Second Drink: Diversity Day

Summary

Office Ladies Podcast Summary

Episode: Second Drink: Diversity Day
Release Date: November 18, 2024
Hosts: Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey

---

Introduction

In the second episode of their re-watch series, titled “Second Drink: Diversity Day,” Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey delve into one of The Office’s most iconic episodes. This detailed breakdown captures their insightful discussions, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and exclusive stories that enrich the listener’s understanding of the episode.

---

Episode Synopsis

Diversity Day is the second episode of The Office’s first season, where Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch undergoes mandatory diversity training following complaints to corporate. Dissatisfied with the official training, Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) conducts his own session, leading to numerous awkward and humorous interactions among the staff.

---

Behind-the-Scenes Insights

Originality of the Episode

Jenna highlights that "Diversity Day" was the first entirely original script for the American version of The Office, distinct from the British counterpart. Written by BJ Novak—yes, the actor who plays Ryan—this episode set the tone for the American adaptation's unique humor and character dynamics.

Jenna Fischer [12:07]: “I couldn't believe how remarkably it held up.”

Writing Process and Contributions

Angela discusses the collaborative writing environment where writers also engaged in acting to better understand character portrayals. This synergy allowed the writers to inject authentic improvisations into the scripts.

Angela Kinsey [19:07]: “It really made us a cohesive show between the two departments, sort of the writers, the actors, this creative partnership.”

Paul Lieberstein (Toby Flenderson) initially hesitant, was persuaded by Greg Daniels to take on the role after Larry Wilmore's impressive table read. His portrayal added depth to the office dynamics, particularly in interactions with Michael Scott.

Character Development: Toby Flenderson and Kelly Kapoor

The introduction of Toby (Paul Lieberstein) and Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) in this episode marked significant character expansions. Kelly's initial appearance showcased a more subdued version, which later evolved into the vibrant and quirky character beloved by fans.

Jenna Fischer [22:13]: “She added literal color. She was the only person who dressed literally colorfully.”

---

Notable Scenes and Observations

The Shredding Incident

A humorous incident occurred during filming when Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute) noticed the shredder had a special slot for credit cards, leading to an impromptu and almost destructive demonstration.

Jenna Fischer [30:39]: “He was shredding paper. Then he noticed... should I shred a credit card.”

Note Cards on Foreheads

Both hosts shared their experiences with wearing note cards taped to their foreheads, a key element in the episode’s diversity training scenes. Angela recounted the discomfort and the lasting marks left by the double-sided tape used.

Angela Kinsey [51:23]: “I had this rectangle hickey on my forehead...”

Deleted Scenes and Alternate Takes

Several scenes were discussed, including a deleted moment where Michael inadvertently spells “incest” with his diversity acronym, highlighting the delicate balance of humor in the episode.

Jenna Fischer [60:04]: “Michael stands up and creates his own acronym for sensitivity... it spells incest.”

Pam’s FreeCell Competence

The hosts reminisced about their competitive prowess in FreeCell during filming, with Kate Flannery’s (Phyllis) exceptional skills often leaving them in awe.

Angela Kinsey [35:04]: “Kate was really good. I never made the top 10.”

---

Fan Questions and Fast Facts

Fan Question: Were the note cards random, and how much improvisation occurred?

Jenna’s Answer: All note card phrases were scripted with no improvisation, ensuring consistency and continuity throughout the episode.

Jenna Fischer [53:23]: “All scripted.”

Fast Fact:

• Larry Wilmore not only played Mr. Brown but was also a key contributor to the writers' room, bringing a unique comedic perspective to the training segments.
• BJ Novak was 25 when he wrote "Diversity Day," marking his first major contribution to the show’s original content.

---

Memorable Quotes

1. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) [04:03]:
   “Abraham Lincoln once said that if you're a racist, I will attack you with the North. And those are the principles, dammit.”

2. Angela and Jenna’s Reaction [04:43]:
   "God."
   (Expressing amusement over Michael’s repeated attempts at delivering his speech.)

3. Jenna on Simplicity of Michael’s Attempts [46:38]:
   “I love that line so much. And I asked BJ, who wrote that line, because I know there's a collective element to the script writing.”

---

Anecdotes and Personal Stories

Watching the Pilot Together

The hosts shared fond memories of watching the pilot episode together before its airing, recounting technical glitches and the camaraderie that strengthened their bond.

Jenna Fischer [40:15]: “I have a picture of that, and there's Steve Carell just sitting on my floor.”

Wardrobe and Makeup Challenges

Angela recounted the challenges of maintaining continuity with makeup while dealing with tissue tape on foreheads, leading to unique makeup issues.

Angela Kinsey [52:06]: “The makeup would not adhere to my forehead.”

---

Conclusion

In "Second Drink: Diversity Day," Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey provide a rich and engaging analysis of one of The Office's foundational episodes. Through a blend of humor, detailed observations, and personal anecdotes, they offer listeners both fans and newcomers a comprehensive understanding of the episode's significance and the intricate craftsmanship behind its creation.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• [04:03] Jenna Fischer: “Abraham Lincoln once said that if you're a racist, I will attack you with the North.”

• [12:07] Jenna Fischer: “I couldn’t believe how remarkably it held up.”

• [46:38] Angela Kinsey: “What's happening?”

• [53:23] Jenna Fischer: “All scripted.”

---

This summary captures the essence of the Office Ladies' discussion on the "Diversity Day" episode, highlighting key points, memorable quotes, and enriching behind-the-scenes stories that underscore the episode's enduring legacy.

Transcript

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know if you're getting your wardrobe ready for the cold of winter and you're stocking up on some new cozy sweaters or maybe you're looking for something just a little sparkly for a party coming up.

[Angela Kinsey]

You can check out Quint's Quince has such good deals. We've talked about this before. We have shopped on quints. You can get a cashmere sweater for $50.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yep. I got this really cool weighted blanket from Quince in this kind of rust tone. I love it. It's so cozy and really good quality.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, and a weighted blanket just makes you feel so snuggly.

[Jenna Fisher]

I know. Most of the time the items on Quince are priced about 50 to 80% less than similar brands.

[Angela Kinsey]

That includes beautiful jackets, cotton cardigans, soft denim, and so much more.

[Jenna Fisher]

They're able to do it by partnering directly with top factories and cutting out the cost of the middleman. And then they kind of pass that savings on to the consumer and they only work with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices.

[Angela Kinsey]

Get cozy in Quince's high quality wardrobe essentials. Go to quince.comofficeladies for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's Q U I N C E.com officeladies to get free shipping and 365 day returns.

[Angela Kinsey]

Quince.com officeladies get ready everybody because Macy's Black Friday starts now.

[Jenna Fisher]

Shop early and score the best deals before they're gone.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love to get all of my shopping done early. I have a list that I make and this year I am going to Macy's.com to get all of those great deals and then I don't have to worry the rest of the holiday season.

[Jenna Fisher]

That is my favorite thing. It makes December so much more pleasurable to me when I can get my gifts out of the way.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, shop early and score the best deals before they're gone. Visit macy's.com through November 23rd for early black Friday deals. Hi everyone. Are you ready for second drink of Diversity day?

[Jenna Fisher]

This is still one of my all time favorite episodes of the Office. I used this second drink as an excuse to watch this episode again and I found two catches. Are you ready for them?

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm. I think I have an idea of the first one.

[Jenna Fisher]

Go number one. There is still a cat calendar at reception.

[Angela Kinsey]

Caught it, saw it.

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know why I'm obsessed with this, but I'm gonna track it. I need to know when that cat calendar comes down.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know, I'm wondering if it's the whole first season, but anyway, we're gonna track it.

