The Office’s basic premise of following the fictional lives of employees at a Scranton, Pennsylvania-based paper merchants perhaps doesn’t scream “engrossing.” But when written by a fine team of creatives, acted by a plausible cast and set among narratives that audiences can relate to, that paper merchants suddenly becomes a central point for viewers to get hooked on across 9 seasons. The Office was inspired by the original UK version of the same name, written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The mockumentary-styled sitcoms were roughly the same, though the latter series went on for a lot longer than its 2 season counterpart.
The Office was able to dig deeper into the lives of its characters. Not only were they watched closely at their desks, but their personal lives also became topics that the camera crew could pick up on. Each character was well crafted, like Phyllis Smith, who was one of the more reserved but talented employees in the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. While others like Dwight, Jim, and Pam brought laughs by the bucketful, Phyllis was more reserved but just as funny, a skill that elevated her job on the series from behind the scenes to on camera.
Phyllis Smith Was Part of the Casting Team
Phyllis Lapin Was Created Specifically for the Actress
- The Office first aired on March 24, 2005.
- The final episode aired on May 16, 2013.
- Phyllis Smith appears in 186 episodes of The Office.
Before a show even gets to the stage of going on air, a lot of work goes into the process. As with anything, a sitcom doesn’t just appear out of thin air, although The Office was able to draw from narratives and characters of its UK original. While names like Greg Daniels (co-writer) or Ben Silverman (executive producer) may sound familiar in regard to the creation of The Office, some viewers may be surprised to know that Phyllis Smith, who played a character of the same first name, was initially part of the casting team for the mockumentary. Phyllis became one of the best-loved characters, never intentionally causing a stir in the workplace but also standing up for herself against Angela.
It’s hard to imagine The Office without such an important member, but, nevertheless, had Smith’s acting talents not been spotted, she might have only been credited as part of the casting team. In an interview with MovieWeb, Smith explained how her career changed a few times before she landed her job on The Office. Smith had wanted to pursue dancing, but a knee injury caused her to retire from it, leaving her to find various jobs just so she could get by. When she’d gone out to Los Angeles, not only was she attempting to make it as a dancer, but she was trying to make her way into commercials. One particular audition encouraged her to look into casting, and a year later, she got a job in a casting office. The change in direction was clearly a great move, as Smith remained in the industry for 19 years.
When The Office came around, it was the second day of screen tests for the main roles that once again changed Smith’s career. The director said that he wanted her to read the part of Pam, which she found a little odd. Nevertheless, Smith put it down to an auditionee running late. In fact, she was being auditioned without knowing, and thus, Phyllis Lapin came to be. Smith noted that getting a role in a show never works like that, and it was much to her colleagues’ surprise. She didn’t have any plans to venture back into acting and had become happily settled in her job. Thankfully for audiences, Smith’s acting talents caught the eye of the right people.
Other Actors on the Show Were Also Writers
Smith Wasn’t the Only Cast Member Serving Double Duty
Although her story was different from the others, Smith wasn’t the only member of The Office who had a job behind the scenes. Not only were some of the writers there to create enthralling sitcom storylines, but they had just as an important role to play on screen. First up, Mindy Kaling, who played Kelly Kapoor, began as a writer from the start of the show and portrayed the customer service representative from the second episode of the first season in “Diversity Day.”
Kaling was the only female writer on the team. She penned 24 episodes of the series, the most of any writer on The Office. Kaling’s character, Kelly, has way more time for the latest celebrity gossip than she does for her job, and her self-centered attitude doesn’t put her at the top of everyone’s friend list. But her delivery and comic timing were second to none, making Kelly one of the funniest characters on the show. Kaling’s writing credits on The Office included “Niagara,” which depicted Pam and Jim’s wedding. After The Office, she went on to create and star in The Mindy Project, with great success, followed by a string of shows and films that continued to grow.
One of the closest characters to Kelly was Ryan Howard, played by B.J. Novak. According to NPR, Novak was doing stand-up when Greg Daniels noticed him. Novak was performing one-liners, and the pauses he left between each joke suited a character that Daniels had in mind. After learning Novak was into writing as well as performing, Daniels gave him a writing job and the part of the arrogant temp, Ryan.
Dwight’s bizarre cousin Mose was played by Michael Schur, who wrote 10 episodes for the show. Prior to his time on The Office, he had written for Saturday Night Live for six years. His writing career went from strength to strength, writing on acclaimed sitcoms Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Schur co-wrote the episode “Nose Dive” in Black Mirror alongside fellow The Office star Rashida Jones, who portrayed Karen.
Finally, the very much down-trodden HR representative, Toby, was played on-screen by Paul Lieberstein, who wrote 16 episodes. Speaking on The Office Ladies podcast, Lieberstein had worked with Daniels before The Office and loved what he saw when he stopped by at the pilot. Lieberstein became part of the original writers room and later went on screen. Daniels was keen for writers to have a deeper understanding of the characters they were writing, and what better way than to put them in their shoes? Lieberstein learned the art of acting through playing Toby while being the butt of a few jokes for sometimes referring to characters as the actor’s names.
Phyllis’ Role Became More Integral as The Office Went On
The Office Wouldn’t Be the Same Without Her
- Bob Vance was Phyllis’ devoted husband and was played by Robert Ray Shafer.
- Throughout The Office, Phyllis won two Dundie awards: “Busiest Beaver,” which was misspelled as “Bushiest Beaver,” and the “Redefining Beauty” Award.
- Phyllis Lapin is 40 years old at the beginning of the show.
Phyllis had a great character arc in The Office. She started out as a fairly reserved saleswoman but became more confident as she got used to confronting Angela and married Bob Vance. She was somewhat of a mother-hen figure at Dunder Mifflin but knew how to have fun and not take everything seriously. Phyllis was good at her job and liked by everyone she worked with. She even made amends with Angela by the time the last episode came around. Ultimately, the show wouldn’t have been the same without her. It’s hard to imagine someone else sitting opposite Stanley or butting heads with Angela.
Even worse, had the director not noticed Smith’s capabilities, there may never have been a Phyllis Lapin. Just like John Krasinski nearly missing out on The Office, it’s always intriguing to know how a show came to be. The effort and time that was required, the things that went wrong and how, sometimes, it feels like fate was on the side of those that fans are only too pleased were in the show.
Phyllis Smith Also Voices a Popular Disney Animated Character
Inside Out Features The Office Actress
Crying helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of life’s problems.—Sadness
After finding mainstream success on The Office, Phyllis Smith has continued appearing in both film and television roles. Just a few months after The Office’s finale, the pilot episode of ABC’s Trophy Wife featuring Smith as Mrs. Steinburg aired in September 2013. Two years later, she joined the star-studded cast of Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out as Sadness, one of Riley’s emotions, and continued voicing the character in several shorts and video games.
Smith most recently reprized the beloved role in Inside Out 2, which takes place two years after the events of the first movie. The movie was a hit, loved by fans both new and returning to the franchise, and has become the highest-grossing animated movie ever.
Phyllis Smith has had a lucrative career in the entertainment industry both onscreen and behind the scenes. With the recent D23 announcement of the Inside Out spinoff series Dream Productions coming to Disney+ in 2025, fans are eagerly waiting to see if Smith will once again return as Sadness, but no official announcements have been made.
