on the road, going mostly to places Jenna lived, But when I go on the road, you do a show and everyone goes, oh, I saw your show. I saw your show. But you remember that city? And you go, oh, that one went pretty well, even though it's just microscopically different. But, you know, sometimes you get off and you go, I could not get it going perfectly. And some nights you're like, from the second I went out, it was perfect. I set everything right. I had the right attitude. And so plays are like that, where whoever comes is going to see that night's experience, and it will be a heretic.

[Dana Carvey]

The audience is the partner in many ways. Is it comedic, a drama?

[David Spade]

They steer it.

[Dana Carvey]

Or is it a pure drama or.

[Jenna Fischer]

It is a comedy, but it will also break your heart into a million pieces. So what it's about is, it's about a guy who owns an old TV shop in Chicago on Ashland Avenue. And he's a guy who used to have a dozen TV shops in Chicago, but, you know, mom and pop shops have gone away for the big box, you know, places. And so. And so he's being honored by the city of Chicago for being a small business owner. I play his daughter. And basically it's a play about this man dealing with being in his 70s. And basically, life is kind of telling him, we don't really need what you have to offer anymore. He's, like, dealing with his own relevancy, like, the thing that he's good at is owning this TV shop and selling people TVs, but it's like, well, you know what? We don't need that anymore. And so what do you do with that when the world is kind of done with your skill? And so it's kind of heartbreaking, but it's also a comedy. And then as his daughter, who has grown up just being in this TV shop as well, and it looks like it's going away, like, I have to decide, well, I'm kind of getting a chance here to do something else with my life and strike out on my own. And what does that mean to me?

[Dana Carvey]

Do you. Do you feel like they, the audiences, obviously they're familiar who you are from the Office, and then they want to come see you. And so how different is this character compared to Pam?

[Jenna Fischer]

This character is different from Pam for sure. And that's something like, you know, that's my whole career since Pam is that most people just want to see more Pam. It doesn't totally bother me, but I think I'm going to be. I think you'll be able to go on this journey even, you know, I think it'll be okay.

[Dana Carvey]

I always say, you know, because I, I an audience, I'm doing stand up, they do want to see characters that I did on snl. And I just totally. I, of course I'll do them. They're my hits. The only thing worse than not than having hits or a hit show is not having a hit show. So there it is.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's right.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. So it's a good problem to have. And I think that from reading your prep, guest prep, you know, you've just done a lot of stuff since the Office, so it certainly was a starting point for you. Do you still just love it? Do you just love performing like you used to?

[Jenna Fischer]

I do, I do. I do. You know, I think I'm a mom now. I have two kids. And one of the things that was really hard, though, was just the amount of focus and frankly, like, self involvement that is necessary to be an actor or a performance artist down, you know, but it's true. Like, like, you, you. You don't want to go all the way into narcissism, because that's a real bummer. But there is a. There is a type of selfishness and self involvement that is necessary for being an artist because that's how you create. That's how you get in the space to create. And. But that is that Lane is not Compatible with the kind of parent I want to be. I want to be a, you know, a kid focused, kid centered type of parent. And so I have changed the things I've said yes to or the things I do acting wise since I had kids mostly so that they were, that they were kind of like more softballs, you know, like things I could do without getting too dark or self involved or selfish. Things that I could completely leave at work. I wasn't bringing anything home with me that was going to like bleed into their lives.

[Dana Carvey]

Oldest time, oldest show business, all those kind of conflicts. And one thing that occurred to me recently, why it's sort of emotional or personal. Like I have a lot of good friends who maybe real estate agents or different type of jobs, but we are our product, our physicality, our voice, who we are. And so it's a personal thing. You're out there doing the play and if you're, if it's not going well, you didn't feel had enough time to prep. It's just personal. So I think it is really common and difficult to balance the emotion with the family versus just how personal it is as a performer and artist.

[David Spade]

It's like, and when kids come along, you're just now suddenly it's their world and you're, you can't even help it, it just goes away. You're like, now I'm lasered on this and I can't be like I was, you know.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's exactly right.

[David Spade]

That's like in part of your life where it changes.

