Top 10 Times The Office Cast Couldn't Keep a Straight Face
#10: Busting Dwight’s Ball
“Performance Review” In one of the show’s most famous cold opens, Dwight trades his chair for a fitness orb. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if Dwight wasn’t obnoxiously talking about the ball’s benefits while bouncing around. Jim eventually loses his patience and bursts Dwight’s bubble. Although they had rehearsed the scene almost ten times, John Krasinski took a pair of scissors to the orb’s seam when they shot it. Instead of slowly deflating as planned, Rainn Wilson immediately collapses. The rest of the cast wasn’t prepared for Wilson to fall so quickly, resulting in audible background laughter. Although it was going to be a blooper, writer Larry Wilmore convinced Greg Daniel to use this take, which features Phyllis smiling as Dwight struggles on the floor.
#9: Michael & Oscar Kiss It Out
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“Gay Witch Hunt” Sometimes the cast rehearses a scene and they still can’t keep it together when the cameras roll. In other instances, an unscripted moment catches them off guard, sparking laughter across the office. Such was the case with Michael and Oscar’s improvised kiss. After doing a few takes, Steve Carell decided to get even closer to Oscar Nunez, ultimately going in for the smooch. Thankfully, Carell and Nunez didn’t break character, but those surrounding them struggled to stay composed. Jenna Fischer was sitting next to B. J. Novak, who turned away to hide his laughter. Since Angela Martin wasn’t the most progressive character at that point, it tracks that she would conceal her face. In reality, though, this was because Angela Kinsey couldn’t stop laughing either.
#8: Prison Mike, Menacing or Hilarious?
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“The Convict” Actor Wayne Wilderson had a brief stay at Dunder Mifflin as ex-convict Martin. Although shows like “Oz” have painted a brutal portrait of prison life, Martin’s stay was fairly laid back. Arguably a step up from working in an office. To show his employees that jail time is no joke, Michael… turns it into a joke with his stereotypical prison persona. After Carell dawns his bandana, Krasinski tries covering his smile. Krasinski can also be spotted grinning with a few others when Michael mentions the worst part about prison, Dementors. Wilderson was on the verge of bursting as Prison Mike wrapped up. While only the back of his head is in the shot, Wilderson’s cheeks noticeably begin to bulge as he tries to contain himself.
#7: Pam Laughing in Labor
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“The Delivery” Although Pam and Jim plan on going to the hospital at midnight for the birth of their baby, Cecelia Marie Halpert has other plans. After some initial reluctance, Pam is convinced to leave the office with Michael clearing the way. There’s so much happening in this panicked moment that it’s easy to miss Jenna Fischer chuckling as Jim escorts her. To an extent this works within the narrative, showing that Pam is truly excited and overjoyed to be a mom. Since she was freaking out just seconds before, though, her smile does stand out as an obvious break. Apparently, the cast had trouble getting through a couple of scenes in this episode with a straight face. So, it’s not surprising that this smile snuck through.
#6: Hot Dog Fingers
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“Health Care” When Dwight cracks down on health care, Jim and Pam retaliate with a classic prank. Dwight is enraged when he’s given a list of “fake diseases.” Well, a couple of them are real, but Rainn Wilson improvised the line about hot dog fingers, which we’re pretty sure aren’t in any medical books. The ad-lib got to a few cast members, most notably the office accountants. Angela breaks first with Kevin following while Oscar covers his mouth. It might be out of character for Angela to laugh at a prank like this, but we appreciate that they kept the reaction in any way. Also, did “Everything Everywhere All at Once” get the idea for hot dog fingers from Dwight? Wilson asked the same question on Twitter.
#5: A Bland Birthday Banner
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“Lecture Circuit” What’s worse than forgetting someone’s birthday? Throwing together a half-assed party the day after with unflattering balloons that’ve barely been blown up. Those aren’t even the worst decorations that Dwight acquires for Kelly’s party. That distinction goes to a banner that matter-of-factly reads, “It is your birthday.” Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski seemingly get through the scene with straight faces. Angela Kinsey was amazed that they had any usable footage, however. That’s because Wilson and Krasinski were breaking out in laughter and tears over the decorations, especially the banner. A 20-minute breather was required for the actors to get it together. While the guys appear to stay in character for the final take, Kinsey claims that Wilson was about to break upon tossing a sad balloon.
#4: Can’t Keep a Secret
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“The Secret” Jim immediately regrets confiding in Michael of all people about his feelings for Pam. This setup required Krasinski and Carell to shoot much of this episode together. This proved challenging for Krasinski given Carell’s tendency to crack him up. During a scene at the soda machine, Krasinski simply couldn’t hold back his laughter. The folks behind the camera thus resorted to clever editing, merging two shots to make it look like a run-of-the-mill interaction. According to Fischer, this is just one of the episode’s scenes where Krasinski lost it. One of his more prominent breaks comes when Dwight approaches Jim and Michael at the office supply station. A smile creeps up on Jim’s face as he busies himself, perhaps thinking about Michael’s grape soda pun.
#3: Meredith’s Car, Meredith’s Rules
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“Women’s Appreciation” “Women’s Appreciation” was another episode where Krasinski could barely contain himself. He turned especially red during one of Michael’s rants, covering his mouth with his hand to hide the gaping grin. However, Fischer might’ve had an even harder time keeping it together in another scene. As Michael and the office ladies drive to the mall, Meredith downs a bag of potato chips while behind the wheel. In the final episode, Pam looks at Meredith with a bemused expression. This wasn’t Fischer’s reaction during the shoot, however. Fischer was laughing so much that they wound up splicing in a different reaction shot of her in the van. In a show where the cast breaks this often, the editors are truly the unsung heroes.
#2: Michael’s Plasma TV
“Dinner Party” “Dinner Party” is one of the show’s most intense and uncomfortable outings, although the shoot was pretty laid back since this was the first episode filmed after the Writers Guild strike. With the cast feeling looser than usual, they were more susceptible to breaking character. The result is one of the series’ funniest blooper reels, a highlight being when Michael shows off his state-of-the-art, $200 plasma TV. This scene made Krasinski laugh at the table read, but nothing could prepare him for the shoot where Carell shows off the pathetic TV with such pride. According to Krasinski, it took somewhere around 19 or 20 takes to execute this scene because everyone was losing it. For Krasinski, it’s hands down one of his favorite “Office” memories.
#1: Michael as Santa
“Secret Santa” Michael isn’t pleased when Phyllis is permitted to be the office Santa. Michael seizes the opportunity to one-up her by letting Kevin sit on his lap, which instantly backfires. As Kevin thinks about what he wants for Christmas, the rest of the cast tries to reel in their laughter. Despite writing the episode, Mindy Kaling had the biggest smile on her face. At one point while shooting, Ed Helms had to duck out of frame because he couldn’t handle it. As for Krasinski, he was originally supposed to be the scene to deliver a classic Jim reaction. Krasinski isn’t sure if he was on the floor laughing or if he had to leave. Either way, Krasinski couldn’t keep a straight face for this uproarious moment.