[Jenna Fisher]

We'll let you know. Also, at 12 minutes and 28 seconds, when we're all loading into the conference room to hear Michael's presentation on Diversity, I noticed John and Brian are smirking at one another. When they enter and sit down, it is a total break of character. I don't know what they were talking about before we started rolling, but you can watch two friends having a dude bro moment. 100%.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I rewatched it as well. And I want to talk about something that happens at 13 minutes and 7 seconds.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right. Everyone is entering the conference room scene and they are going to watch Michael's video that he has made.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes, it's very short.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's very short. But I guess when they were filming it, they let Steven Rain play around at the top of it. It is so funny. I was cracking up. It's in deleted scenes. And you really hear the build of Michael getting so pissed off with Dwight. Dwight is his camera operator. And what I love is that you hear Steven Rain as Dwight and Michael just discovering who these characters are to one another. It's so fun. Let's hear it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Don't do that. Just say action when we're ready. Dunder Mifflin, Michael Scott. Diversity Tomorrow, take four. And action.

[Angela Kinsey]

Chart.

[Jenna Fisher]

No, do it again.

[Angela Kinsey]

Diversity Tomorrow, take five.

[Jenna Fisher]

Action. Hi, I'm Michael Scott. I'm in charge of Dunder Mifflin paper products here in Scranton, Pennsylvania. But I'm also the founder of Diversity Tomorrow. Because today is almost over. Abraham Lincoln once said that if you're a racist, I will attack you with the north. And those are the principles, dammit. Okay, sorry. Don't laugh. Please don't laugh this time. Dwight, you're. It's. It's bugging me. Let me give myself a countdown. Ready? Three, two, one. Take six. Just let me do it.

[Angela Kinsey]

God.

[Jenna Fisher]

Three, two, one. Hi, I'm Michael Scott. I'm in charge of Dunder Mifflin paper products here in Scranton. Keep the camera steady, please. People are gonna get seasick watching this. Ready? Three, two, one, action. Don't, please don't say anything. Oh, God. And action. Lights, camera, action.

[Angela Kinsey]

Whenever you're ready.

[Jenna Fisher]

Could I count myself down, please, Dwight? Three, two, one. Hi, I'm Michael Scott. I'm in charge of Dunder Mifflin paper products here in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Oh my gosh. I could listen to those guys do that all day.

[Angela Kinsey]

Me too.

[Jenna Fisher]

Dude, he's so funny. So Funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's like, don't say anything. And he's like, take six. Don't say anything.

[Jenna Fisher]

I know. Well, I want to share something. I want to share a song that was written by a fan that was inspired by the moment when Pam falls asleep on Jim's shoulder at the end of this episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

Get out.

[Jenna Fisher]

The song was written by Annika Wells. It is so lovely.

[Angela Kinsey]

I want to hear it.

[Jenna Fisher]

I can't wait for you to hear it. I'll leave you sleeping on my shoulder when the meeting's over I'll save your life from total boredom and expired yogurt. So take your time. Three years.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's fine. I'll wait until the season. Season three finale.

[Jenna Fisher]

It's a date. Cause you're my gym and I'm your.

[Angela Kinsey]

Pim I fell in love with my best friend no one's ever loved me.

[Jenna Fisher]

Like you do Cuz no one's jamming Pam like me and.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'll switch the.

[Jenna Fisher]

Teapot for the ipod A million times all over and when I'm liddy at the chilies I'll kiss you not so sober so meet me on the rooftop don't be late I'll bring the grilled cheese if you keep me on your plate Cause you're my gem I'm your Pam I fell in love with my best friend no one's ever love do like I do we'll go down in history the longest, cutest love story we.

[Angela Kinsey]

Could make a season 10 is true.

[Jenna Fisher]

Cause no one's jamming Pam like me and you Isn't that incredible?

[Angela Kinsey]

It's so good. It's so good. And I want to point out that in the lyrics, she said they kissed it chilly. I knew you were going to say that, Angela.

[Jenna Fisher]

I knew it the second I heard it.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's right, because that is when they first kissed. I am sorry not to get back into that debate. I feel seen. And also, that song is so lovely. We have to share it.

[Jenna Fisher]

We do. And you can download it on Spotify, everybody. So we'll tell you where to find it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yep, we'll link to it.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, join us this Wednesday as we break down the accountant's webisodes. But now let's get to our second drink of diversity day. Enjoy. I'm Jenna Fisher.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I'm Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fisher]

We were on the Office together.

[Angela Kinsey]

And we're best friends.

[Jenna Fisher]

And now we're doing the ultimate Office Rewatch podcast just for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Each week, we will break down an episode of the Office and give exclusive behind the scenes Stories that only two people who were there can tell you.

[Jenna Fisher]

We're the Office Ladies. Hello, everyone. This is Jenna Fisher.

[Angela Kinsey]

And this is Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fisher]

And today you're listening to Office Ladies. And we will be breaking down Diversity Day.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a good one.

[Jenna Fisher]

Season 1, Episode 2 this was written by BJ Novak and directed by Ken Kwapis.

[Angela Kinsey]

It was. This was the moment for me. I was like, we have a hit. This is great stuff.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, this was. Oh, my gosh. It's happening to me again.

[Angela Kinsey]

What's happening?

[Jenna Fisher]

I have so many things in my head to talk about this episode. It's like the little cards in my head are filtering, and I don't know which one to pick first.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, like a Rolodex.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes, like that. Yes, yes. That's what's happening.

[Angela Kinsey]

This also happened.

[Jenna Fisher]

And then I freeze up.

[Angela Kinsey]

Then you freeze up, and you kind of look like deer in headlights when I look at you.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, I just stopped talking. I sort of shut down like a computer screen.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know what? The same thing happened to me at a buffet. I love a buffet. I can't decide.

[Jenna Fisher]

Too many choices.

[Angela Kinsey]

Too many choices. I'm like, do I want pancakes or do I want, like, the crab legs or their sushi?

[Jenna Fisher]

What buffet has crab legs and pancakes?

[Angela Kinsey]

Like, go to a buffet in Vegas. Any buffet. I love a Vegas buffet.

[Jenna Fisher]

Touche.

[Angela Kinsey]

Touche. Okay, let's do it.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right. I'm going to start with a synopsis.

[Angela Kinsey]

You love it.

[Jenna Fisher]

That seems good. All right. In the episode Diversity Day, the staff of Dunder Mifflin must complete a diversity training seminar due to some complaints to corporate. But manager Michael Scott feels the training was insufficient and subjects the staff to his own training.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's it in a nutshell.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's it, folks. And my gosh. I mean, if it's just when I rewatched it, like, it was so awkward. It's so awkward. This is like Michael Scott at his. He is his most cringy this first season. I feel like.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, they really leaned in.

[Angela Kinsey]

They leaned in. Okay, Jenna, go.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, Shall I start with some fast facts?

[Angela Kinsey]

I am waiting. I can't wait to see what you got.

[Jenna Fisher]

I see. All right, so my first fast fact is that this was the first totally original script of the American version of the Office. Because we talked about in the pilot that this was based on a British television show of the same name, and the pilot episode was an adaptation of their script. This was not. After the pilot episode of our show, we started writing original storylines for our version of the show.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's right. Unique to the American. The office.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's right. And the writers referred to this episode as the pilot after the pilot.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ooh, that's good. Little insight, guys.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's a little insight.

[Angela Kinsey]

Pilot. After the pilot.

[Jenna Fisher]

Because they felt like this was establishing what is the American version going to be like?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, wow, Diversity day. Boy, that's the pilot.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my God.

[Jenna Fisher]

I think when we think about this episode, Angela, we both talked about this. It is absolutely brilliant. And it's brilliant, and people love it. And in re watching it, after all these years, I couldn't believe how remarkably it held up.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

I mean, it's just a stunning piece of comedy, in my opinion. And it was written by BJ Novak, who plays Ryan, the temp on the.