[Dana Carvey]

There are some people in show, but I think Beyonce has her daughter touring who's like 12. There are some people just take, do that kind of lifestyle, but who's richer than me? That's different than giving your kids kind of a stable old fashioned lifestyle, you know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I remember I, I talked to a family therapist like early on because I like therapy. And I was talking about wanting to have kids and trying to figure out how am I going to balance that with, you know, being an actor. And she said something that really stuck with me. She said, well, there's kind of two types of families. You can have parent centered homes or child centered homes. And she's like, and there's no, there's no judgment which one you want to pick. But in a parent centered home, if you have a career, your children will orbit around you and your career. And if you go to a movie, you bring them with you and you have tutors and, and they sort of like just go into your life. She's like but in a child centered home, you know, you center it around the children and if you need to go do a project, she was like, imagine like your family is flowing like a river and rather than diverting the whole river to the movie, you just, you take a little stream by yourself, you do the movie and then you rejoin the river later. But the goal is to keep the river doing its thing. And I really liked that. And I thought, yeah, I wanna do that one.

[Dana Carvey]

Could you. I don't know if you wanna do it publicly, but could I get the number of that therap?

[Jenna Fischer]

She's great.

[David Spade]

Solid bullet points.

[Dana Carvey]

That was a pretty good little help us. What do you call that? An analogy, A metaphor? I don't know. It's one of those things.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was great. It was great. She also said like, you know something that's hard though is she said when you, she said when you pick the person you want to have kids with, she's like, you're going to want a person who agrees with you because there's nothing worse than one parent who wants a parent centered home and another parent who wants a child parents, you know, a child centered home. And then she also said people who have grown up in parent centered homes have a very hard time creating kid centered homes because they're like, hey, wait a second, I'm the adult. Now it's my turn. Yeah, so it's right, right. Like you grew up like revolving around your parent and then if you revolve around your kid, you're like, when was my shot? Yeah, I thought that was, it was just so much to chew on. Right?

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. Well, the 60s was so different, you know, I guess it was a parent century. It was. You just were so much more independent. Like I was walking to school at age 5, you know, and there were no helmets, you know, for sure thing. And so it's become very child centric. You know, it used to be children should be seen but not heard. And now it's adults should keep their mouths shut when we're watching, you know.

[David Spade]

And Dana, you wear a helmet now though, when you go to the mailbox. But that's his own choice.

[Dana Carvey]

That's my, my own choice.

[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

And you know about the pockets, Dana?

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, they, they keep essentials secure with two open hem pockets and a mesh zip pocket. That's actually a great idea. Additional drop in pockets in the fit liner provide room for your phone and more.

[David Spade]

Listen, push forward with pursuit. Designed by and for the ambitious, the Pursuit collection blends durability, flexibility, innovation to fuel your Progress nonstop. Get 20% [e-mail] Fly with code FLY that's R H O N E.com Fly with code FLY at checkout. Jenna2 One, two more things before, before we let you go. But one I thought when you do a play, I think of this when I do stand up on the road, when you do a play, I think what would scare me is you have to feel good every day. Like you have to go there and prep yourself. It sounds stupid, but to stand, to sit, to go through, to be fully alert for those two hours, whatever, that's kind of A hard thing. Does it ever even cross your mind or you're always just kind of popped to it?

[Jenna Fischer]

No, I mean, I have a bunch of, like, rituals and superstitions that I do.

[David Spade]

Oh, yeah, you do?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Do you guys? I have like, I have like a vocal warm up. I have like a body warmup. I have a meal that I like to eat because I know that it's not going to make me feel too full or too hungry or sick or anything.

[David Spade]

Yeah, you want to get stomach ache?

[Jenna Fischer]

No, I'm definitely not experimenting with any kind of new food.

[David Spade]

Yep, yep.

[Jenna Fischer]

Do you have that?

[David Spade]

Yeah, I mean, Dana and I were just talking last week, like before we went on stage. I get an eyelash in my eye once in a while. It happened last week again, Dana. And anything can happen right before you walk out and you're like, I can't pee, I can't eat, I can't do anything. I have to feel good for the next hour straight. There can be no distractions. And it's very weird because your life, you can always poke at your phone. You can look at this, you can go, restroom. And you go this. And it plays even longer. And just to feel like you had a grumbly stomach or your back hurts or something, you're like, oh, can I do this? Do I call in somebody? You know? So weird.

[Dana Carvey]

I had a shooting pain in my left leg, kind of inside my left leg, like. And so all of a sudden my left leg was inoperable. I was playing in front of 2,000 people and I was, you know, and I'm like, okay, gotta go with this, you know, incorporated into the act, you know, and then it worked itself out what I was interested in also. Besides, we all do that. I think it's great. You have the certain show day prep, but the gentleman who is playing your father, what is his name?

