January 14, 2020
EP. 11 — Halloween w/ Creed Bratton
This week Jenna and Angela welcome their Office co-star and Angela’s real-life neighbor, Creed Bratton, to the pod to discuss the Halloween episode. Creed talks about memorizing his first big scene on The Office, and his wild life as a musician. Then Jenna, Angela and Creed discuss the hierarchy of cat whiskers, Three Hole Punch Jim, PPC category drama, and how to complete a successful air high-five. We end this episode with new song from Creed, called The Ride. Check out more of Creed Bratton’s music at creedbratton.com . Enjoy, and see you at Poor Richards after the podcast (You’re all invited).
Transcript
JENNA [00:00:04] I’m Jenna Fischer.
ANGELA [00:00:05] I’m Angela Kinsey.
JENNA [00:00:06] We were on “The Office” together.
ANGELA [00:00:07] And were best friends.
JENNA [00:00:08] And now we’re doing the Ultimate Office rewatch podcast just for you.
ANGELA [00:00:12] 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 [00:00:19] We’re the “Office Ladies.”
CREED [00:00:21] I love it.
JENNA [00:00:23] Creed is here. Creed is here!
ANGELA [00:00:27] Creed is here! Creed is here!
CREED [00:00:30] Creed is in the house.
ANGELA [00:00:31] Yeah!
JENNA [00:00:31] This is so amazing. Creed is gonna be with us for the whole episode, guys.
ANGELA [00:00:34] OK. Creed, you are first in house visitor, right? I mean, we’ve had people call in, but you’re our first in-house guest.
CREED [00:00:41] I’m, I’m the first one. I might not be. I might have a bathroom break or something. I won’t be for the whole thing, but I’ll be in and out.
JENNA [00:00:47] We can provide you with a bathroom.
CREED [00:00:48] Ok, that’d be good. That’d be good.
ANGELA [00:00:50] We can take bathroom breaks.
CREED [00:00:50] I’m old school. Well, I’m old, so that’s part of it, you know.
JENNA [00:00:53] I need everybody to know that I’ve already teared up twice since Creed has been here.
CREED [00:00:57] Oh!
JENNA [00:00:57] You’ve said two touching- well, first of all, just seeing you.
CREED [00:01:01] Oh.
JENNA [00:01:02] Almost burst into tears, but then you’ve said like five amazing things that have touched my heart.
CREED [00:01:07] Well, as soon as I get together with you, it’s just back, we’re back on the set, you know, and it’s all, “Oh, I miss you girls.”
JENNA [00:01:13] I know.
ANGELA [00:01:15] Creed lives down the street from me.
CREED [00:01:15] Yes.
ANGELA [00:01:15] I think everybody who knows me, knows this.
CREED [00:01:16] The world knows that. Don’t give my address please.
ANGELA [00:01:18] I won’t.
CREED [00:01:19] OK.
ANGELA [00:01:20] Creed’s address is. His hidden key is.
CREED [00:01:23] Yes, yes.
ANGELA [00:01:24] Yes. We are neighbors. And it’s one of the joys of my life that we’re neighbors. I love that you’re right around the corner. I love that we have-.
CREED [00:01:30] We see each other walking.
ANGELA [00:01:32] We see each other walking.
CREED [00:01:33] We see each other hiking around the street, we do.
ANGELA [00:01:34] Yeah. When you were walking your, was it your daughter’s dog or your son’s dog?
CREED [00:01:37] My son’s little Yorkie, yeah.
ANGELA [00:01:40] Little Yorkie. And I hear, “Hey Pumpkin.” And I turn around, it’s Creed. And we’ve also maybe had some adult beverage. And in red solo cups.
CREED [00:01:46] We may have. We may have.
ANGELA [00:01:47] And we’d like to do a little bit of what we call the “Sauce Trail” and walk around having a glass of wine.
CREED [00:01:52] And watching documentaries.
ANGELA [00:01:54] Oh, yeah. Creed loves anything where like animals go crazy. Like “Planet Earth.”.
CREED [00:01:59] Yes. All that stuff. I just love it.
ANGELA [00:02:01] All right. Well, we’re really excited to have you here. We are discussing the “Halloween” episode.
JENNA [00:02:05] Yes.
CREED [00:02:06] Right. Right.
JENNA [00:02:06] Season 2, Episode 5. This was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Paul Feig. And it is the first episode that Creed speaks.
CREED [00:02:16] Well, I actually spoke in “Diversity Day.”.
ANGELA [00:02:19] Remember?
CREED [00:02:20] In “Diversity,” I had lines with Phyllis.
ANGELA [00:02:20] I told her. Yes. I told her.
CREED [00:02:22] And they paid me afterwards. Well the first A., First A.D. Remember that girl we had the first A.D..
JENNA [00:02:27] Yeah.
CREED [00:02:27] In the first season. She thought it was part of the cast at the time. So Kate, she came with her little hands and she said, “Now you and Phyllis just start talking.” And Phyllis said, Wait.” I said, “Nevermind. That’s ok. Nevermind.”.
ANGELA [00:02:39] Phyllis was going to out you.
CREED [00:02:41] Phyllis was going to out me so I said, Nevermind. It’s fine.” And so we started, and I started talking about, you know, sacrificing goats or something. You know.
ANGELA [00:02:47] Of course you did.
CREED [00:02:50] Trying to tell her what was on her head.
ANGELA [00:02:50] Wait. Your improv was sacrificing goats?
CREED [00:02:52] Yes, yes, yes. So you can hear me in the background. And then later, they said, “Wait a minute, Creech talking in the background.” And I said, “Oh shoot. How did that happen?”.
JENNA [00:02:59] Yeah. How that happened, Creed?
CREED [00:03:01] So. So they, they, they paid me on the side, but they didn’t say. “But we can’t.” I said, “No, it’s fine. It’s fine.” And then not, off-camera, then I also was the voice for the ride.
ANGELA [00:03:11] Yes.
JENNA [00:03:12] Yes. For the mining ride.
CREED [00:03:13] For the mining ride. You know.
ANGELA [00:03:14] You were so funny.
CREED [00:03:15] I think they paid, they paid attention to that one.
ANGELA [00:03:16] Yeah. You were so funny as the voice of the mining ride.
CREED [00:03:20] Yes.
ANGELA [00:03:20] Isabel was watching that episode with me. And she said, “Mom, I know that voice. I know that voice.” And I was like, “Wait, your, oh my gosh.” She was like, “I think it’s Creed.”.
CREED [00:03:29] She, how discerning is she.
ANGELA [00:03:29] She’s- I mean, I didn’t catch it. And then I looked it up and I’m like, “Isabel, we do know that voice. It’s Creed.”
CREED [00:03:35] Yeah. But anyway, this is the first time where I actually was, was had some, had some serious lines. It was six and a half pages. I remember Kent Zbornak threw the script down and he said, “OK, here it is. This is this is your moment.”.
ANGELA [00:03:49] Wow.
CREED [00:03:50] And I, I had memorized it forwards and backwards. I had set a timer on a little recorder at night subliminally at 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning that it would go off and play the lines while I was sleeping.
ANGELA [00:04:02] Creed.
CREED [00:04:02] I had it backwards and forward, no joke. I had it backward-.
JENNA [00:04:04] Wow.
CREED [00:04:05] I knew this was the Rubicon. This is the place that I was gonna get it. My intuition said, “This is it.” And then, of course, we walk in the office. And Greg came in and said, “By the way, we’ve made changes, of course, to the, to the lines. We’ve reversed them around, add some new stuff. You ok?” Steve goes, “Yeah, fine.” I go, “Cool.”
JENNA [00:04:23] Because they used to do that to us all the time.
CREED [00:04:26] All the time.
ANGELA [00:04:26] Oh.
JENNA [00:04:26] We would come in and you’d just get new pages.
CREED [00:04:28] Yep.
JENNA [00:04:29] And then shoot the scene five minutes later.
CREED [00:04:30] Yep. Yep.
ANGELA [00:04:31] They would hand you the pages and sometimes, we’ve talked about this, the pages would be hot because they came-.
JENNA [00:04:35] Right off copier.
ANGELA [00:04:36] Right off the copier.
CREED [00:04:37] And we’d drop them and somebody’d go “Ow! ow! ow!”
ANGELA [00:04:38] Ow! ow! ow! Now change, now change your lines.
CREED [00:04:42] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:04:42] That you have learned and you’ve been really having a tape recorder play at 3:00 in the morning to you.
CREED [00:04:47] Do you remember the backdrop, the right off of where my desk and, and Kate’s desk was.
ANGELA [00:04:52] Yeah.
CREED [00:04:52] The screen was there. And you could walk, you could sneak around the back and get to the greenroom from behind it.
JENNA [00:04:56] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:04:56] Yeah, yeah.
CREED [00:04:57] That set up like that. I walked back like that after they told me this and put my hands up too. OK. Here it is. I said I’ve come this far. I’m going to do this. And once we started, that was Steve. It was like in the into battle, you know.
ANGELA [00:05:10] Yeah.
CREED [00:05:10] And there was some improvisation on that scene because I was paraphrasing my lines because I was desperate.
ANGELA [00:05:16] Well, you knocked it out of the park, Creed.
CREED [00:05:19] Yeah. Yeah.
JENNA [00:05:21] Well, Creed, you started out as a musician.