[Angela Kinsey]

Show, who also, you guys, is, like, really smart.

[Jenna Fisher]

He is one of the smartest people I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

One time, him and Mindy were having a conversation, like. And I walked up, and I was just like, hey. And they were talking about sort of like some kind of advanced economics kind of conversation, and I was just like, okay. Okay, bye.

[Jenna Fisher]

I think it's why Mindy and BJ became best friends was because they are just two of the smartest people in the world. They're so smart, and they're the only people they can talk to.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I just knew in that moment I had nothing to add to their conversation, and I just did the slow fade because I was like, wow, these are two really smart people. People.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, let me lay something on you about BJ Novak in this episode. He was 25 years old when he wrote it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Shut the front door.

[Jenna Fisher]

What were you doing when you were 25 years old, Jenna? I'll tell you what I wasn't doing. I wasn't writing a brilliant piece of television comedy.

[Angela Kinsey]

I was an operator at 1-800-DENTIST.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. I think I was working in a medical office. As a receptionist.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

Transcribing medical documents. Well, which is interesting work, by the way.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ew. It sounds a little gross.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, it was a psychological office. So what these psychologists did was if you were applying for an executive position at an important company, you had to go through a psychological evaluation, and then these psychologists would determine whether or not they could recommend you for the job or not.

[Angela Kinsey]

And you wrote it all down.

[Jenna Fisher]

I transcribed all of the sessions, all of the therapy sessions with the executives.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna, this sounds like a HBO series. My gosh, we should pitch that. Okay, sorry, we're getting off topic.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, I want to say, in my time doing it, there was Only one person who was not recommended, and it was because they felt he had some violent tendencies.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, well, this is taking a turn.

[Jenna Fisher]

But can you imagine how suspenseful it was for me to be typing out that information? I was like, what are they?

[Angela Kinsey]

25 year old?

[Jenna Fisher]

Jenna was like, yeah, well, that's what I was doing when I was 25. When BJ Novak was 25 years old, he was writing this television show, and this was his first job writing for a television show.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know all.

[Jenna Fisher]

And his first script was Diversity Day. What the hell is going on, bj.

[Angela Kinsey]

Just settle down on being such an achiever, okay? Can you just relax?

[Jenna Fisher]

I had to reach out to BJ because I wanted to ask him, bj, what was it like? Because here we had the British version of the show that was so acclaimed. And you are now tasked with writing the first original episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

The pilot. After the pilot.

[Jenna Fisher]

The pilot. After the pilot. He explained the original writing staff for the Office was Greg Daniels, the executive producer, showrunner, Paul Lieberstein, Mindy Kaling, Mike Scherr, and BJ Novak.

[Angela Kinsey]

What a room, by the way.

[Jenna Fisher]

Right?

[Angela Kinsey]

What a room.

[Jenna Fisher]

I know. And then they had Larry Wilmore and Lester Lewis, who were consulting this room full of writers, broke down the plots and storylines of the five remaining episodes of season one. And they did this as a group. So they created outlines for each of these episodes, and then a different writer got assigned a different outline, and he got assigned the Diversity Day episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, so wait, I just want to make sure I understand. So they would take storylines and outlines and break them down as a group.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then you would get assigned which storyline was yours.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. And you had to fill in the dialogue and different story points. And, you know, you do a good amount of writing on your episode. But the idea for the episode comes from the group collector from the room.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, Right.

[Jenna Fisher]

And also at that time, they didn't know what order they were gonna air. So he did not have the pressure. Yes. Cause that's what I was thinking. Writing first one.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, that would be so much pressure. I would freeze up.

[Jenna Fisher]

And I remember that. I remember that when we came back after getting picked up and we were gonna shoot these five additional episodes, we had five completed scripts, and then they decided which one they were going to shoot. They didn't come out weekly. They did it collectively before we started the season, which I guess that takes some of the pressure off.

[Angela Kinsey]

It would.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. And I have another fast fact.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, you do your fast facts, because I've got some delicious note cards waiting for you all right? Some Kinsey tidbits over here.

[Jenna Fisher]

I enjoy digesting your note cards.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, okay.

[Jenna Fisher]

Digest this. First, though, what people. A lot of people want to know, where did the idea for this episode come from? This episode is based on the real life experience of our writer's assistant, Tom. So when they were in that writer's room, they throw out ideas for episodes. And Tom told this story about how when he was in college, he took a class, and in the class, they did this exercise where they had to put note cards on their heads that said different ethnicities, and then they had to go around and regard one another as that ethnicity. Where did he go to school?

[Angela Kinsey]

Where did he go to school? Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Holy moly.

[Jenna Fisher]

But that happened. Okay, so let that sink in. Yeah, that happened to people.

[Angela Kinsey]

That happened. Well, here's the thing I feel like about the show. And listen, you guys watch it. You know, there's a lot that happens that you're like, oh, yeah, that. Something like that kind of happened at my job. Yeah. I mean, we had. I worked. When I worked at 1, 800 dentists, we had to go to these human resource, like, resources meetings, and they would act out skits for us about inappropriate behavior.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, you know what? Remember we used to have to sit through those sexual harassment seminars on the office?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

The whole cast and crew would gather in the warehouse, and once a year, we had to do.

[Angela Kinsey]

NBC made us do it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. Made us do sexual harassment training.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then we signed papers saying we'd all behave appropriately at work.

[Jenna Fisher]

Correct. But do you remember what happened, like, in season four or five, the video package that they showed us was our.

[Angela Kinsey]

Show of what not to do.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. Were clips from the office. We were sitting there watching clips of our show as examples of ways not to behave in a workplace.

[Angela Kinsey]

I've had actually a lot of people tell me that, that it comes up in different ways, either to college or work, that our show is like, what not to do.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, I've got one more fast fact, and I also have a fan question.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, okay, good. Because then I have some Kinsey tidbits.

[Jenna Fisher]

Very good. What would you like first? The fast fact or the fan question?

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna, what is happening? Are you going out of order? Who are you?

[Jenna Fisher]

You're right. What am I saying?

[Angela Kinsey]

I want the fast facts.

[Jenna Fisher]

Of course.

[Angela Kinsey]

Finish fast facts and then go to fan questions.

[Jenna Fisher]

I'm sorry, I feeling very loosey goosey today. Obviously. All right, final fast fact. In this episode, we introduce two new characters.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

We do Toby Flenderson and Kelly Kapoor, played by two more members of our writing staff, Paul Lieberstein and Mindy Kaling.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, I do have to say I love the name Toby Flenderson. I love when a character's name sort of describes the character, but, like, the name Toby Flenderson, like, when you see Paul on screen as Toby, you're like, oh, of course. That's Toby Flunderson. That's who that is.

[Jenna Fisher]

Absolutely perfect. A lot of people ask why were so many writers, actors on the show, and that was Greg Daniels. Greg believed that it would be a good idea for writers to have the experience of acting because it would give them a deeper appreciation of what an actor does, which I have to say is so brilliant. And I think there are a lot of directors that I know go take acting classes just so they can better speak to actors and understand actors. And it completely worked on our show that the writers were immersed with us because they really got to not just understand our jobs, but they got to see us being our characters firsthand. They got to see our little improvisations that they would never see if they were just stuck up in the writers room. And all of that ended up becoming a part of the show.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think it was so great. It really made us a cohesive show between the two departments, sort of the writers, the actors, this creative partnership. It always felt like a partnership to me and made me feel safe, like I could try things, you know? But, you know, BJ and Mindy were really great performers. They were crossovers. But Paul was not a performer. Paul had only just been a writer. So I know this was like, a huge sort of, like, step out of his comfort zone.

[Jenna Fisher]

And I think he thought it was going to be just this one little line in this episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right. Well, Jenna texted him this morning and was like, paul, tell us the dish on how you became Toby.