[Jenna Fischer]

Fran Guinan.

[Dana Carvey]

So Larry David was just talking about when he does, usually whatever he's doing. I don't know if he does stand up, whatever. It's just the fatigue goes away once there's the audience, you know, and then I think in a play, you're holding on to him, he's holding on to you. And that connection can hopefully make the part of your brain going, how am I doing? How's it going? All that go away at times, right? That's the electricity of it. If you get so involved in the scene with your partner that it feels exhilarating, right? When you know you're connecting and the audience is with you, that's what you live for, right? Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, that's the dope of the whole thing of live performance. I mean, that's the thing we're chasing. That's the high. You're chasing the hit.

[David Spade]

Right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Every time.

[Dana Carvey]

And even if your prep doesn't go as well as you want or you ate too much, you still always have that possibility of that happening.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Yes.

[David Spade]

And also, if they get something wrong, the audience doesn't know this. They could miss a line. You cover form. There's little things that are like teamwork, things that are fun to do that you get through the end. And someone's like, hey, you saved me. I spaced out. And the audience doesn't really know what's going on. But you guys, you forgot a prop. There's little things that keep it alive, but that's kind of the fun teamwork of it all. Like in a show also.

[Jenna Fischer]

That happened to me during a show. I did a show off Broadway, and me and this other actress were on stage, and we're only on stage for, like, four lines because we don't like each other. And we're waiting for the same guy. We like the same guy, and we're waiting for him to walk in and break the tension. And he didn't come on stage. He didn't come. He just missed his entrance. And we're. And so I started improvising, which then the playwright was like, oh, my God, I can't believe people thought I wrote those lines. That was just, like, terrible improvisation. I'm like, what were we supposed to do? We're just sitting there. No one was coming on.

[David Spade]

It's an art piece. If you sit in silence for 12 minutes waiting while they find the guy at the deli next to him.

[Dana Carvey]

I like it when someone has didn't silence their phone or is talking the phone, and then the actor in the Broadway show breaks character. He's in some kind of clown suit or dressed as a bear. I will kill you. You know, I don't. You know, just that clown suit. It's live. Yeah.

[David Spade]

Now, Jenna, my last thing for you is I like that when you audition for the Office. Allison Jones, who's a casting director, we probably all three have run into along the way. The best said, dare to bore me. I think that's interesting.

[Dana Carvey]

I read that.

[David Spade]

I like that. Because most people are trying to give you the biggest pizzazz of a lifetime in an audition.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I had been auditioning for Alison for about five years. Before the Office, I got my first speaking role on a television show. It was Spin City, the Charlie Sheen years, and I had three lines as a waitress, and then she would bring me in for other little things. And finally, when it was time for her to cast the Office, I had a good enough relationship with her that I could say, hey, Allyson, do you have any advice? I really want this one. And she said, yeah, my advice is, don't come in looking hot. Like, don't come in all done up. And by the way, usually the note was, okay, you're playing a pediatric nurse, but, like, hot. Or like, you're playing a school teacher but, like, really hot. So, like, usually the note was, look.

[David Spade]

Hot, mortician, but hot.

[Jenna Fischer]

But super hot. Like, she's really, really hot. And I'm like, okay. So she was like, don't come in, like, looking hot. Don't come in with a bunch of makeup.

[David Spade]

Overdone.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, we want real people. And then she said, we're gonna have you improvise during the audition. And my advice is dare to bore me.

[David Spade]

Oh, I love that.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I was like, okay, great. So I went in and I read the scene, and then Greg Daniels said, okay, we're gonna improvise. I'm gonna just ask you some questions as if I'm a documentary filmmaker. And I had that note in my head. And he said, do you like being a receptionist here? And I just paused, and I said nothing. And then I said, no. And that's all I said. That's funny, because I thought it would be funnier to watch me think of all the things I wasn't gonna say than to say any of them. And then also, though, she's like, a deeply honest person, so she can't lie and say she does like it, but she's also not gonna say any more. And I think that's what got me the job. Greg told me that's what got me the job.

[Dana Carvey]

That is so cool. Dare to bore me. That was.

[Jenna Fischer]

Dare to bore me. It was so scary. It's so scary because you want to.

[David Spade]

Just go for the fences.

[Dana Carvey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's so hard to just have restraint. That's like, for me, the hardest thing about acting is just holding in silence.