CREED [00:05:24] Yeah.
JENNA [00:05:24] And a very long, successful career as a musician. How did you even end up on the show in the first place as our stand in slash background person?
CREED [00:05:34] Background person. I was working on “Bernie Mac” and Ken Kwapis came on to direct an episode and they’d been using me for all these little vignettes and where I was doing funny, and if you ever watch actual old “Bernie Mac,” you’ll see me all the time in the background. Mudding up.
ANGELA [00:05:52] I really want, I want to see that.
CREED [00:05:53] I’m always in the background, doing some stupid stuff. But they just allowed me because I made Bernie laugh. I made him, I made him laugh. And so Ken was talking about this guy’s funny. And he heard from Joe Moore, the first A.D., that I was on in “The Grassroots.” So he went, he sent to Amoeba for some albums for me to sign because he’s a big “Grassroot” fan. And we started talking and talked about music. He’s very knowledgeable. Then I found out that he was doing “The Office,” American workplace. And I was a big fan of the Ricky Gervais show. So I, he gave me his number. Now, I never, ever called anybody like that before, but I called him, as my intuition said, “This is feels right. This feels right.”
ANGELA [00:06:33] And Ken would not have given you his number. I feel like Ken is so discerning.
CREED [00:06:36] No.
JENNA [00:06:37] Yeah.
CREED [00:06:37] Oh my God.
JENNA [00:06:37] If he didn’t mean, “call me.”.
ANGELA [00:06:39] Yeah.
CREED [00:06:39] Yeah. So he did. And so he talked to Greg and then I talked to Ken later and he said, “I talked to Greg. I told him you were very interested- interesting and funny guy.” He said, “well, what we’ll do.” And this is his words. Greg’s words. “Will put him in the background and see if we can work him into the mix.” In that first time that was “working in the mix.” That’s all I need to hear. That’s why I took liberties. Just kind of like pretending that I was a part of the, part of the group and that paid off, you know? Yes.
JENNA [00:07:10] Oh, I love that.
ANGELA [00:07:11] Oh, that was so cool.
JENNA [00:07:13] That is awesome. What’s next?
ANGELA [00:07:14] Shall we do a summary? Jenna, do you have one?
JENNA [00:07:17] You know I do. Yes. So in this episode, “Halloween,” Michael is told that he must fire someone during the month of October due to cutbacks at Dunder Mifflin. But in true Michael fashion, he waits until the very last day of October, which also happens to be Halloween. He also has no idea who to fire. He has not made a decision. He spends the entire episode trying to figure out what to do while the rest of us are dressed in our costumes for the Halloween party. I love that. So much.
ANGELA [00:07:45] I love that. I love the juxtaposition of that someone is going to get fired while wearing a ridiculous costume.
JENNA [00:07:50] Yes.
ANGELA [00:07:50] They’re gonna have to go home fired in that outfit.
JENNA [00:07:53] Well, I have a fast fact about this episode. Fast fact number one, Greg Daniels wrote this episode. And he told me that the inspiration for this episode was that he had always wanted to do a story about someone being fired. But from the point of view of the boss rather than the employee. He felt like we always see stories of people being fired and how they’re wrestling with having been fired. But he was like, you never see what it does to the boss. That’s the genius of Greg Daniels right there.
CREED [00:08:22] Yes.
ANGELA [00:08:22] Absolutely.
JENNA [00:08:22] Well, the problem that this plot presented for Greg was that he was going to have to fire someone on the show. He was going to have to pick a Dunder Mifflin employee to be part of the plot.
CREED [00:08:32] Yes.
JENNA [00:08:33] Well, he couldn’t fire any of the series regular characters because we all had contracts and he didn’t want to fire any of the supporting cast, even though at this point you guys still did not have your full-time contracts, right?
ANGELA [00:08:46] No, we didn’t, we didn’t become series regulars till “Booze Cruise.” So listen, we were all on the chopping block.
JENNA [00:08:51] Were you a little worried? When you saw this episode?
ANGELA [00:08:53] Well, maybe.
JENNA [00:08:56] Well Greg didn’t have any intention of losing them. He didn’t want to lose anyone in the warehouse. But he also told me he didn’t want to hire someone new that you’d never seen on the show just to fire them. He felt like those stakes would feel very manufactured. So he turned to our two background actors, Creed and Devon.
CREED [00:09:14] Creed and Devon.
JENNA [00:09:14] And he was like, “Well, these guys are very well established on the show at this point.” And this is where I’d like to know what happened. Because I know the end of this story, which is that Greg found out that Devon had a theater contract coming up. That he was going to go on, on tour.
ANGELA [00:09:33] Right.
JENNA [00:09:34] With a play. And so that-.
CREED [00:09:37] That’s what Devon said, you know.
JENNA [00:09:37] Yeah.
CREED [00:09:38] At the time, though, they told us, “One of you guys are gonna have to go.”.
ANGELA [00:09:43] Oh, man. Jeez.
CREED [00:09:45] And we went, and we went, and, “But we don’t know yet. We’re just gonna do the, we’re gonna shoot you both and see how it works out.”.
ANGELA [00:09:50] Oh my God.
JENNA [00:09:50] Wait, they’re going to shoot the scene two ways.
CREED [00:09:53] Well, well. They know that, we’re going to shoot, we’re gonna shoot the thing because they could have gone back and changed it, I’m sure.
ANGELA [00:09:57] Oh, because Michael could have said, “You know what? I said, ‘It was creed and its creed.’ You can’t change my mind.”.
CREED [00:10:03] But it was going to be one of us.
ANGELA [00:10:04] Yeah.
CREED [00:10:04] They said it was gonna be one of us. And I remember, I remember being a little nervous.
ANGELA [00:10:13] Yeah.
CREED [00:10:13] Yeah, yeah. And I, Devon and I were friends. We’d become friends by this time.
ANGELA [00:10:20] Well sure.
CREED [00:10:20] And by the way, you know, on the finale, they’re jumping ahead a lot. I don’t know if I could, can I jump ahead?
JENNA [00:10:25] You can.
ANGELA [00:10:26] Yeah, you can.
CREED [00:10:26] When Greg brought me to the office to find out what I wanted to do for the Creed character, I said, “Well, one thing I like to do was sing the song, sing my song. But I also think we should have Devon back on the show.”.
ANGELA [00:10:36] Aw Creed.
CREED [00:10:36] Yeah. Yeah. I, I, we get together sometime, you know.
ANGELA [00:10:39] Yeah.
CREED [00:10:40] Have coffee and stuff like that. I was feeling nervous because I kind of was feeling bad that I might have to go. But also that Devon might have to go too.
ANGELA [00:10:47] Yeah.
CREED [00:10:48] So it was mixed, mixed blessings and all that stuff.
JENNA [00:10:50] All right. Fast fact number two: this is the first time we see Pam’s hair down instead of her usual half up, half down hair clip.
ANGELA [00:10:59] Yes! With the cat ears.
CREED [00:11:00] That to me is so important.
ANGELA [00:11:01] Oh, well, then Creed. Uh, then Creed. You’re gonna love some of my notecards.
CREED [00:11:08] Yes. Ok.
ANGELA [00:11:09] If that’s important. Buckle in.
CREED [00:11:12] Yeah yeah.
JENNA [00:11:12] But this was a huge deal. Kim Ferry, our hairstylist, and me and Greg and Paul Feig, we all had a meeting about Pam’s hair. And if we could let her hair down and it was I mean, it must have been 30 minutes. We talked about it. There was a lot of concern that she might look too pretty with her hair down. And I can’t remember how we got permission. Kim was delighted. I mean, Kim had been putting my hair in a hair clip now for like 12 episodes or something. She was so thrilled to be able to scrunch it.
ANGELA [00:11:43] Do something different.
JENNA [00:11:44] Anything.
ANGELA [00:11:44] Yeah.
JENNA [00:11:45] Anything different. And it was kind of a big deal. So.
CREED [00:11:49] Well they were playing down both your beauties all the time with the way they dressed you and put you in stuff and-
JENNA [00:11:53] That’s right. Did everyone hear that?
CREED [00:11:55] Did you fight? Did you fight out? That’s true!
JENNA [00:11:56] Creed, everybody, says “they played down our beauty.”
CREED [00:12:00] But it’s true. Toward the end, did you guys lobby for- “Come on! Just let, let us show a little bit of you know… glowing.
ANGELA [00:12:04] I remember really wanting lip gloss.
CREED [00:12:06] Yeah, something like that.
ANGELA [00:12:07] So what’s funny to me is that that was a 30-minute meeting about your hair. Meanwhile, I go to hair and makeup and they put on full, enormous purple fake eyelashes on me. If you look at me as this cat, I have big purple eyelashes. They were so huge. I had a hard time like even navigating them. Like I look when I watch that episode, I look a little sleepy. I think it’s because I couldn’t open my eyes.
JENNA [00:12:32] No meeting?
ANGELA [00:12:33] No meeting. They just put, I was like, “Are you sure?” They just put them on me. And then one of the writers walked up to me. I can’t remember who. And was like, “Do you have purple-” It was probably Mindy. She was like “Do you have purple lashes on?”.
JENNA [00:12:45] She might’ve been jealous.
ANGELA [00:12:45] I was like, “Yeah.”.
CREED [00:12:46] Yeah. She wanted them.