[Jenna Fisher]

And he just said, greg kind of made me do it. He said he remembered walking in one day, and it had been decided that he was gonna play this role of Toby. And he really thought it was just gonna be this one line.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right.

[Jenna Fisher]

He didn't think he was gonna be a series regular? No, he was. Did not think it was gonna grow into what it was. But Kevin Riley, who was the head of NBC at the time, saw this episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

He loved it.

[Jenna Fisher]

He loved the dynamic between Michael Scott and Toby Flunderson. And he said, I want more of that.

[Angela Kinsey]

I want more Toby.

[Jenna Fisher]

And so then Paul officially became an actor on the show.

[Angela Kinsey]

Paul, who was not a performer and who is Kind of a quiet person in real life, all of a sudden became a full time actor and writer.

[Jenna Fisher]

I think something we have to talk about, too, is the transformation of Kelly Kapoor. A lot of fans wrote in asking about this, and I'm sure you've got a note card about it, Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

I do. First of all, all my note cards today are green, and Jenna has already said they're whorish, but whatever, Jenna. So I have a note card that's just written Kelly's outfit.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Exclamation point. Because this is hilarious. Anyone that knows Mindy knows that after this episode, she was like, yeah, I'm not going to dress like that. Okay. Because she had on this, like, sort of paisley blouse and those pants that.

[Jenna Fisher]

Went all the way up to her neck.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. And her hair up in, like, an updo, and it was just so funny.

[Jenna Fisher]

Very fussy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Very fussy. And sort of like, just like buttoned up. And right after, like, this episode, I feel like she was like, yeah, I'm going to come in for a real wardrobe and we're gonna change up the way Kelly Kapoor looks.

[Jenna Fisher]

I think when she realized, same as Paul, that this was gonna be more than just a one off, that she would be appearing regularly on the show, not only did her wardrobe change, but the whole conceit of her character changed, and she started writing herself more into the character. The love of Beyonce and, you know, the clothes and the fashion show. Fashion show. Fashion show at lunch and all Mindy.

[Angela Kinsey]

The romance with bj.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes, exactly correct. All of those elements sort of weaved their way into the show. But it is true, in this first incarnation of Kelly Kapoor, she is very different. Not the Kelly we eventually learned to love.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I love the Kelly she became, though, because she was so fun and just added so much like sort of like just sunshine to like, whatever scene she was in. I don't know how to say it, but, like, there was always. She was just all so bubbly and everything, and everyone else was so drab. So I thought she added much needed energy.

[Jenna Fisher]

She added literal color.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

She was the only person who dressed literally colorfully. So do you want my fan question?

[Angela Kinsey]

Do I?

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay. Heather from Twitter asked, hi, Heather. Hi, Heather. Heather asked, since it was only the second episode, what was the atmosphere on set like, filming? And I thought that was a really good question because we shot Diversity Day about six months after we shot the pilot. We took this really long break because we were waiting to find out if we were going to get picked up or not. And it was so Thrilling to be reunited again.

[Angela Kinsey]

I remember when we were watching diversity day, people have asked me, when did you feel like you had a hit? And I said, it's the moment. We were all in the room and we all had those note cards taped to our foreheads, and I was just looking around at all of us, and Steve was being Michael, and he was being so hilarious. And I thought, oh, my God, if we can just get anyone to watch the show, we're going to be hit. If anyone sees it, it's so good. And it really was in that moment, I was like, oh, wow, this is lightning in a bottle. Now how do we get the world to watch it?

[Jenna Fisher]

Aw, I love that. Ang. Listen, should we take a break?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, let's take a break. I have lots of note cards.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, perfect. When we come back, we will really break down diversity day and get into the scenes and tell you all our stories.

[Angela Kinsey]

You say diversity, I say diversity.

[Jenna Fisher]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, it's just been bugging me.

[Jenna Fisher]

But anyway, diversity.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, let's go to a break. Let's go. Peloton.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, sweet. Peloton. I love my Peloton. Peloton has workouts for every mood. My general mood is I don't feel like doing this, but Cody Rigsby, he gets me there.

[Angela Kinsey]

You love Cody. Here's what I like about Peloton. I love the variety of training programs because I'm not going to want the same workout that Josh wants. We're super different, and peloton has something for both of us.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, there's so many ways to challenge yourself. If you're training for a 5k, a 10k marathon, they have programs for strength training. They've got boot camps. Oh, my gosh. They have pilates. They have just great stretching.

[Angela Kinsey]

And their coaches are really motivating. They keep you going.

[Jenna Fisher]

Find your push, find your power with Peloton. @onepelaton.com we're all driven by the search.

[Angela Kinsey]

For something better, Right? But when it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search at all. Don't search match with Indeed.

[Jenna Fisher]

I had one job where I had to go through a whole hiring process. I had to hire an extra person for our office, and it was so overwhelming and slow and indeed did not exist then. And I sure wish it did.

[Angela Kinsey]

I always love that you were an office administrator.

[Jenna Fisher]

I was.

[Angela Kinsey]

In your previous life.

[Jenna Fisher]

I was. And the worst part of that job was the stretch where I had to hire people because it was so hard.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Well, indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global monthly visitors according to Indeed data. And a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast.

[Jenna Fisher]

And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com.

[Angela Kinsey]

Officeladies just go to Indeed.com officeladies right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.

[Jenna Fisher]

Indeed.com officeladies Terms and conditions apply.

[Angela Kinsey]

Need to hire you Need Indeed.

[Jenna Fisher]

We've been Talking about the SimpliSafe home security system for a long time now. And I'm very excited because SimpliSafe is now offering our listeners 60% off. Just visit simplisafe.com officeladies well, you guys.

[Angela Kinsey]

Know I've been using SimpliSafe for years. It just brings me peace of mind. I like knowing that my home is protected 24 7. And with SimpliSafe they have active guard. So that can actually prevent break ins from happening. It can prevent package theft and vandalism because there's live monitoring agents who can see, speak to and deter any suspicious individuals outside your home before they even get the chance.

[Jenna Fisher]

SimpliSafe is offering our listeners exclusive early access to their Black Friday sale this week only. You can get 60% off any new system with a select professional monitoring plan.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is their best offer of the year. Head to simplisafe.com officeladies that's simplisafe.com officeladiAdies there's no safe like SimpliSafe.

[Jenna Fisher]

And we're back.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hello.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, so the diversity day episodes start with Michael explaining that today the office is having a mandatory diversity training.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

We also learned that today is the day that Jim is going to make his biggest sale of the year. He explains he only has to make one phone call and it amounts to 25% of his total sales for the year. But Dwight keeps making it impossible for him to make that call. And so the first way that Dwight makes it impossible for him to make this phone call is that he must shred paper at his desk.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, Dwight.

[Jenna Fisher]

Which I always thought was funny because you know, Pam has that industrial sized shredder behind her desk.

[Angela Kinsey]

Pam has a shredder like the size of a Xerox machine behind her desk.

[Jenna Fisher]

Which we never used.

[Angela Kinsey]

Never used ever.

[Jenna Fisher]

I never shredded a single thing in it. And it used to get in the way when the camera, they could move it. And it was a big argument over whether or not they could move it. Like the integrity of the documentary crew. Would they have moved the industrial Shredder or not? No. And so I remember a day we were on set and they wanted to get this shot behind my desk. And they said, if we could just move the shredder, we could get the shot you're asking for. And it was like a 30 minute argument over whether or not they could move or not move the shredder.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right. Because they didn't want to, like, ruin the integrity of the documentary.

[Jenna Fisher]

Look, yes. This was a big thing all the time. They decided, you know, you can't move walls, you can't move windows, you can't move furniture. They did agree you could move this one plant around the ficus. You could move the ficus.