[David Spade]

I love that you really are working with people that are all doing it, and it's so fucking funny.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's amazing. It's just amazing. Amazing thing to have been a part of. Just. I still can't believe it. And just what it means to people, too. Like, that's so cool. I know that the Office has gotten people through hard times in their lives. And, you know, once, long ago, I fell down a set of stairs in New York at Budokan. It was during, like, an NBC event. I was there with Fred Armisen, actually, and I fell down this set of stairs and I broke my back in four places. Oh, Jesus. And while I was recovering, I watched the Larry Sanders show, and it was, like, better than any pain medicine. So, like, the fact that I can be part of something that is that for other people, like, I know what it means to have a thing that gets you through something. It's really cool.

[Dana Carvey]

Wow. That's full circle. Because I believe that Ricky Gervais felt like he was influenced by the Larry Sanders show. And then he does the British Office, and then you go to the American office, and then you break your back, and then you're watching Larry Sanders. I don't know where this keeps going, but it's. There's something kind of cool about that. That was a show magic. We were both on it. Were you on it, David?

[David Spade]

We were on Larry also. We all worked with Greg Daniels, who is a shout out to him, who's a great writer, that obviously snl.

[Dana Carvey]

I remember when Greg Daniels and Conan o' Brien walked into the offices at SNL fresh out of Harvard, look like they were sophomores in high school, little haircuts, kind of nervous, looking around. Yeah, great. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And they were roommates.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, I know. It's amazing, really.

[David Spade]

And you know, the SNL years you liked, it's like we were propped up by guys like that and. And Bob Odenkirk and Smigel and Downey and Frank.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

There's so many good writers.

[Dana Carvey]

It's kind of nice when. And I'm sure you just do this, you're not trying to get kudos about it, but if someone says to you later, because not everyone is really friendly when you walk into an environment like that, and they'd say, oh, you were so nice to us. I go, really? I was. I think I was just like, how you guys doing? Or something. But some people are like, ah, more competition. We don't need you. You know, it's a little. It can be a little cold at snl. No one's really telling you where you should stand or what you should even do. That's what we learned. A lot of people are like, they didn't even know. No one told them anything, you know, about the show, and they just had to figure it out for themselves.

[Jenna Fischer]

But anyway, well, it's an interesting environment. I got to be on the show as part of Steve Carell's monologue once and. And I was. I mean, again, like, I told you, I'm a Saturday Night Live groupie nerd. And so this was. I don't even remember what I had going on. I got like 24 hours notice. Do you want to come fly in? And I was like, yes. I came in on a red eye. I was like, anything. And to be in the bowels, to like, get to be there for the rehearsal and then how like, oh, my God, it really does change from the rehearsal. That was nuts. And just it was so scary. And my line changed and then the cue card changed and then how we went all. Went into Lauren's office and you're like sitting on the floor, like, waiting to hear, like, what things made it and what didn't. And I couldn't believe I was invited. I was like, I'm just the. I just have like one sentence in the opening monologue. But I was, like, privy to all of the inner workings. It was so awesome.

[Dana Carvey]

It is great.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then that night at the after party, I. I held Lorne Michaels focus for 30 solid minutes.

[David Spade]

Whoa.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I still to this day, it is one of my best, like, small talk moments ever. Because I'd met him many times. I had come and I saw when Christina Applegate hosted and when Jon Hamm hosted, I came as our guest. And I would sit and I would run into him and shake his hand and all this sort of stuff.

[David Spade]

Oh, John.

[Jenna Fischer]

But for whatever reason, at this particular after party, I got in a whole chat with him about how I like to prep for the apocalypse. And he was very interested in this topic. And we spoke for like a solid 25 minutes. And I wanted to keep talking to him. I wanted to keep going. But I knew that I had to say goodbye. And I did it. I left at the right time. And I'm so proud of myself.

[Dana Carvey]

That's interesting.

[Jenna Fischer]

And now I never want to speak to him again. I will never speak to him again. I will not ruin it.

[David Spade]

Six years there, I didn't get 30 total.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was. I'm telling you, I'll never. I'm Never, ever want to run into him again.

[Dana Carvey]

That was a good subject matter for him. Something that he would be like, just.

[David Spade]

Doesn'T talk about every day.

[Dana Carvey]

You first have to make sure that you procure a fair amount in the event of apocalypse.

[David Spade]

I put triskets.

[Dana Carvey]

I mean, did he respond at all? I mean, you really talked about your preparation for the apocalypse, like, for 30 minutes straight for.