JENNA [00:12:47] She would want those purple lashes.
ANGELA [00:12:50] No one said anything. Why is Angela Martin putting on purple fake eyelashes?
JENNA [00:12:53] The, everyone was too busy meeting about my hair.
ANGELA [00:12:55] Yeah.
CREED [00:12:56] Yes. Yes.
JENNA [00:12:57] All right. Fast fact number three. Creed, I don’t know if you remember this. Angela, I think maybe you do. The week we shot the Halloween episode, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant visited one day. I know this because I have a photograph with them.
ANGELA [00:13:13] In your cat outfit?
JENNA [00:13:13] In my cat outfit. And Jim is “three-hole punch Jim.” But you can’t really see the holes because he’s got his arm around someone. So it’s a whole picture of our producers and Ricky and Stephen and me and John. And I am the only person wearing a costume. I like to imagine that I, they came to see me in a play where I played a cat or something.
ANGELA [00:13:35] Your one-act play.
JENNA [00:13:36] Because we look like we’re standing, like backstage.
CREED [00:13:38] And you’re, you’re in the cast. Yeah.
ANGELA [00:13:40] You’re the only one in a costume.
JENNA [00:13:43] Yeah. This is how I know this because I only have two pictures of myself with Ricky and Stephen and one of them is me in a cat costume.
CREED [00:13:49] I remember that they were there because I could still my ears still hurt from that high kestrel to. “Hahahaha” That Ricky Gervais- The laugh.
JENNA [00:13:57] That’s such a good impression.
CREED [00:13:59] He laughed. He laughed at everything. He laughed, “Would you like some coffee?”
ANGELA [00:14:03] He was so good-natured. Yeah.
CREED [00:14:04] Oh, by the way, ladies and gentlemen, he is the sweetest man. And just a, just a joy.
JENNA [00:14:08] All right. Those are my fast facts. That’s our summary. Maybe we should, do we need that bathroom break? Let’s do a bathroom break.
ANGELA [00:14:13] Let’s do a bathroom break.
JENNA [00:14:14] I could use one.
CREED [00:14:16] By the way, I just wanna say I just love these fast facts.
JENNA [00:14:18] Oh Creed, thank you.
ANGELA [00:14:18] Oh, well, then if you love the fast facts, then get ready for the notecards, Creed.
CREED [00:14:23] Oh my, I can’t wait. Be still my throbbing heart.
ANGELA [00:14:25] Okay. It sounded a little weird when you said it like that.
CREED [00:14:28] It started to be weird, then I drifted away.
ANGELA [00:14:30] Okay. Go back. Go to the bathroom. … All right, let’s get into some notecards. Can we?
CREED [00:14:41] Notecards!
JENNA [00:14:41] Yes!
ANGELA [00:14:43] All right.
JENNA [00:14:44] Let’s get into the episode.
ANGELA [00:14:44] Let’s do it. I have a notecard from the cold open.
JENNA [00:14:44] Oh, what is the cold open of this episode?
ANGELA [00:14:47] OK, so the cold open, as you say that Jan, Jan called and he’s like, “Uh.”.
JENNA [00:14:54] Yes.
ANGELA [00:14:55] And Michael has to go in because he knows he has to fire someone.
CREED [00:14:57] Right.
ANGELA [00:14:57] And, and so he calls Jan and her assistant Sherry answers the phone.
JENNA [00:15:03] Yes.
ANGELA [00:15:03] And Sherry has so much good sass. She’s like, “OK, well, who are you gonna fire?” He goes, “Well, I’m not really sure.” And she’s like, “We just need the name.”.
JENNA [00:15:13] Jan needs the name.
CREED [00:15:14] Yeah yeah.
ANGELA [00:15:14] Jan needs the name.
CREED [00:15:15] Yes.
ANGELA [00:15:15] And then he’s like, “Who would you fire?” And she’s like, “Just give me the name.” And then and then he thinks he’s hung up. And he’s like, “I like to fire you.” And she could still hear. Right?
JENNA [00:15:24] He’s like, “I wish I could fire Sherry.”
ANGELA [00:15:27] I mean, I want to know who Sherry is. Who is Sherry?
JENNA [00:15:32] Yes! I thought the same thing. So the first thing I did, I went to IMBD. Internet Movie Database.
ANGELA [00:15:37] I did, too.
JENNA [00:15:39] I looked up this episode. Uncredited.
ANGELA [00:15:40] Uncredited. Who is Sherry?
JENNA [00:15:41] Who is Sherry? I reached out to Dave Rogers. He was the editor for this episode.
ANGELA [00:15:47] You guys, he knows everything about “The Office.”.
JENNA [00:15:51] He didn’t know.
ANGELA [00:15:51] That is saying something because he is like-.
JENNA [00:15:53] He knows everything.
ANGELA [00:15:53] a walking Bible of the show.
JENNA [00:15:55] He’s encyclopedia memory cat.
ANGELA [00:15:57] No one knows.
JENNA [00:15:58] Listen to what Dave did. Dave reached out to Allison Jones, our casting director, who went to her storage facility.
ANGELA [00:16:06] Oh my lord!
JENNA [00:16:07] Found the contracts for this episode. Looked it up.
ANGELA [00:16:12] Wow.
JENNA [00:16:13] Allison, thank you.
ANGELA [00:16:14] Oh, my gosh. Allison, you’re like an episode of the “Pelican Brief!” An episode. It’s a movie.
JENNA [00:16:19] It is. This is “CSI: The Office.”.
ANGELA [00:16:21] You’re like “CSI: The Office.”
JENNA [00:16:21] It is Lisa Malone.
ANGELA [00:16:23] OK.
JENNA [00:16:24] And by the way, this was shot on September 13th, 2005.
ANGELA [00:16:28] Wow.
JENNA [00:16:28] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:16:28] Well, Lisa, you were fantastic as Sherry.
JENNA [00:16:32] You killed it. You killed it as Sherry.
ANGELA [00:16:33] Ah man. And Alison, thank you. Thank you for being our “CSI: The Office.”
JENNA [00:16:38] I want to go back, Angela, because I have a note that precedes your notecards.
ANGELA [00:16:42] Is it at five seconds?
JENNA [00:16:43] Is it the shot of Devon and Creed at their desks?
ANGELA [00:16:46] The establishing shot? Yes.
JENNA [00:16:47] Yes.
ANGELA [00:16:47] Yes.
JENNA [00:16:47] I noticed it, too. The second shot of this episode is Creed and Devon at their desks. I have to imagine this was not an accident.
ANGELA [00:16:55] Right.
JENNA [00:16:55] That they wanted to drive home. Devon and Creed, since we know that one of you.
CREED [00:16:59] It was well placed.
ANGELA [00:17:00] Yeah.
JENNA [00:17:01] Yes.
ANGELA [00:17:01] It’s Phyllis putting on makeup and then it goes to Devon and Creed at their desks.
JENNA [00:17:05] Well, the scene with Michael and Pam. Do you guys remember how he’s wearing the second head?
ANGELA [00:17:11] Yes.
CREED [00:17:11] Yes.
JENNA [00:17:13] And he -.
ANGELA [00:17:13] Oh I have a card.
JENNA [00:17:14] And Pam goes in his office and he tells her that he needs to fire someone. And then he sort of implies maybe it could be her.
ANGELA [00:17:22] Oh, I have two cards from this scene.
JENNA [00:17:24] So Pam decides to quickly start flattering him.
ANGELA [00:17:29] She pivots hard.
JENNA [00:17:30] About his costume and then she just gets out of the room as quickly as possible. I could not get through that scene. It. Listen, Steve is funny enough on his own. But Steve, with that extra Steve on his shoulder. It was too much and it wobbled in a sort of way.
ANGELA [00:17:48] He was wobbling it on purpose.
JENNA [00:17:49] He loved it. He loved wobbling that thing.
ANGELA [00:17:52] He loved it.
CREED [00:17:52] Anytime you give him a little cat or-
ANGELA [00:17:52] “That’s what she’s said.” Come on, guys. That was a great “that’s what she said.” Come on.
JENNA [00:17:57] He loves wobbling things?
ANGELA [00:17:58] He loved wobbling that thing.
CREED [00:18:00] Oh! That’s what she said.
ANGELA [00:18:01] Hey!
JENNA [00:18:01] We got it back.
CREED [00:18:02] We got it, we got it, we got it back.
ANGELA [00:18:03] Got it. Creed, what did I write at three minutes, twelve seconds?
CREED [00:18:06] Oh, my God. Pam is diabolical. Her turn to flattery when she realizes Michael would fire her.
JENNA [00:18:12] Wow! Diabolical?
CREED [00:18:12] Diabolical?
ANGELA [00:18:16] I’m just, I’m just, I’m seeing a real devious streak in Pam.
CREED [00:18:19] I want to just comment, if I may?
ANGELA [00:18:22] Please!
CREED [00:18:22] That the brilliance of Steve Carell, the pain and the anguish in his face when he’s trying to, when he’s getting ready to fire someone. You can just see it there. He’s just, dying! He’s absolutely dying. He’s not acting. He’s like, to me, he looked like a man just suffering. Suffering and feeling imminent death.
JENNA [00:18:41] You know. It’s interesting you bring that up, Creed, because we’ve talked a lot about how Michael wants to be popular. He wants to be friends with people. He wants to be the life of the party. But I think this episode goes beyond that. That it isn’t just that he knows that it’s going to be he’s going to not be well-liked by the person he fires. I think it really like-.