[Angela Kinsey]

They clearly agreed that you could move that conference table out and put chairs. And then all of a sudden, the conference table would be back. I've had.

[Jenna Fisher]

Where did the conference table. Where did the conference table.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know I've had so many people write to me on social media be like, what happened with the conference table? It was there and then it's gone. Where does the conference table go? And I told them, I said, you know what I would have loved? At the end of one episode, all it would take is one episode and the whole nine seasons. If at the end credits, it just showed, like, Kevin and, like, Jim breaking down the conference table and Dwight and, like, stacking it in some storage thing and then having to go get it and put it back together. But just as the credits rolled.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. I would love to see them carrying the conference table down to the warehouse or something, because where is it?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know.

[Jenna Fisher]

There is nowhere for it to be.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know.

[Jenna Fisher]

That is one of the great mysteries of the show. Where is the conference table?

[Angela Kinsey]

Every time Michael was like, conference room meeting that they were like, ugh. Because they knew they had to break down that table.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay, okay, well, do you remember that shredding scene where Rain is shredding the paper?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

And he. So he's shredding paper. He's shredding paper. So then Rain notices that there's a special slot on his personal shredder for a credit card. And he kind of stopped the filming. And he said, guys, I think I should shred a credit card. And we were thinking, well, okay. And he said, no, there's a special slot for it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. And everyone was like, is it gonna work?

[Jenna Fisher]

And so he did it.

[Angela Kinsey]

He did it. And they got him, like, a fake, like, credit card kind of thing, the props department, and he did it. But it almost broke that shredder it started going like.

[Jenna Fisher]

I remember sitting there and thinking, is it. You know, is it? What's happening?

[Angela Kinsey]

What's happening? But he was so determined. I also think Rainn is like a gadget person a little bit. So he was like, oh, there's a thing on here. I need to do it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, I need to work this part of the machine.

[Angela Kinsey]

I need to do it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Angela, would you like to do a card?

[Angela Kinsey]

I would. Jenna Fisher. Okay, so this card applies to the opening shot of the whole episode. There is a great establishing shot of the Homer Simpson doll. The camera is going past Phyllis's desk, and it's sitting right there. And, you know, it just makes me smile because I know that Greg Daniels wrote on the Simpsons and this was his little, like, nod to, like, the first part of his career, right?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And it sat there all nine years, that Simpson doll. So I love that. That's just like, kind of dorky moment. You guys know I love the things in the background.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, you know what he did for the main cast. I'm sorry, I do know this. You do know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Are you saying I'm sorry because I didn't get one? Yeah, because you're calling me not main cast.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, we called you supporting cast. Is this as a gift, you guys?

[Angela Kinsey]

The rest of us didn't become series regular till Boo's Cruise. That's story for later. But in the beginning, there were just five of us. Well, there weren't just the five of you, but you were the five that were the, quote, series regulars.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's right. There were just the five series regulars.

[Angela Kinsey]

And the rest of us were just trash in the corner.

[Jenna Fisher]

No, but we had to do a lot of extra stuff.

[Angela Kinsey]

You had to do press, and we.

[Jenna Fisher]

Had to do press, and we had to do these crazy photo shoots, and we did all this stuff as the show was launching.

[Angela Kinsey]

Listen, there is no debating. You guys were the core main cast, and the rest of us filled out the picture. And then it grew, and then the cast grew, and then we had all of these series regulars. But I'm gonna give you a little. And you can leave that in Sam. I'm gonna give you a little shiitake sometimes.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, listen. So as a gift, Greg had the illustrators over at the Simpsons turn us all into Simpson characters. And it was me, John Rainn, and Steve huddled around a computer. Now that I'm saying it, I realize. I think BJ Novak was left out of this photo. Sorry, BJ but we were Simpsonized. And he gave us these illustrations in, like, a Frame.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's really cool.

[Jenna Fisher]

It's really cool. It's in my living room. It's like a treasured item from the show.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna is a Simpson.

[Jenna Fisher]

I have a Simpson version of me. All right, I wanna Talk about Pam's FreeCell. And so does BNGChris on Twitter.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, let's hear it. B and G, Chris.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right. He asked if we were actually good at FreeCell. And the answer is, oh, yes, we were.

[Angela Kinsey]

You wanna know why? This is one of my note cards, too. We didn't get wifi until July of 2006, and it was such a big deal on our set that a memo went around. And I saved the memo.

[Jenna Fisher]

It was because, to give you some context, we shot this episode in 2004. Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And so it wasn't until 2006 that we got Internet. So for the pilot, they were nothing. They were literally like pieces of plastic.

[Jenna Fisher]

I have to tell you something, Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fisher]

My computer on the pilot was real.

[Angela Kinsey]

Son of a General.

[Jenna Fisher]

So sorry. Main cast got real computers.

[Angela Kinsey]

Shut up. Are you serious? You and John and Rain had actual computers with games? Yeah. No Internet. But you had games for the pilot?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Will this ever end? Will it ever end? All these things I'm learning. Well, back in accounting, guys, we had a piece of plastic that they made look like it was.

[Jenna Fisher]

You just had to stare at a plastic bag.

[Angela Kinsey]

Piece of plastic that did nothing. So we passed notes.

[Jenna Fisher]

I haven't known when to tell you this because you've told the story before, that our computer and you sat silent. I have. I haven't known how to tell you that all along I had a real computer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my God. What else is gonna come out in this podcast?

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Holy crap. Well, we passed a lot of notes, and I saved those, too. Oscar can draw. He's a really good drawer. And he would draw me and Brian as Kevin and Angela. And I saved them all. So there.

[Jenna Fisher]

Jenny, that's what you were doing while I was on my actual computer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Whatever the answer to that story is. Yes, we were very good at solitaire because it's all we had to do for, like, two years.

[Jenna Fisher]

It's true. And we had on set Free sell competitions, and we would compete with the cast and crew in between scenes. The crew would sit down at a desk and they would play Free Sell. And Kate Flannery held the title for a very long time. She was really very good.

[Angela Kinsey]

She was a master.

[Jenna Fisher]

Phyllis was also very good.

[Angela Kinsey]

Kate is so good, though.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. With the Free sale, the competition was who could do it in the fewest moves.

[Angela Kinsey]

And, yeah, Kate was really good. I never made the top 10. I would also lose patience. Okay. All right, get going. What else you got over there, Fisher? What else are you hiding from me that you're not telling me? What other perks did you have?

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, this wasn't really a perk, but this was a little sneaky. So during this episode, off camera, there was a whole thing going on, and it involved me and Phyllis. So Phyllis and I are from St. Louis, Missouri. And during this time, the Cardinals were in the playoffs.

[Angela Kinsey]

I remember this.

[Jenna Fisher]

They ended up in the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. And in between scenes, Phyllis and I would sneak back to my trailer and watch the Cardinals games.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

And we were rooting hard for the Cardinals, and it was very difficult for us because basically everyone else on the set was from Boston. Steve, bj, John, more people. Everyone was rooting for the Red Sox except for me and Phyllis.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then I rooted for the Cardinals with you. Do you remember that? You don't remember that?

[Jenna Fisher]

No.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna, you and I are.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's the end of our friendship.

[Angela Kinsey]

You and I are gonna have a talk after this. Lady. I did. You brought me onto your side. Listen, one of the things I remember so distinctly about that World Series is that at the end of work, we would stay and we would all go into John's trailer and we would watch the game.

[Jenna Fisher]

Angela, if you were in John's trailer, you were rooting for Boston. Oh, Phyllis and I watched it in my trailer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wait, I didn't know that. Wait, you weren't. Oh, right. You didn't go and draw.

[Jenna Fisher]

No.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, we were in Island.

[Jenna Fisher]

Phyllis and I. We were in Island.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, John's trailer was really fun. A lot of people were in there, so I think.

