Did The Office Cast IM Each Other And Fans During Sitcom’s Shoot? Find Out As Jenna Fischer Shares Insights

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As a dedicated fan of The Office and Jenna Fischer‘s character Pam Beesley, I am absolutely captivated by her recent revelation on the Office Ladies podcast about their use of instant messaging during the show’s production. The idea that they were able to engage with each other and even with fans in such a casual and unfiltered way behind the scenes adds an entirely new layer of depth to my appreciation for this iconic television series.

Jenna Fischer reminisced about filming The Office on a recent episode of The Office Ladies podcast. She shared that cast members exchanged Instant Messages (IM) with each other and fans during production. Using their celebrity computers, they interacted with fans in a way similar to how people communicate in a regular office environment when working together. Fischer disclosed that all crew members received their AOL messages based on their character names during the July 17 broadcast of the podcast, which she co-hosts with Angela Kinsey.

During an interview, the Mean Girls actress revealed that it was John Krasinski who suggested creating private IDs for the cast members, enabling them to enjoy exchanging messages secretly during production.

Jenna Fischer revealed John Krasinski installed the IM on the set computers at The Office

As an obsessed fan, I’d put it like this: During a recent chat with Kinsey on The Office Ladies podcast, Fischer revealed an intriguing behind-the-scenes detail. She shared that John Krasinski, in his endless efforts to make our beloved show even more entertaining, had secretly installed AOL Instant Messaging (AIM) on our computer sets. And here’s the fun part: He crafted these accounts based on our characters instead of our real names! Can you imagine Dwight and Jim exchanging quips in the background while we were filming a scene? What a brilliant way to add depth and humor to the show, only John could think of that!

In her own words, she recalled, “One day I arrived at work and he surprised me by saying, ‘Take a look.’ He then revealed my instant message screen name, ‘receptionitis15,’ leaving me puzzled.” Similarly, Kinsey reflected on how the IF actor initiated their training in using the software. Once the cast members started interacting via IMs, they were fully engaged and couldn’t turn back.

In addition to the main actresses, other actors such as Steve Carell, B.J. Novak, Rainn Wilson, Leslie David Baker, Kate Flannery, Phyllis Smith, and Brian Baumgarner likewise took pleasure in using the software.

 
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Jenna Fischer shares her experience of IM-ing the fans during The Office shoot

Jenna recollected that she not only chatted with the cast members but also interacted with her fans using the software. It was B.J. Novak who first suggested this approach, and Jenna adopted it. The actress from “Blades of Glory” disclosed that we weren’t just exchanging messages among ourselves; I would chat with fans during filming as well.

I remember the good old days of social media when MySpace was all the rage. It brings back fond memories of interacting with fans through instant messaging (IM). During episodes of our show, I would receive messages from viewers about specific scenes. For instance, while watching an episode titled “Healthcare,” there was a scene where Dwight spoke about hot dog fingers. In that moment, I would be IMing one of those fans, sharing the excitement live as it unfolded on screen.

Jenna Fischer brought the character of Pam Beesley to life in the hit mockumentary series, The Office, which attracted fans globally from its debut in 2005 until its conclusion in 2013.

 

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2024-07-25 18:52