CREED [00:19:00] He’s sweet. He doesn’t want to hurt someone. Yeah.
JENNA [00:19:01] I think it touches on something. He really doesn’t want to hurt someone else.
CREED [00:19:05] Yep, that’s exactly right.
JENNA [00:19:06] Yeah.
CREED [00:19:07] It’s exactly right.
JENNA [00:19:07] So it’s deeper than that, just unpopularity.
CREED [00:19:09] I was moved by his performance in that. Yeah.
JENNA [00:19:11] Same.
ANGELA [00:19:12] Oh yeah. I mean, yeah. He, he crushed it.
JENNA [00:19:15] I get more pictures at Halloween of Pam as a cat and Jim as “three-hole punch.” I think that is the most popular Halloween costume that I get sent to me.
ANGELA [00:19:26] I get, uh, myself. Well, Angela Martin in an argyle sweater like with a turtleneck and a headband holding a stuffed animal cat next to some guy in a mustard shirt with a tie.
CREED [00:19:39] Yes.
ANGELA [00:19:40] And his hair parted down the middle. What about you? Creed?
CREED [00:19:43] I get the Joker.
ANGELA [00:19:44] The Joker.
CREED [00:19:45] When I was the Joker. And then when, when Brian goes “Damnit Creed!” And he hit the checks, too. Oh, that’s a later episode.
ANGELA [00:19:51] When you go flying.
JENNA [00:19:51] Yeah, when you guys both… dressed in the same costume.
CREED [00:19:53] But he almost knocks, knocks you over. I howl every time I see it.
ANGELA [00:19:56] Oh yeah, that’s a recurring thing.
CREED [00:19:58] Brilliant, brilliant.
JENNA [00:19:59] Angela, I want to talk to you about your costume.
ANGELA [00:20:01] Please.
JENNA [00:20:02] OK. Michael comes over to accounting. You’re dressed as a cat. There’s three cats.
ANGELA [00:20:06] Phyllis.
JENNA [00:20:07] Phyllis is a cat. I’m a cat. You’re a cat.
ANGELA [00:20:09] Yes. Actually, we could do really quickly the rundown of costumes. Kelly is Dorothy. Phyllis, Pam and Angela are cats. Dwight is a Sith lord. Kevin is the Dunder Mifflin superhero? Creed is a vampire. Oscar is a lady?
JENNA [00:20:26] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:20:26] Yeah.
CREED [00:20:27] Yes.
ANGELA [00:20:27] I don’t know if she’s, he’s a character lady or just a lady.
JENNA [00:20:30] I think he’s a lady.
ANGELA [00:20:30] He’s just a lady. Jim is “three-hole-punch Jim.” Stanley. No costume. Ryan, the temp. No costume. And of course, Michael has the two heads.
JENNA [00:20:38] And Devon.
CREED [00:20:38] And Devon was a tramp.
ANGELA [00:20:40] And Devon was a hobo.
CREED [00:20:41] Hobo.
JENNA [00:20:41] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:20:42] Yes.
JENNA [00:20:42] Angela, why does your cat only have two lines for whiskers and not three?
ANGELA [00:20:48] Jenna, I don’t know. Why does my cat have purple fake eyelashes?
JENNA [00:20:51] Why does your cat have weird cat ears? I mean you- I just want to say that as the resident cat lady of the office-.
ANGELA [00:20:57] Yeah.
JENNA [00:20:58] I think you have the worst cat costume.
ANGELA [00:21:00] Why do I have a fuzzy white skirt?
JENNA [00:21:02] Why?
ANGELA [00:21:03] With a giant tail that was almost impossible to sit in. It was so- and the skirt didn’t quite fit me and it kept like heading south. I had to keep, like, grabbing it and yanking it up.
CREED [00:21:12] It almost ruined the whole episode that whole cat thing.
ANGELA [00:21:17] I think now, there was such a big meeting about your hair that my cat costume was just like, “Eh, just put this on her.”
JENNA [00:21:23] But you ended up wearing that cat costume like two more times.
ANGELA [00:21:25] For years. For years.
JENNA [00:21:27] And it’s the worst one. It really is. I have a vague memory. A very, very vague memory of being in makeup and having them discuss how they were going to differentiate the three different cats. And it was decided that Phyllis and I would have three whiskers on each cheek and you would only have two.
ANGELA [00:21:47] My cat was maimed.
JENNA [00:21:49] I feel like that happened. I don’t know if we can ask Laverne. Laverne was our makeup artist. I don’t know.
ANGELA [00:21:56] I don’t know.
JENNA [00:21:57] But I mean. Right? I just think you had-.
CREED [00:21:59] You were smaller that you didn’t deserve three.
ANGELA [00:22:02] They decided to give me less.
JENNA [00:22:06] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:22:06] I have to, while we’re talking-
CREED [00:22:07] It’s a height reference.
ANGELA [00:22:07] Yeah. While we’re talking about this scene in accounting, I have to point out that we don’t often our camera guys didn’t often do like a full character, slow panned, you know, and they do such a hilarious one. They start at Kevin’s feet and they go all the way to his head while he’s filing to get him in full red leotard.
CREED [00:22:31] With his socks all miss, bulging in wrong areas.
ANGELA [00:22:35] And like. Oh my Gosh.
CREED [00:22:36] It’s great. It’s great.
ANGELA [00:22:37] There’s a great slow pan of Kevin.
JENNA [00:22:39] We should say we loved dressing up in these Halloween costumes.
CREED [00:22:43] Oh yeah.
JENNA [00:22:43] Because our outfits normally were pretty boilerplate. Almost like we wear uniforms in a way.
ANGELA [00:22:49] And our wardrobe people loved, loved- the wardrobe crew loved getting to dress us because they just like gray turtleneck.
JENNA [00:22:55] Angela, give us a notecard.
ANGELA [00:22:57] All right. At five minutes, 23 seconds. Creed, this is a runner. This is a reference to a runner. But this is a really big deal.
JENNA [00:23:05] What?
ANGELA [00:23:05] Kelly has braided like pigtails.
JENNA [00:23:08] Oh!
ANGELA [00:23:08] Her hair is down!
JENNA [00:23:10] Her hair is down.
ANGELA [00:23:10] Her hair is down.
CREED [00:23:11] Oh my God. I remember
ANGELA [00:23:12] It’s not in a bun! Mindy had a bun for like the whole first season. And then about I guess-.
JENNA [00:23:18] It was like a twist.
ANGELA [00:23:19] A twist.
JENNA [00:23:19] A French twist, I think.
ANGELA [00:23:20] I mean, she looked her character really changes her look and then she starts having her hair down. She gets a little sassy. But this has been a big thing. We’ve been wondering, when did they change her hair? This is the beginning.
JENNA [00:23:31] I see. I don’t think this counts because it’s a Halloween costume.
ANGELA [00:23:35] What?
JENNA [00:23:36] Yeah, I’m sorry to say.
CREED [00:23:36] No, I agree. I have to say, I’m with Jenna.
JENNA [00:23:38] Thank you.
CREED [00:23:39] Doesn’t count.
ANGELA [00:23:40] Well, I don’t know if I like you here, Creed. All of a sudden I have someone to veto. Two against one.
CREED [00:23:48] Oh, well, sorry.
ANGELA [00:23:48] Well, I got pretty excited because her hair was down.
CREED [00:23:50] But, but it was a costume though. It wasn’t a regular day thing.
JENNA [00:23:54] See? That’s what I’m saying.
CREED [00:23:55] It doesn’t apply. It doesn’t apply.
ANGELA [00:23:55] Am I talking to Jenna or Creed? I don’t know anymore.
CREED [00:23:59] It doesn’t apply.
ANGELA [00:23:59] All right.
JENNA [00:23:59] You know the scene where Pam and Jim set up a resumé for Dwight to get a job someplace else. I have a fan question about that. R. C. J. H asked, “What were you typing on the computer? When you and Jim were working on Dwight’s resumé?” I was typing what we were saying.
ANGELA [00:24:14] Of course you were, Jenna. Of course you were. Because you’re so method.
JENNA [00:24:18] I was very method and-.
ANGELA [00:24:19] “I am a responsible receptionist.”.
CREED [00:24:20] You would type out your lines? On the computer? While you were doing it?
JENNA [00:24:21] Yeah. Yeah, because, yeah, because Jim would say-.
CREED [00:24:25] That’s amazing.
JENNA [00:24:25] Like I would say, what should we say here? And then he would say what we should say and I would type it and I, see, here’s the thing. I’m very proud of my typing skills.
CREED [00:24:34] Oh, we know. We know.
JENNA [00:24:35] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:24:36] Uh, Creed, do we know or do we know?
CREED [00:24:37] Yes, we really know.
ANGELA [00:24:38] I mean, you guys.
CREED [00:24:39] Now I’m back on your side, Angela.
ANGELA [00:24:41] Thank you, Creed!
JENNA [00:24:42] Oh no!
CREED [00:24:42] Just talking about, you know -.
JENNA [00:24:42] Is this how it feels?
CREED [00:24:43] Yes.
ANGELA [00:24:45] Uh huh. Yeah. Well you know.