[Jenna Fisher]

Of course they were.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think I brough stopped by your.

[Jenna Fisher]

Trailer and was, like, a little sad in here.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I went into the party trailer where everyone was gathered.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, also, Boston swept the series 4 to 0. So it was a particularly depressing.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, I remember there being snacks and, like, laughter.

[Jenna Fisher]

Phyllis and I were just in my trailer crying.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, maybe I didn't realize.

[Jenna Fisher]

No big deal.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, we should really get back to the meat of this episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my God, you guys, I'm sorry. We've gone on so many tangents. This is what happens when we get together. Okay, back to diverse.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, so Mr. Brown comes into the office to run the diversity training, and once again, played by one of the members of the writing staff.

[Angela Kinsey]

So brilliant. Larry Wilmore.

[Jenna Fisher]

Larry Wilmore.

[Angela Kinsey]

So smart, so funny.

[Jenna Fisher]

He originally read the part during a table read.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

Just because they hadn't cast the role yet.

[Angela Kinsey]

They were going to cast the role. They just hadn't gotten to it yet.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's right. Greg loved how he read it so much that he asked Larry to audition because this was a big part. This wasn't just one line. So you had to audition for a role of this size. So they put him through the paces.

[Angela Kinsey]

Poor guy. But what I loved about his delivery is it was so straight. He did it, like, so straight.

[Jenna Fisher]

He put nothing on it, no spin on it. And that's why it worked. But this was not the first time that Larry Wilmore has performed. He was a writer. Performer. Yes. Did you know he had a recurring role on the Facts of Life?

[Angela Kinsey]

No.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, as a police officer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Somebody did a deep dive on the Internet.

[Jenna Fisher]

I did. Want to hear what else the Internet told me?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

He created the Bernie Mac show, for which he won an Emmy, and he was a Daily show correspondent.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's very funny. And I actually emailed him and he wants to come on and chat with us, so. Oh, yes, I know. I know. He couldn't do it for this episode, but we're gonna get Larry on. I'm so excited.

[Jenna Fisher]

We should. Because I want to get more of that story of exactly how he wound up as Mr. Brown and what it was like for him to do those scenes with.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, was Steve just, like. He was just messing with him all day.

[Jenna Fisher]

And he was. Stayed so stoic.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fisher]

He was amazing. It was great.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have to say this one story about Larry Wilmore. When this show was going to air, he invited the whole cast over to watch it at his house. And I had, like, an apartment at that time. So, like, anyone that had a house, I was like, oh, my God. You're like the real deal.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. You're an adult.

[Angela Kinsey]

You're an adult.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, that's something we used to do. We used to watch every week together as a cast. These viewing parties. I hosted everybody for the pilot. It was before it aired. Greg came over with a DVD of the pilot, and the cast piled into my living room.

[Angela Kinsey]

We couldn't figure out how to make it work at first. Do you remember, like, your sound wasn't. Like, the DVD wasn't working, and we were all freaking out, and we had.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, I also remember we had to, like, move furniture out of the way, and people were on the floor. I have a picture of that, and there's Steve Carell just sitting on my floor. He didn't get a spot on the couch. Ready to watch the pilot?

[Angela Kinsey]

I have one just like that. And I remember telling everyone, okay, so my building doesn't have parking. So here I am telling the cast, you have to street park. Also, I'm the unit. Way in the back, it says 824, but I'm eight, two four and a half. And everyone came. It was like so sweet.

[Jenna Fisher]

And Paul Feig used to host a lot.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh my gosh.

[Jenna Fisher]

And Paul and Laura, Paul and Laurie Feig, they would put out a fantastic little buffet.

[Angela Kinsey]

They would. They are great hosts.

[Jenna Fisher]

But yes, we used to watch the episodes together as a cast, which is something we did really for years.

[Angela Kinsey]

For years.

[Jenna Fisher]

Should we take a break?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, I think we take a break and when we come back, Jenna, I have a question about something that's in the background. You know how I love things in the background.

[Jenna Fisher]

You've really been the background spotter of this podcast. I have you guys, as people will hear.

[Angela Kinsey]

As you will hear, because we've done a few of these. Jenna knows I love things in the background. This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. We have talked to you guys a lot about Squarespace. It is an all in one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just starting out or managing a growing brand, Squarespace makes it easy to create a beautiful website, engage with your audience, and sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms. You guys know we use Squarespace. We have for years. We love it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes, We've been using Squarespace for over five years. And in that time, Squarespace has added so many cool new features. For example, Squarespace can help you set up seamless checkout for your customers with simple but powerful payment tools. Accepting all credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay. Squarespace also has the tools you need to create and sell your own online course. You can charge a one time fee or sell subscriptions.

[Angela Kinsey]

Squarespace can also help you with email campaigns. Head to squarespace.com for a free trial and when you're ready to Launch, go to squarespace.com officeladies to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. You know, when you're traveling during the holiday season, it can be stressful, especially if you're traveling and you lose an item of luggage or a person. Oh my.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, there's that if you get separated.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Like at an airport. Well, you can stress less this holiday by stocking up on Life360's tile trackers.

[Jenna Fisher]

You can easily find your family's lost or stolen stuff by just ringing your tile when something goes missing and then track down its location on the map. And LifeTracker360 is the first and only tracker with an SOS button. So if you triple press the button in the center of the tile, it will discreetly send an SOS alert to everyone in your life 360 circle it is family friendly.

[Angela Kinsey]

You can add your tile Tracker to your Life360 and see your family and all your family stuff in one spot.

[Jenna Fisher]

Family Proof your family with Life360's Tile tracker. Visit tile.com today and use code office ladies to get 15% off.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's tile.com code officeladies. All right, you're listening to two former party planning committee members.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And you know what the one thing the party planning committee never planned?

[Jenna Fisher]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

A wedding.

[Jenna Fisher]

We did not.

[Angela Kinsey]

Could you imagine Phyllis, Angela, Pam and Meredith planning your wedding?

[Jenna Fisher]

I would not want them to plan my wedding. But you know who I would like to help plan my wedding?

[Angela Kinsey]

Zola.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. Zola is where you can plan your entire wedding in one convenient place. Zola can help you choose a venue, vendors Zola helps create, save the dates.

[Angela Kinsey]

Invites, your registry, even taste your cake. They plan it all. It's amazing.

[Jenna Fisher]

Zola has literally everything you need to make the whole process super easy and enjoyable. There's even a five star app that helps you plan on the go or on your couch.

[Angela Kinsey]

Listen, they have thought of everything, so you don't need to. It's a stress free way to plan your wedding.

[Jenna Fisher]

StartPlanningola.com that's Z O L A dot com. And we're back.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hello everyone.

[Jenna Fisher]

Angela, give it to us. What's your observation?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I have two. First of all, at six minutes, around 46 seconds, I can make out the yellow post it note sprinkles invite that I drew on the partition in Kevin's desk.

[Jenna Fisher]

Really?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

We talked about this in the pilot.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a little yellow post it note and I can just see the side of it. And it just made me happy because it was there all nine years, as you know, all nine seasons. And then Brian gave it to me and I have it and I love it, but I can spot it. And that just made me happy. So there you go. Good eye sprinkles post it note. And here's the second thing I observed. At around 8 minutes 30 seconds, there is a cartoon taped to Michael's door.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh.

[Angela Kinsey]

With like a notepad. With, like, some writing on it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's all I got.

[Jenna Fisher]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

What.

[Jenna Fisher]

What is the cartoon?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. I did take a picture of my tv, and I zoomed in as big as I could. I don't know what it is.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's it.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Your observation is that there is a cartoon on Michael's door. The end.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, well, the way you're looking at me is a little judgy. They're not all gonna paint. I mean, I thought you were gonna.

