The Office debuted on NBC 20 years ago on March 24th, 2005, and American television hasn’t been the same ever since. While it may have been inspired by the British version from creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, The Office has certainly made its mark as it continues to entertain viewers decades after it premiered.
But what was the experience like behind the scenes? Former star Craig Robinson got candid about his audition story with TV Insider in-studio as he reflected on his process.
NBC / Peacock
“I got the audition through my agent manager and… there were like 12 people in the room and Greg Daniels, who adapted The Office for American television,” Robinson recalls, painting a picture of the day. “He was at the head, of the group,” Robinson adds, “And at the time I had a video out with Jerry Minor and this video was called ‘Somebody’s F***ing my Lady‘… It was making rounds.”
“So anyway, I walked in and Greg Daniels was like, ‘Yeah, I saw your video. It doesn’t get any funnier than that.’” But Daniels liking Robinson’s funny video wasn’t a guaranteed gig, as he also had to try out lines during the audition moment. “They had me read one of the confessionals to the camera and, you know, do a deadpan… and I think we did that a couple of times, maybe a couple of different ones, and then I left.”
As fans will recall, Robinson makes his debut in the show’s fourth episode of the first season, “The Alliance,” which aired on April 12, 2005. “I got the part as Darryl and my first episode was [when] Dwight popped out of a box in the warehouse and I just kind of looked at him,” Robinson recalls. “And believe it or not, that took like 15 takes,” the actor says of the dialogue-less scene.
Hear the full story in the video, above, and let us know what you think of The Office‘s latest milestone and Robinson’s audition story.
The Office, Streaming now, Peacock
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