CREED [00:24:45] You lock in this thing with your two fingers. You’d be center. We’d be talking about stuff and pretty soon your fingers would be going like your typing.
JENNA [00:24:51] Oh now that is not true.
CREED [00:24:53] It was too much. It was too much, Jenna.
ANGELA [00:24:55] Tone it down. And then you would tell us about your typing speed and your level of accuracy. Bleh bleh.
JENNA [00:25:05] Well you should know I was typing her actual lines because I could.
CREED [00:25:07] Well, I think that’s pretty great though.
JENNA [00:25:10] Because I can.
ANGELA [00:25:10] Because she could. And I can and I will.
CREED [00:25:11] And you’re fast too.
JENNA [00:25:11] That’s right.
ANGELA [00:25:11] She’s very fast.
JENNA [00:25:13] Michael’s scene with Dwight. When he calls Dwight into his office and he tells Dwight that he has to fire someone and Dwight starts naming all the people he should fire. But then Michael implies maybe it should be Dwight. And then Michael’s second head starts talking to Dwight.
CREED [00:25:33] That’s right, that’s right.
JENNA [00:25:33] Do you remember, do you remember Steve and Rainn laughing during that scene? Because I do. I remember they could not get through that scene. I was sitting out at reception in the background and they were cracking themselves up in there.
ANGELA [00:25:46] Rainn was literally doubling over.
JENNA [00:25:50] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:25:50] Because he was like kind of leaning forward and he would just kind of collapse into himself. He was laughing so hard.
JENNA [00:25:53] There must be deleted scenes of that scene.
ANGELA [00:25:56] Ah man, I would love to see those.
CREED [00:25:57] I would love to see that.
JENNA [00:25:58] Yeah.
CREED [00:25:58] That is a funny scene.
ANGELA [00:25:59] Well, Paul Feig called in when we did “Office Olympics.” And he said one of the things he loved about directing episodes of our shows is that you could really find a shot that was cool and you would have the support of Greg to just kind of go with it. And he sort of found that shot where Dwight, as the Sith Lord has his, like, hood kind of like, it looks like it’s straight out of the movie, you know?
JENNA [00:26:22] It does.
CREED [00:26:22] Yes.
ANGELA [00:26:22] And they just loved that.
CREED [00:26:23] It’s shot from the side. Right?
ANGELA [00:26:24] Yeah. Shot from the side.
JENNA [00:26:26] Yeah.
CREED [00:26:26] Yes.
ANGELA [00:26:26] And they sort of just found that and went with it. And Greg was totally supportive of it. And Paul was talking about like how fun that was to have that creative freedom and find those little nuggets. And it’s so cool looking.
CREED [00:26:37] We had a lot of shots like that. They just weren’t the cookie-cutter stereotype, you know, sitcom stuff. We get interesting shots sometimes.
ANGELA [00:26:44] Yeah.
JENNA [00:26:44] You know-
CREED [00:26:44] The cameramen were so great.
JENNA [00:26:45] And something that we haven’t talked about on the show yet is the idea of “actor marks.” So usually on a television show so that they can get these shots. They put a little piece of tape on the ground. And if you for example, if Jim had to walk up to Pam’s desk, there will be a little mark on the ground. And he would have to stand exactly on that mark. And it’s really hard to do. I mean, do you guys find it hard to do? I’m always- I feel like I’m always looking down for the tape. And then I get to my spot and I look up. It’s like a hard thing to manage. Well on our show, we did not have that.
CREED [00:27:17] No.
JENNA [00:27:18] They would just let us wander- they would say, “Just walk up in this general area and the camera will find you.”
CREED [00:27:23] Yeah.
JENNA [00:27:23] It was so Lucy Goosey, so amazing.
ANGELA [00:27:28] Didn’t you say you were in a band called “Lucy Goosey?”.
CREED [00:27:30] I was in a band called “Lucy Goosey.”.
JENNA [00:27:33] What? You were not.
CREED [00:27:33] I was in a band. With Peter White, who used to play with Al Stewart and probably still does. We had a band with Dave Camp on Sax. And I remember we played the wrap party for this movie I did with, I worked on with Beau Bridges at the Beach House, at Lloyd Bridges’ House. “Lucy Goosey” played out there. And they were dancing out there like Annette Funicello in the surf and stuff. “Lucy Goosey”.
ANGELA [00:27:55] Oh my gosh.
CREED [00:27:55] Yeah
ANGELA [00:27:58] Creed, we just need you to sit here and tell us about all your stories.
JENNA [00:28:01] Creed, you have literally the most interesting life. I have a fan question for you.
CREED [00:28:04] I’m a fascinating character.
JENNA [00:28:05] You are!
CREED [00:28:07] And humble too.
JENNA [00:28:07] This is a fan question from Todd Myers.
CREED [00:28:11] Yes.
JENNA [00:28:12] And this feels like a good place to ask it. “Who is the biggest rock star you ever partied with during your touring days?”.
ANGELA [00:28:17] Oh.
CREED [00:28:19] Wow.
JENNA [00:28:20] It maybe doesn’t have to be the biggest.
CREED [00:28:22] No.
JENNA [00:28:22] It’s just what’s the most interesting.
CREED [00:28:24] I lived for a while at the Cameron Highland Estates and Linda Ronstadt was there. Laura Nyro was there. Jackson Browne used to, everyone, there was a lot of people playing at this place and lived there, and they would, do, would play their instrument. You hear the instruments going round the Cameron. Cameron Highland Estates and Butch Trucks from the “Allman Brothers” was there. And one night Butch came over.
ANGELA [00:28:51] Wait, wait, wait. I’m so sorry for you all lived together?
CREED [00:28:53] No, we lived at this estates. In little, in little bungalows. You could, you could rent these bungalows. The Cameron Highland Estates. Now, it’s been fixed up a little bit. It’s right next to the Veterans of Foreign War place, I think.
ANGELA [00:29:06] Wow.
CREED [00:29:06] They’re right on Highland Boulevard. Right on Highland Boulevard.
ANGELA [00:29:08] OK.
CREED [00:29:08] Right off, right off, to get off the freeway. It’s right there.
ANGELA [00:29:10] And like a lot of artists lived there?
CREED [00:29:11] A lot of artists were living there. So Butch Trucks from the “Allman Brothers” came over one night and Jim Griffin from “Bread” and Jesse Ed Davis, who’s played John Lennon, came over one night. We played, we jammed, we jammed for hours and hours and hours and hours. And there was a lot of heavyweight guitar players there at that night. I remember Butch wanted me to go back to Alabama and be the lead singer for this group “Cowboy,” but that never happened.
JENNA [00:29:37] Creed, your life is amazing.
ANGELA [00:29:39] Jenna, I don’t know that we would’ve been hip enough to hang out there.
JENNA [00:29:42] We would not.
ANGELA [00:29:43] Well, I have a card right here.
JENNA [00:29:46] Tell me.
ANGELA [00:29:46] Seven minutes, 44 seconds. Creed we have some PPC rivalry.
JENNA [00:29:53] Oh I got it down.
ANGELA [00:29:53] Pam vs. Angela.
JENNA [00:29:54] Angela sass?
ANGELA [00:29:56] Angela Sass, but also same category. Same category.
JENNA [00:30:01] What?
ANGELA [00:30:02] I get this. So my character says, “What, you brought brownies?” Like, “What did you bring?” And you’re like, “I brought brownies.”.
JENNA [00:30:10] “Brownies.”.
ANGELA [00:30:10] And like, “but I brought cookies.” Same category.
JENNA [00:30:14] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:30:14] Same category. You should’ve brought something savory. You know, Angela had a list.
CREED [00:30:18] Is that what you say in the thing? Same category?
ANGELA [00:30:19] I say, “Same category.”.
CREED [00:30:21] I don’t remember that.
JENNA [00:30:22] Well. I mean, I feel like there’s a backstory missing here. Did you assign me something other than brownies?
ANGELA [00:30:28] I’m sure I did.
JENNA [00:30:29] That’s your implication.
ANGELA [00:30:30] Yes.
JENNA [00:30:31] You’re implying that I went rogue and brought brownies instead of chips and dip.
ANGELA [00:30:33] You clearly did. I clearly at some party planning-.
JENNA [00:30:36] Don’t You say, “Where’s the chips and dip?” Or something?
ANGELA [00:30:39] Yes! I clearly at some party planning committee meeting said, “All right, I will make sugar cookies. Why don’t you bring the dip and chips.” And then you show up with these frickin brownies. How dare you. Wait, Sam, can we see that? “Those aren’t chips and dip.”.
JENNA [00:30:54] “No, I made brownies. What?”.
ANGELA [00:30:56] “I’m just trying to figure out why you’re sabotaging things.”
JENNA [00:31:03] “I made brownies.”.
ANGELA [00:31:05] “And I made cookies. Same category.”
JENNA [00:31:08] All right. After watching that clip, I will admit I think Pam did go a little rogue. Clearly, you assigned me chips and dip.
ANGELA [00:31:15] Thank you.
JENNA [00:31:15] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:31:15] Thank you. Same category.
JENNA [00:31:17] Yeah, same category.
ANGELA [00:31:18] All right. I needed to hear that because I think, Jenna, if it was your house and you were having a party, you would, this, like you would be like, “Hey, come on!”.
JENNA [00:31:27] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:31:27] All right.