[Jenna Fisher]

Tell me what it was or how it got there, but, no, I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

But I bet someone else is looking at it and being like, Angela, I saw that too. I don't know. I don't know what it's about.

[Jenna Fisher]

Thank you so much for that one.

[Angela Kinsey]

Moving on.

[Jenna Fisher]

I need to talk about a scene.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fisher]

That contains one of my favorite lines of all time from the show.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know it because it's one of mine. I know it.

[Jenna Fisher]

When Steve does his own diversity training, he makes a video.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

And in that video, he has a line where he says, abraham Lincoln once said, if you are a racist, I will attack you with the North. I love that line so much. And I asked bj, who wrote that line, because I know there's a collective element to the script writing. So the process is they break down the plot, and then a single writer goes and writes it. But then they bring that script back to the group, and people can pitch jokes.

[Angela Kinsey]

They do joke punch up.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, they can do joke punch up. And BJ said it was Paul Lieberstein.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, so smart.

[Jenna Fisher]

And he said that the people in the writers room thought it might be, like, too heady of a joke or that it might not really land. But not only did it land, it is one of the most quoted lines from the show and inspired a fan site called Northern Attack. Yes. And it is.

[Angela Kinsey]

Which is great. So smart.

[Jenna Fisher]

So great. I also asked BJ about diversity today and diversity tomorrow. And he said that he wrote that. That he wrote Diversity. That it was called Diversity Today. And then, you know, Michael calls it Diversity Tomorrow because today is almost over. But he said his original pitch, which he was very sad to have to lose, was that it was actually called Diversity 360. And Michael said in his video that he was from Diversity365 because diversity should never take five days off. But unfortunately, there was a real Diversity360, and they couldn't clear it because it would have seemed like we were making fun of a real business. So he had to Change it to Diversity today, Diversity tomorrow.

[Angela Kinsey]

That is so funny. I have a little note card here for you, lady.

[Jenna Fisher]

Give it to me.

[Angela Kinsey]

So there's a moment in the conference room where Jenna and I are seated next to each other, and. Oh, yeah. So we were rarely seated next to each other because we would just start laughing. This is what we discovered pretty early on.

[Jenna Fisher]

But this was an extreme reason why.

[Angela Kinsey]

This was an extreme reason why. So Steve as Michael, like, you know, we knew he was going to sit into the scene, but we didn't know exactly how. Like, he. He hadn't done this in any rehearsals. So here we are. The camera's rolling, and that conference room is small. And so he was right in front of Jenna and I. Yeah. And he turned as Michael. He turns his chair around and straddles.

[Jenna Fisher]

It, and it's like an office chair that was very bouncy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Bouncy. Like, it, like, bobbed up and down, and he kept bobbing forward and back, like, kind of.

[Jenna Fisher]

Kind of very groiny, kind of grinding.

[Angela Kinsey]

Into the chair a little bit, like, leaning forward. And Jenna and I were like. So we were like, oh, my God.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, you can see my hand is up by my mouth through most of that scene. And it was because when I started to break, I would cover my mouth.

[Angela Kinsey]

It was so hard not to just laugh through the whole scene because he was so brilliantly being this cringy boss who's so inappropriate but is trying to do something good for the office, like, all of his intentions, you know, that.

[Jenna Fisher]

Was the scene that I think I broke the most in for this episode. It was that with him just, like, grinding into that chair. But you were making it worse because you were right next to me. And if you notice for the rest of the episode, we are separated.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're separated also. I don't know if you noticed, but I try really hard not to look at you because I was like, I couldn't look at you, but I could see your shoulders shaking, or I could sense you shaking, and then I would just start laughing. And I didn't want to laugh because I was like, oh, God. I was still, like, every day, like, please don't fire me. Please don't fire me. Yes, please don't fire me.

[Jenna Fisher]

We are trying to be professionals.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're trying to be professionals, and Steve is so professional. But I want to challenge you guys. If Steve Carell turned a chair around backwards and started kind of, like, leaning into it. Leaning into it close to you. It was so close to us.

[Jenna Fisher]

It was very close. I. I feel like the. The scene itself doesn't properly communicate how close.

[Angela Kinsey]

It doesn't.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, I did a little bit of background looking.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh.

[Jenna Fisher]

And there is a reflection of us in the television screen when the shots are on, Steve. And I think if you look really closely at the reflection, you can see me break one time.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my God. You and I have become obsessed with our own show. It's so ridiculous.

[Jenna Fisher]

It's a little odd.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a little odd. Okay, I have a quick story about those note cards we had to tape to our foreheads.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, so here's the thing, guys. Imagine taping a note card to your forehead because it had the double stick tape so it would stay in place. Imagine putting that on at 7:30 in the morning and not taking it off till like, 5pm which is what we did. Which is what we did. I mean, we did take it off at lunch for 30 minutes, but then we had to put it back on at the end of the day of wearing that double stick tape on my forehead. When we took that note card off, it had peeled off all my baby hairs on my forehead.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I had a strip, like a. Like a bare strip on my forehead. And so the next morning when we went into hair and makeup, the makeup would not adhere to my forehead.

[Jenna Fisher]

It was like you had waxed your forehead in one tiny rectangle spot. Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And a few of us had that. A few of us, like, I mean, I'm so fair that, like, my skin, like, shows everything, but I had kind of like this, like this rectangle hickey on my forehead of where that note card had been there all day.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, I remember us walking around backstage getting snacks. They didn't get us. No, because then they'd have to. You know, it was a continuity thing even. They didn't want it to be in any way different.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. They took photos of us to make sure it was always in the exact same spot. It wasn't too high or too low. And once they taped it on, they were really like, guys, please don't take your note card off your forehead. So imagine being like, oh, we have a 15 minute break. I'm gonna get some pretzels and a cheese stick. But I'm eating the cheese stick and pretzels while wearing, you know, a note card on my head that said Jamaica. That's how we walked around. Like, we went to the bathroom. Oh, my Lord.

[Jenna Fisher]

A lot of people asked about the note cards. Like, was there. Did we have any say in what our note cards said? No, no, it was all scripted. It wasn't random. A lot of people ask questions about how much improvisation happened in the scenes with the note cards. All that was scripted.

[Angela Kinsey]

All scripted.

[Jenna Fisher]

Dwight saying, oh, man, am I a woman? That was scripted. There was even a deleted scene in there where Jim pranks Dwight. After Dwight figures out what his race is, Jim gives him a new card. And he's like, here, here, you should have this new card. And Dwight tapes it to his head. And what Jim's written on it is Dwight. And so I remember filming scenes where he's walking around the room and we're all saying things like, oh, man, you're annoying. You're difficult to be around.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

And he's guessing all these different things. And then really it just says Dwight on his forehead.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, so I heard there was a deleted scene. And guys, I bought the DVDs. Okay? I bought the DVDs at Target and. But I don't have a DVD player.

[Jenna Fisher]

This is your problem. You're very close to being able to enjoy this dvd.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fisher]

You're one major step away.

[Angela Kinsey]

One major step. I, I, I forgot we didn't have a DVD player anymore. So I have them. But I read that there was a deleted scene where Devin, Devin, who sat in the background with Creed, has a note card on his forehead. And you see it. I think he's outside. And as Michael walks in, he's outside and his note card says West Nile.

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Is that true?

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's so funny.

[Jenna Fisher]

If you get a DVD player, will you come back and tell us?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. I've gotta get to the bottom of that.

[Jenna Fisher]

I do wanna talk about one scene, because when I put it out on Twitter that we were recording this episode, the most frequently asked question was about the scene where Mindy slaps Steve.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

People had a lot of questions about that scene. And I remember filming that. And the reason I remember filming it is because Mindy could not stop laughing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mindy could not stop laughing.

[Jenna Fisher]

She laughed every single take.

[Angela Kinsey]

Every take. And we had. We were all standing there watching.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And she.