[Jenna Fischer]

For a good amount of time. But then we also talked about the movie the Edge, which is my favorite movie. And, you know, it's a survivalist movie. I love movies where people have to survive things.

[Dana Carvey]

I've seen it at least five times, and that's a movie. And we told Alec Baldwin that. That friends come over or relatives, oh, let's watch a movie. And once in a while I go, if you've seen the Edge, they go, no. I go, it's just kind of a surefire, great, entertaining film. No one cannot lie.

[Jenna Fischer]

Know what one man can do, another can do. That's from the movie. What one man can do, another can do. I'm telling you, that's gotten me through, like, big life moments. I love this movie. And so we talked about the Edge, which ended up leading into survivalist stuff, into prepping. And he was really interested in my currency plans. Like, what were my plans for currency during the apocalypse? Did I have gold bars? And you know what? To be honest, I hadn't thought of it. I hadn't gotten as far as currency.

[Dana Carvey]

Funny. When I was there in the fall doing Biden, just behind his decks, I saw this whole duffel bag, you know, it was really big, you know, and then when he let go bathroom, it was just all the survival stuff in there.

[David Spade]

He goes by and he pushes a wall, and it spins around and disappears down a slide.

[Dana Carvey]

I want to be ready.

[Jenna Fischer]

He was influenced by my prep.

[Dana Carvey]

That Tony Hopkins had that line, right? One man can do, another man can do. Is that Tony Hopkins?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, correct.

[Dana Carvey]

And Al. Al Baldwin, as Al Baldwin was great in that. So was Tony. Oh, I love when people change names. Jen. Jen was great on our podcast.

[David Spade]

Jen Fisher. Does anyone call you Jen?

[Jenna Fischer]

No, no one's ever called me Jen.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, get ready for it, because we're. We have a lot of follow, by the way. People may not know we're on the same network. It's almost like television now. So that's kind of cool. We're.

[David Spade]

This is jury duty for Jen and.

[Dana Carvey]

I, just for people who are watching this or might want to see it. So are you in a studio somewhere?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, I'm at your New York studios. Yeah, I'm here in New York this week, and so I came into the New York studio.

[Dana Carvey]

And. Are you and Angela usually in different places when you do the podcast and sometimes together or always?

[Jenna Fischer]

No, we're usually together. Odyssey, our company that we both work for for, has a studio in Hollywood, and we usually record there in person together. And you guys are all set up at home, like you guys have cool setups, but we sometimes go in person.

[David Spade]

We've been going in person.

[Dana Carvey]

I kind of feel like in person or something, it changes a lot. When I was doing snl, I was just in a hotel room doing it. That's one of the advantages of this, is that you can do it remotely if you have to. But David has a little studio, you.

[David Spade]

Know, I just have stupid mansion. Yeah. But, Jenna, thank you for joining us. Tell Angela hello and we appreciate your time.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, guys, I don't want it to end. I love you. I love you both. I love your podcast. This is so cool. This was a highlight for me.

[David Spade]

Well, everybody.

[Dana Carvey]

Enjoy talking to you. I, I just find I, I.

[David Spade]

You're always sweet and fun and just like.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, you would think podcasters, actresses, and all kinds of things you do, but if you do this well, I think you do get a little more adept at doing it, you know, conversing and letting it go where it needs to go and asking questions. So usually we have a podcast or on. It's. It's an easy show, you know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Right. Because you know what you're hoping to get when you're doing it yourself.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. And it doesn't have to be electric every moment. You don't have to push it. It just. It just is what it is, you know?

[David Spade]

So if we seem rusty, it's because we've only done 2,000 of these.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay.

[David Spade]

Ashland Avenue. Ashland Avenue is the play. And she's doing it in Chicago. And in Chicago, tickets on sale June 27th. And it starts when? In August, you say?

[Jenna Fischer]

I think a September 15th.

[David Spade]

Okay. Yeah, September 15th. All right. Thank you very much. Bye, sweetheart. Very good luck.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you, guys.

[Dana Carvey]

Don't hang up.

[David Spade]

This has been a presentation of Odyssey. Please follow, subscribe, leave a. Like a review, all the stuff. Smash that button, whatever it is, wherever you get your podcasts. Fly on the Wall is executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade, Jenna Weiss Berman of Odyssey, and Heather Santoro. The show's lead producer is Greg Holtzman.