JENNA [00:31:28] Guys, I think we should go to a break and then we’ll come back and finish the episode.
CREED [00:31:32] All right.
ANGELA [00:31:32] Creed, how are you doing?
CREED [00:31:33] I’m doing wonderful.
JENNA [00:31:34] Oh, my God. I love having you here, Creed.
ANGELA [00:31:35] I do too. … And we are back with my delightful neighbor and an “Office” favorite, Creed Bratton.
CREED [00:31:46] Thank you.
JENNA [00:31:47] Yes. Creed, we’re gonna make you come back on this podcast all the time, I hope you’re ready.
ANGELA [00:31:50] Yeah, you know what, we could carpool.
CREED [00:31:52] We could.
ANGELA [00:31:54] I could swing by and pick you up. You’re like, “Oh, my God, Angela, lurking, lurking. These ‘Office Ladies.’”.
JENNA [00:31:59] You guys, do you remember this scene where Jim takes a phone call from a potential employer for Dwight and he does a Michael Scott impression? It’s really good. John does a very good job.
ANGELA [00:32:12] It’s at eight minutes, 34 seconds.
JENNA [00:32:13] Oh, you’ve got the time code. Guys, is this when we find out that Michael’s middle name is Gary?
ANGELA [00:32:19] Oh, is this the first time it’s said?
JENNA [00:32:22] Because he says “Michael G. Scott, Michael, Gary Scott.”.
ANGELA [00:32:27] “Michael G. Scott, Michael Gary Scott.” Yeah.
JENNA [00:32:27] I don’t know.
ANGELA [00:32:28] I don’t know.
CREED [00:32:29] Because later it was when we had the scene where we show the, him as a little boy and then he doesn’t get all the love that he wanted because he wanted a family. That’s later, right?
ANGELA [00:32:38] Yeah. Yeah.
CREED [00:32:38] That was Gary, we knew Gary there. That might be that might be the first time.
JENNA [00:32:42] I don’t know.
CREED [00:32:44] I don’t know.
JENNA [00:32:45] I’m putting it out there.
CREED [00:32:46] I’m not the guy to ask for that.
JENNA [00:32:46] Our fans will let us know.
ANGELA [00:32:46] Our fans will let us know for sure. I loved this scene. I just thought that John crushed it as Michael Scott. And it also had the Jim and Pam air high five.
JENNA [00:32:55] The first!
ANGELA [00:32:57] The first.
JENNA [00:32:58] Air high five.
ANGELA [00:32:59] Yes.
CREED [00:32:59] I’m getting, Creed’s getting misty, misty-eyed.
ANGELA [00:33:02] I’ve got, I’ve literally what I saw. I my I think I audibly said out loud to no one. “Aw!”.
JENNA [00:33:08] Yeah. Super cute.
ANGELA [00:33:13] OK, so I have a question about the air high five.
JENNA [00:33:15] Say it.
ANGELA [00:33:15] So I was trying to do the air high five with my daughter, Isabelle. Now, granted. She’s eleven. I’m 48. Maybe if we our timing off, we couldn’t get it.
JENNA [00:33:26] It’s difficult.
ANGELA [00:33:27] You guys did it perfectly.
JENNA [00:33:29] Yeah. And you know what? We kind of did it perfectly the first time.
ANGELA [00:33:31] Aw.
JENNA [00:33:31] That, it was meant to be.
ANGELA [00:33:32] It was meant to be.
JENNA [00:33:34] That speaks to our chemistry, I believe. So shortly after this momentous air high five. Very sadly, Pam tells Jim he should go for the job at Cumberland Mills.
ANGELA [00:33:43] Yeah.
JENNA [00:33:44] But the job is in Maryland and he is so hurt.
CREED [00:33:47] This happens a lot with you guys.
JENNA [00:33:49] Yeah.
CREED [00:33:50] Him going off to do a job, that recurring theme, right?
JENNA [00:33:53] It is. Because he’s, you know, later he’s gonna go off the other branch.
ANGELA [00:33:56] Branch.
CREED [00:33:57] And then later to New York and do that stuff with the sports thing, right?
ANGELA [00:34:01] Well, yeah.
CREED [00:34:02] It kept happening.
ANGELA [00:34:02] And then you go to art camp or school or -.
JENNA [00:34:05] Art camp? I went to a university. Thank you very much. Art Camp?
ANGELA [00:34:09] And then she goes to-.
CREED [00:34:10] Plaster of Paris Making Place.
JENNA [00:34:12] Jeez.
ANGELA [00:34:13] But yes. They constantly are being pushed together. Pulled apart. Right?
CREED [00:34:16] Yeah, they are. Always. Yeah. Always. Always.
JENNA [00:34:17] Yeah. It’s true. But sometimes just through a comment we’re seeing in this second season in each episode there seems to be a really sweet moment with Jim and Pam and then a moment where someone gets their feelings hurt a little bit, because-.
ANGELA [00:34:31] Their feelings hurt. Oh, so many feelings.
JENNA [00:34:34] So many feelings.
CREED [00:34:35] Feelings.
JENNA [00:34:35] But then at the end, Jim admits that if it weren’t for Pam, he would take the job at Cumberland Mills because the pay is twice as much. It’s a better job. Yada, yada.
ANGELA [00:34:47] So why is he staying? He just basically admitted why he stays at this job.
JENNA [00:34:52] Yes.
CREED [00:34:52] Yeah. What was the one where he admitted that crabs are his favorite food? He was going to go to this one-
ANGELA [00:34:59] Maryland!
CREED [00:35:00] Was that Maryland? That was it.
ANGELA [00:35:03] Yes, this episode.
JENNA [00:35:03] Yeah.
CREED [00:35:03] There was the crab thing.
JENNA [00:35:03] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:35:03] Soft, soft-shelled crab.
CREED [00:35:06] Soft-shelled crabs.
ANGELA [00:35:06] Are apparently one of his favorites.
CREED [00:35:06] Yes exactly. And we knew that.
JENNA [00:35:08] Who knew? Well, he eats that tuna sandwich everyday for lunch so he is a seafood fan.
ANGELA [00:35:11] He just stinks all the time.
JENNA [00:35:13] I guess so.
ANGELA [00:35:13] Jim kind of stinky.
CREED [00:35:14] And he could have called him “Crab” if he wanted to but-
ANGELA [00:35:16] Oh, Crabby.
JENNA [00:35:17] Jim eats tuna sandwiches and Pam eats sour cream and onion chips.
ANGELA [00:35:23] They’re a match made in heaven.
CREED [00:35:24] Wow, and I eat mung beans apparently.
JENNA [00:35:25] Wow. What is the smells in this office?
CREED [00:35:27] The smells. Yeah.
ANGELA [00:35:30] I know.
JENNA [00:35:31] Oh, dear. All right. So finally, Michael asks for Jim’s help and he wants to do some role-playing where he tries to fire someone. And that is just a delicious scene.
ANGELA [00:35:42] Oh.
JENNA [00:35:42] Did you enjoy that one?
ANGELA [00:35:44] How did John get through it is what I want to know.
JENNA [00:35:46] I don’t know.
ANGELA [00:35:46] When, when like Steve is Michael is like, “Why? Ah ah ah.”
JENNA [00:35:49] I’m gonna kill myself. He’s like, “Wait, is this you as you? Who are you? Right now?”.
ANGELA [00:35:55] What is happening?
JENNA [00:35:55] John has to check-in. And this brings us to your big scene, Creed.
ANGELA [00:36:01] Your big scene, Creed.
CREED [00:36:01] Oh, here we are.
JENNA [00:36:02] This is it. After that scene, he calls you in and tell us, break it down for us. What was it like to sit in that chair? And now you’re going to launch into five pages with Steve Carell?
CREED [00:36:12] Right right.
ANGELA [00:36:13] I mean, I had never had five pages with Steve or six and a half, you said, six and a half pages.
CREED [00:36:18] Six and a half originally. They may have cut it down, but he was, it was, it took a long, hours.
ANGELA [00:36:20] Yeah.
CREED [00:36:21] To get through that thing.
ANGELA [00:36:21] And I, I mean, I never had more than a few lines with him one on one. So. Yeah, let’s, let’s hear about it.
CREED [00:36:28] Well first of all, there was a scene where I slowly take out the teeth, you know, and I resolved myself. I gird my loins, as it were. I stand up in a resolute and march in like Nosferatu. You know with a purpose.
JENNA [00:36:41] Are these some of your notes that you wrote in your script?
CREED [00:36:44] No.
JENNA [00:36:44] For intension?
CREED [00:36:45] No, no.
ANGELA [00:36:45] This is just storytelling, Jenna.
CREED [00:36:47] It’s the big story, the big story time. I’m into the story right now.
ANGELA [00:36:49] Yes go.
CREED [00:36:49] Yeah, exactly.
ANGELA [00:36:51] So you march in.
CREED [00:36:52] And I so I march in and then I remember, I sit, I sit back like this and I put my, I cross my feet. I kind of have slouch down and I had my arms crossed because I’m protecting myself from attack like this. And he goes, “Well, Creed I just don’t like this.” I said, “Well, you want to leave.” He says, “No, no, I don’t. No.” “No. Yes, you do.” “No, no, I don’t.”
ANGELA [00:37:10] You were the hardest person to fire ever.