[Jenna Fisher]

Every time it was time for her to slap Steve, she would laugh. But then right after she slapped Steve, she would laugh. One thing we should say, and a lot of people wondered, was the slap real or fake? Well, I remember we shot that so many times, and the majority of the time it was fake. Fake.

[Angela Kinsey]

It was fake.

[Jenna Fisher]

She made no contact with him because people wanted to know, oh, my gosh, did he have a big red mark on his face? Or anything like that. And no, she. And thank goodness it was fake because she kept breaking every time. Right. It was like unusable.

[Angela Kinsey]

I feel like I do remember Steve and I don't know if you remember this, Jenna. I do feel like I remember him in one take saying, I think, you know, just go ahead and hit me once. Yes, go ahead and hit me one time.

[Jenna Fisher]

Right. So I think there was one where she made contact with him and there was also one time she didn't laugh. And that's the time. It's in the episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's it. That's it.

[Jenna Fisher]

But I think if you look really closely, you can see. I mean, we know Mindy. I think we. I can see see her. Her eyes are laughing a little bit.

[Angela Kinsey]

Or she does a thing where she doesn't close her mouth all the way. And that's because she's about to laugh and she's trying not to. Here's the thing. We got to know each other all so well that I know everyone's tell before they break. Like, it's just so, like clear when someone's about to laugh.

[Jenna Fisher]

Another thing, more than one person asked there. I guess there's a controversy. Is Steve saying cookie, cookie or googie, Googie.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's saying googie, googie, googie, googie. Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I'm glad we could solve that.

[Jenna Fisher]

We cleared that up.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have some note cards, milady.

[Jenna Fisher]

Let's do a note card.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. All right. This is a very sort of dorky actor moment, so just bear with me. But I thought John, as Jim did such a fantastic job on the phone with Mr. Decker when he loses his sale to Dwight.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, it is one of the hardest things in the world to have a fake one sided phone conversation that has.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hills and valleys of emotion. Yes. Where you're reacting like the. He's excited, then he's disappointed, then he like figures out what happened.

[Jenna Fisher]

And there's no one on the other line.

[Angela Kinsey]

No one.

[Jenna Fisher]

There's no one speaking to you.

[Angela Kinsey]

John is just doing that on his own. And I just sat there and I rewatched it. And John, I just want you to know you crushed that phone call. I thought you did such a great job. Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

Now I have done films or I have done things where someone is on the other line. For example, in season nine, when Pam breaks down crying at her desk, they figured out a way to wire in John Krasinski live so I could hear him in my ear. I. So there are times when there's a really emotional scene or a scene that really requires you to speak to the other actor, but, like, 90% of the time, you are just pretending someone.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's no one there. Yeah, exactly. And so John was just talking to Mr. Decker, who wasn't there, and I just thought he did such a great job. So anyway, I just had to give a little, little love to jk.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. And after that scene when Jim finds out that he has lost the sale, that Dwight stole the sale that is 25% of his income, he goes back into the conference room where Michael is wrapping things up and everyone is bored to tears. And that is when Pam falls asleep on Jim's shoulder. And we filmed that about, oh, my goodness, like 15, 16 times that scene. Because this was our Jim Pam moment of the episode. This was it. And they really wanted to get these little Jim Pam moments just perfectly. I looked up this scene in the script, and there is a piece of stage direction that BJ Novak wrote that I want to read for you because I think it is so perfect. He wrote, Jim reacts to Pam falling asleep on him like a butterfly has landed on his shoulder. Aw, isn't that so poetic?

[Angela Kinsey]

That's so poetic. That is so sweet.

[Jenna Fisher]

And so that's what John had in his mind was that was his, you know, inspiration for how to react to that.

[Angela Kinsey]

That is so sweet.

[Jenna Fisher]

Like, how special to have a butterfly land on your shoulder and you don't want to move and.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. You don't want to disturb it. Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, that is so sweet. Well, I wrote, you know, this is equally as just insightful, you guys. I wrote on my note card what a great jam moment at the end. And Jenna's skin looks flawless.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, thank you, Angela, because I did notice in an earlier shot, there is a shot of my skin that looks just terrible.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, we didn't have, like, any makeup on really, like, at all. Like, barely any makeup.

[Jenna Fisher]

Powder, blush and a little mascara.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right. And I had one strip of powder that wouldn't stick to my forehead anymore, so I don't know, Jenna, I thought your skin looked flawless.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, you know what? To wrap it up, why don't we do one last fan question?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fisher]

Alexia asked if there were any scenes that were taken out that we wish had made it in. And I picked this fan question because my answer is yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, which one?

[Jenna Fisher]

And I was in it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, what is it?

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, so you remember earlier in the episode when Mr. Brown starts his training, he explains what a hero is, and it's an acronym. And. And then Dwight explains what he thinks a hero is. Well, after all that happened, there was a scene where Michael stands up and creates his own acronym for sensitivity. And his words are inclusion, new attitude, colorblind expectations, sharing, and tolerance. And while he's saying these words, Dwight is writing them on a whiteboard. And I look at the whiteboard and I say, michael, that spells incest. And then Steve tap dances and says, but it still works because incest is bad and discrimination is bad. But also, incest is something that happens in your family and the world is our family. Like it just this crazy ramble.

[Angela Kinsey]

Just back away from it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, but he won't let it go. And then Pam has a talking head that says if he just rearranged the words, he could have spelled insect. And I just, I. I just remember shooting that scene and every time I had to raise my hand and very matter of factly point out that it spells incest, then there was just this silence in the room as everyone took it in. And I was sad. That went on the cutting room floor.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's very funny.

[Jenna Fisher]

So thank you, Alexia, for your question.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, everybody, that was diversity day.

[Jenna Fisher]

And next week we're gonna be talking about healthcare. Angela, what do you think about when you think about healthcare?

[Angela Kinsey]

Hot dog fingers.

[Jenna Fisher]

Hot dog fingers. We're gonna talk about hot dog fingers with our first special guest, Rainn Wilson.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, that tall drink of water is calling in and we are gonna talk about the episode with him. So be sure and tun.

[Jenna Fisher]

Thank you for listening to Office Ladies second drink.

[Angela Kinsey]

This episode was initially created in collaboration with Earwolf.

[Jenna Fisher]

Office Ladies is a presentation of Odyssey and is produced by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey.

[Angela Kinsey]

Our executive producer is Cassie Jerkins and our audio engineer and associate producer is Daniela Silva.

[Jenna Fisher]

Odyssey's executive producers are Jenna Wise Berman and Leah Reese Dennis.

[Angela Kinsey]

Office Ladies is mixed and mastered by Chris Basil.

[Jenna Fisher]

Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.

[Angela Kinsey]

Klarna is your smarter everyday spending partner for the holiday season. Shoppers can use Klarna's Pay in 4 product to split their purchase into four interest free payments.

[Jenna Fisher]

It's really great, especially this time of year when I feel like we're all spending a little bit more than we usually do. This is an opportunity to stretch your payments over time, which makes them just so much more digestible. Klarna enables smarter shopping through their cash back offering, the Klarna card and their search and compare feature. I mean, that's pretty cool if you know there's something you want to get. Klarna can help you figure out the best place to get it. For the best price, choose Klarna at your favorite retailers or shop [e-mail] CA.

[Angela Kinsey]

Resident loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance law license NMLS number 1353190 Klarna balance account required. Klarna may get a commission. Limitations, terms and conditions apply. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Whether you love true crime or comedy, celebrity interviews or news, you call the shots on what's in your podcast queue. And guess what? Now you can call them on your auto insurance, too. With the name your price tool from Progressive. It works just the way it sounds. You tell Progressive how much you want to pay for car insurance and they'll show you coverage options that fit your budget. Get your quote [e-mail] to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law.