CREED [00:37:14] “You want to leave.” “No, no. Really, no. No, I’m very happy here.” Just “Creed, I’ve got, I’ve got to fire somebody and it’s got to be-” “Well, then fired Devon. You know, he’s horrible at his job. You know, I’m so much better at my job.” And I’m doing the Creed voice right now too. It goes, it goes up a pitch, you know? And then I just fought I just fought for my survival. And we’ve kept doing it over and over and over. And finally. And Steve is so great. It’s like you, you, you all done scenes with people where it’s forcing it. It’s so hard to get through a scene.
JENNA [00:37:46] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:37:46] Yeah.
CREED [00:37:47] Working with Steve was like that he kept tossing me like these big beach balls. I had a nerf bat, which is easy. It was easy to hit those things. You know, God bless him.
ANGELA [00:37:55] Yeah. He’s a very giving, a very giving person.
CREED [00:37:59] He’s a very giving actor.
ANGELA [00:37:59] And, you know, and when you’re in scenes with him, he’s so eager for you to get the laugh. He doesn’t. Some actors, guys, out there, they want to get the laugh.
CREED [00:38:06] No no.
JENNA [00:38:07] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:38:07] They want that moment. And Steve is so eager to share it. And really just what makes the scene work is what he focuses on.
CREED [00:38:13] But Dave Rogers, later, he said, he’s, what made him laugh. The most was when I stood up and I said, “No, no. You’re doing a good job. Good for you. At tat tat tat.”
JENNA [00:38:20] I love that.
CREED [00:38:23] I point my finger and all that stuff was just off the top of my head, you know.
ANGELA [00:38:25] Yeah, when I was when I rewatched it, I was like, “Oh, that is Creed. That is classic. That is just Creed being Creed.”.
CREED [00:38:32] ‘Yeah. Yeah. That, that is actually, yeah. That “tat tat tat.”
ANGELA [00:38:35] Yeah. Cause I feel like you’ve left me voicemails where you’re like, “Hey Pumpkin-tat-tat tat tat, what are you doing?”.
CREED [00:38:41] I was stuttering but too you know.
ANGELA [00:38:44] You were doing a bit.
CREED [00:38:45] I was doing a bit. Yeah. No. But still I look at that with fond memories. It was great, and I thank Steve so much for being so gracious as an actor to work with, you know.
JENNA [00:38:54] So after that scene, Michael does fire Devon.
CREED [00:38:58] Right.
JENNA [00:38:59] In a much shorter scene. Devon gets so angry, he announces to the office, “If anyone wants to join me at Poor Richard’s bar.” Poor Richard’s bar. Is this the first mention of Poor Richard’s bar?
CREED [00:39:09] Well, he says he gives him a Chili. He gives him a, he says-
JENNA [00:39:12] Yeah. Michael gives him a Chili’s coupon.
CREED [00:39:14] Chili’s coupon, yeah.
ANGELA [00:39:14] Which is a nice nod back to The Dundees. He rips it up.
CREED [00:39:19] Yeah, he rips it up.
JENNA [00:39:20] But have we, because we end up mentioning Poor Richard’s bar over and over again and we go there eventually. But have we mentioned it yet? Oh! In the “Basketball” episode.
CREED [00:39:29] Really?
JENNA [00:39:29] I think Darryl suggests that we all get drinks at Poor Richard’s.
ANGELA [00:39:32] OK. In that scene though, where Devon invites everyone to Poor Richard’s. There’s three people he does not invite.
JENNA [00:39:39] Oh! Yeah, you’re right. He lists a bunch of names. Who does he-?
ANGELA [00:39:43] It’s very personal. It’s personal.
JENNA [00:39:46] Who does he not invite?
CREED [00:39:48] Who are they?
ANGELA [00:39:46] He does not invite Michael.
JENNA [00:39:47] Of course.
ANGELA [00:39:47] He does not invite Dwight. He does not invite Angela.
JENNA [00:39:51] He doesn’t invite you?
ANGELA [00:39:53] No.
CREED [00:39:53] Why? there’s nothing, they made, it’s an arbitrary. It’s arbitrary.
ANGELA [00:39:56] I’m sure. I’m sure, I’ve been, you know, bitchy to him at some point. He didn’t. I’m sure.
JENNA [00:40:01] Or maybe he just knew you wouldn’t go.
ANGELA [00:40:04] Maybe so.
CREED [00:40:04] He might crush on you, too.
ANGELA [00:40:06] Oh, come on.
CREED [00:40:07] Oh, he might have. You never know.
JENNA [00:40:09] So he leaves and he smashes a pumpkin on Michael’s car.
CREED [00:40:11] There you go. Pumpkin! Pumpkin!
ANGELA [00:40:12] Pumpkin!
JENNA [00:40:16] And when we go downstairs, we see Hank, the security guy at the security desk who was played by Hugh Dane.
CREED [00:40:25] God rest his-.
ANGELA [00:40:25] Yes.
JENNA [00:40:27] Yes. He passed away a couple of years ago.
ANGELA [00:40:29] He was so nice.
CREED [00:40:29] Yep.
JENNA [00:40:30] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:40:30] Just a sweetheart. And so great as Hank. His delivery was always perfect.
CREED [00:40:34] Amazing.
JENNA [00:40:35] Is this the first time we see Hank at the security desk?
ANGELA [00:40:39] I think so.
CREED [00:40:39] It has to be.
ANGELA [00:40:40] You guys leave. You know, for, to go to the dojo.
JENNA [00:40:45] Yeah. But I don’t think you saw him.
ANGELA [00:40:47] You don’t see him? No.
JENNA [00:40:48] Well, it’s brilliant because there he is. And he’s sitting there. And it’s another example of introducing a character in an episode where they don’t speak, but they will eventually.
ANGELA [00:40:58] Yeah.
JENNA [00:40:58] They will come back. He did that with so many people. He did that with Craig in the warehouse and the alliance. You just see him in the background watching Dwight pop out of the box. Creed, of course, you were in the background forever. And then now Hugh Dane in the background as the security officer.
ANGELA [00:41:13] Just so thoughtful. And, and this thing that I love about our show and we’ve talked about Creed is that Greg had the audience just start in the middle. He doesn’t explain things to you. You discover it as you go. It’s not spoon-fed information.
JENNA [00:41:26] Yes.
ANGELA [00:41:26] I love that. Well, I, I, I don’t think we can end this episode without talking about Michael’s list of former costumes.
JENNA [00:41:35] Oh, please list them.
ANGELA [00:41:36] OK. He is really, really bummed the camera crew wasn’t there at the Halloween before when he was Janet Jackson’s boob. Very topical. He was really bummed you guys missed it when he was Monica Lewinsky’s-.
JENNA [00:41:48] Twice.
ANGELA [00:41:49] Dress. Yeah, twice. And then he was Monica Lewinsky the year before.
JENNA [00:41:53] Yes.
ANGELA [00:41:54] And then before that, he was OJ Simpson. So.
CREED [00:41:56] Where does he pick these?
ANGELA [00:41:58] Very topical, great costumes that he was really sad the camera crew missed.
CREED [00:42:02] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:42:03] I know you’re gonna want to talk about the very end with Michael and the trick-or-treaters because it’s just such a touching moment. All right, Creed.
JENNA [00:42:09] I cry every time I watch it.
CREED [00:42:11] I do too. I do too.
JENNA [00:42:13] Every time.
CREED [00:42:13] Yeah, I was loving the show. And then when I got to that episode, I went, he just kill me. I’m like, “Oh my God. This a perfect episode.” One of the one of the great ones, you know.
JENNA [00:42:19] Yes. At the end of the episode, Michael goes home and you see him sitting alone, very lonely on the couch. And then the doorbell rings and there are trick-or-treaters at the door. And there was a big debate on set about how exactly this scene should play out, about whether or not the kids should be nice to Michael or if they should be annoyed by Michael. How Michael should be with the kids. Should he be off-putting? Should he be kind? And the writers and producers-. Also, well they also discussed if he should be happy or sad while handing out the candy and they decided that they were going to start on that spy shot of Michael looking sad and lonely, all alone on Halloween night, but when he gets to the door, I’m going to cry saying it. He lights up. He makes his silly jokes. The kids laugh.
ANGELA [00:43:09] The kids love him.
JENNA [00:43:10] Love him.
CREED [00:43:10] They love him.
JENNA [00:43:11] And it ends on him making a connection. I just think it is the most kind and heartbreaking, wonderful scene. I think it’s moments like this that make “The Office” so special. We just spend an entire episode kind of laughing at Michael Scott or finding him annoying. But then in the end, he just breaks your heart with his vulnerability.
CREED [00:43:31] Take them all. Don’t he drop him? “Don’t worry. Take them all.”.
JENNA [00:43:32] Yeah, take them all.
ANGELA [00:43:33] Take them all. It’s all yours.
JENNA [00:43:34] And they love him.
ANGELA [00:43:34] Yeah.
JENNA [00:43:35] And uh-.
CREED [00:43:37] That’s the first time we, we saw him just so loving. But really, don’t you think so? At that moment we saw his heart. We saw his heart.
ANGELA [00:43:45] Yeah.
CREED [00:43:45] Come out there in that moment.
ANGELA [00:43:46] Well and you-.
CREED [00:43:47] Tore me up.
ANGELA [00:43:48] Now. Tore me up. And you have to think that Michael is somewhere being a great dad.
JENNA [00:43:54] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:43:54] He’s a great dad. And I wish we could see that. That’s the one thing when we talk about a reunion, obviously, you know, we don’t want to tread on hallowed ground. That is “The Office.” And we don’t want to mess with anything that that everyone loves so much. But, boy, I would love to see where some of these people are. And I would love to see Michael as a dad.
CREED [00:44:11] Yes. Yes.
JENNA [00:44:13] Do you agree that when you watch that scene, I think more than any other scene I can recall. I see Steve.
ANGELA [00:44:20] Yes.
JENNA [00:44:21] That is Steve handing out candy.
CREED [00:44:22] No, absolutely. Absolutely.
ANGELA [00:44:24] Yeah.
CREED [00:44:24] Absolutely, yes.
JENNA [00:44:24] That’s the kind of just kind-hearted gentleman that he is.
CREED [00:44:30] Sweet, sweet man.
ANGELA [00:44:30] And I think that’s part of the reason too why it hits you that hard, Jenna, because-.
JENNA [00:44:32] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:44:33] We see our friend and-.
JENNA [00:44:34] It’s true.
ANGELA [00:44:35] We see the kind person he is that gets to shine through.
CREED [00:44:38] Yeah yeah.
ANGELA [00:44:38] Which often as Michael Scott does not.
CREED [00:44:39] No, does not.
JENNA [00:44:40] This is true.
ANGELA [00:44:41] Well, I have one little final piece of trivia.
JENNA [00:44:44] All right.
ANGELA [00:44:44] In the credits at the end, as it rolls over the “Deedle-Dee” logo, which “Deedle-Dee” is Greg’s company. His daughter Haley actually drew the picture that says “Deedle-Dee” when she was little.
CREED [00:44:56] Aw.
ANGELA [00:44:56] You hear and it’s the only time it ever happens. Dwight’s voice say “Quiet, you.”
JENNA [00:45:04] Oh,! Angela!
CREED [00:45:05] Really?
ANGELA [00:45:05] Yes.
CREED [00:45:05] Why, do we know why that happened?
ANGELA [00:45:09] I think they loved it. It said they pulled it from earlier in the episode when Dwight is the Sith Lord and-.
CREED [00:45:15] Is that the only time that they-.
ANGELA [00:45:16] It’s the only time there’s dialog over “Deedle-Dee.”.
JENNA [00:45:20] Wow.
CREED [00:45:20] I’m kind of moved by that.
ANGELA [00:45:23] That’s kind of cool, right?
CREED [00:45:24] Yeah yeah.
JENNA [00:45:25] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:45:25] “Quiet you.”
CREED [00:45:27] Quiet you.
JENNA [00:45:28] We did it, guys.
ANGELA [00:45:28] We did it!
JENNA [00:45:30] That was the “Halloween” episode. Creed!
CREED [00:45:31] Thank you.
JENNA [00:45:32] Thank you so much for coming. But before you go, will you tell us, what are you up to now? What are you doing? You have an album and you’re touring.
CREED [00:45:38] I’m touring. I was in Europe, UK and in Scandinavia for, for a month. Touring and doing shows had like seven. So I’m bragging now. Seven sold-out shows in the UK. Went great. I’m off to Australia, New Zealand in February.
ANGELA [00:45:55] And then you did the whole East Coast too because I was texting you and you were like- Yeah.
CREED [00:45:59] Then I did, then I did the East Coast. Had a great tour there too.
ANGELA [00:46:01] Yeah.
CREED [00:46:02] And the fans and I want to thank all “The Office” fans for coming out and supporting my character and my music. It truly means a lot. I’m having my second childhood now doing this.
ANGELA [00:46:11] Well.
CREED [00:46:12] And by the way, I have a surprise for you ladies.
JENNA [00:46:14] What is it?
ANGELA [00:46:16] What?
CREED [00:46:14] I brought, which I think may be the single if there’s going to be a single from my, I’m going to play you a little snippet if you’d like.
ANGELA [00:46:21] Yes!
JENNA [00:46:21] Please, please.
CREED [00:46:23] Of the, of the album. Can we, can we do this in there? Can I play it right now for you?
ANGELA [00:46:26] And, and you guys, before he plays the song, I just wanna encourage you if Creed is coming to a town near you, go see his show. It is fantastic. And apparently he also makes fun of me during it.
CREED [00:46:37] Quite a bit, actually.
ANGELA [00:46:39] And we are trying to figure out one of your locations where I can come on stage and give it to you right back.
JENNA [00:46:45] Where can people find the schedule?
CREED [00:46:47] CreedBratton.com.
ANGELA [00:46:49] We love you, Creed. All right. Let’s hear it.
CREED [00:46:51] All right, here we go. And “The Ride.” … “You taught me how. You taught me then. How I could one day be your friend. It’s not so hard. Just don’t lie. Don’t control the by-and-by. We’ll be side-by-side. We’ll be side-by-side, for the rest of the ride. Thought it was-” … All right. That’s that song. There it is, gang. What do you think?
JENNA [00:47:55] Well, Angela sobbing.
ANGELA [00:47:57] I started crying. The song is so beautiful, Creed. But also and I totally am emotional, but oh my god, I might be too emotional.
CREED [00:48:05] Aw.
ANGELA [00:48:06] Well, you know what? It just. Do you ever have just like a wave hit you where you’re like, you know, you’re in a special moment?
CREED [00:48:12] Yeah.
JENNA [00:48:12] Yes.
ANGELA [00:48:13] And it just hit me.
CREED [00:48:14] Well like today with the two of you today.
JENNA [00:48:16] Yeah.
CREED [00:48:16] Yeah. I feel like we’re in a special moment.
ANGELA [00:48:18] It just felt really special and like something I’ll always remember. And I’m basing my best friend, who is now my boss lady business partner, and I’m so proud of us. And, and this journey we’ve taken together. And then I just love you, Creed.
CREED [00:48:32] Aw. I love you, sweetie. I do.
ANGELA [00:48:33] You’re like, you know, family-family.
JENNA [00:48:34] Well, now I’m crying.
CREED [00:48:39] Well, well, ladies and gentlemen, when I last album I did, I had a song called “More Than You Know.” And I, one of the first people I ever played for, it was for you and Josh, you know, your house.
ANGELA [00:48:47] Yeah, you came-.
CREED [00:48:48] I came in acoustically, played it, you know, and you got and she started crying.
ANGELA [00:48:51] I started crying.
CREED [00:48:51] I knew I had a winner then.
JENNA [00:48:53] Well, Creed, some of my favorite memories on the set. We’re at lunchtime when you would play guitar and Ed would play banjo.
ANGELA [00:49:01] Banjo.
CREED [00:49:01] Yeah.
JENNA [00:49:01] Ed’s trailer was next to mine. You’d go in his trailer and the two of you would play through my lunch. And I just loved it.
CREED [00:49:06] And you guys would, you’d come over, jam your head in and listen.
ANGELA [00:49:10] Yeah, oh we’d come over and hang out.
CREED [00:49:11] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:49:12] For years, my alarm clock is banjo music because it would make me think of you guys. And sometimes, especially when I was pregnant, if we had a little break, I might take a catnap and I’d wake up to banjo music. And it was like so pleasing that I made my alarm clock banjoes. I thought, “Oh, maybe I won’t wake up grumpy.”.
CREED [00:49:32] Ed and I had so much fun. He’s a, he’s a great banjo player. I haven’t played with him in a long time ago because he’s working all the time, but I would love to. He’s the best, you know.
ANGELA [00:49:38] Oh, yeah. You guys were great together. Well, thank you again.
CREED [00:49:42] Thank you so much for having me, my dear friends.
ANGELA [00:49:44] Yes.
JENNA [00:49:44] Creed, can we end with a final fan question?
CREED [00:49:47] Yes, of course.
CREED [00:49:48] This is from Tim Blair. Tim asked, “Do you have a favorite creed line from the whole show?”
CREED [00:49:56] “Which one’s Pam?” Which question, Pam?
JENNA [00:50:01] Yes.
CREED [00:50:02] Gosh, I don’t know. It probably would be “Someone making soup” or “Which one is Pam?” or, but I think actually I would have to be, “In the 60s, I made love to many, many women, often outdoors in the rain, in the mud. It’s possible a man slipped in, there’d be no way of knowing.”.
JENNA [00:50:26] Yes, yes! Applause from the booth. And that is how you end an episode, my friend. Thank you, Creed. Oh, everyone, please join us next week when we will be talking about “The Fight.”.
ANGELA [00:50:47] “The Fight.”.
JENNA [00:50:47] Yeah.
ANGELA [00:50:47] We’ll miss you, Creed. You have to come back.
CREED [00:50:50] I’d love to come back.
ANGELA [00:50:51] Okay.
CREED [00:50:52] Okay.
JENNA [00:50:54] Thank you for listening to “Office Ladies.” “Office Ladies” is produced by Earwolf, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. Our producer is Codi Fischer. Our Sound Engineer Sam Kieffer.
ANGELA [00:51:04] And our theme song is “Rubber Tree” by Creed Bratton.
JENNA [00:51:07] For ad-free versions of the show and our bonus episodes, “Candy Bag.” Go to Stitcher Premium.com.
ANGELA [00:51:14] For a free one month trial of Stitcher Premium, use code “Office.”
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