The Office had a prolific run with more than 200 episodes across nine seasons, and it’s still one of the most popular sitcoms on streaming services, even though it’s been off the air for over a decade. The Office made waves for single-camera workplace sitcoms through its hilarious, emotional storylines, as well as moving character development. The Office delivers strong, consistent comedy, but it’s also responsible for kickstarting the careers of many of its cast members, including beloved actors like John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, and Rashida Jones.
The Office helped these actors become household names. However, the sitcom also helped spotlight up-and-coming performers and surprising guest stars who occasionally get overlooked in the larger context of the series. The Office is always fun to revisit, but spotting these forgotten actors makes it even more of a treat.
10. Yvette Nicole Brown Gives Dwight a Much-Needed Reality Check
Paris
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The Office‘s third season is full of big changes, but one of the most substantial is Dwight’s temporary exodus from Dunder Mifflin when he goes to work at Staples. Naturally, Dwight’s unusual behavior rubs some of his new co-workers the wrong way, which makes his momentous return to Dunder Mifflin all the more satisfying. Yvette Nicole Brown appears in Season 3, Episode 14, “The Return,” where her character, Paris, provides some candid thoughts on why Dwight irks her.
Several episodes of awkward banter between Dwight and his new sales associate would have been quite entertaining, but less turns out to be more when it comes to Paris. Yvette Nicole Brown’s energy is a perfect fit for The Office, but she can also be seen on Community, The Odd Couple, The Mayor, and one of the hosts on AMC’s Walking Dead after-show, Talking Dead. Brown’s work on The Office would be easier to remember if it occurred later on in her career, but she was still just a rising star during this one-off appearance.
9. Eric Wareheim Plays an Offbeat Friend From Dwight’s Past
Gabor Csupczyk
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Eric Wareheim may not be a mainstream actor who everyone recognizes, but he’s a top name in the alternative comedy scene as well as a major creative voice on Adult Swim with a plethora of live-action series that include Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Tom Goes To the Mayor, Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule, and Beef House.
The Office makes excellent use of Wareheim’s off-kilter energy through his casting as Gabor Csupczyk, one of Dwight’s childhood friends who he considers as a possible part-time junior salesman replacement for Jim. Gabor’s biggest showcase is in Season 9, Episode 13, “Junior Salesman,” but he also leaves enough of an impression to briefly return for Dwight and Angela’s wedding in the show’s series finale. Gabor is definitely one of the bolder and brasher personalities that enters Dunder Mifflin in “Junior Salesman,” and it would have been interesting to see how Wareheim’s character integrated with everyone else if he had become a recurring presence in the office.
8. James Urbaniak Portrays Dwight’s AggressIve Bestie
Rolf Ahl
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The Office frequently indicates that Dwight lacks proper judgment when it comes to social settings and friendships. However, his best friend, Rolf Ahl, is even more abrasive. James Urbaniak’s Rolf makes his debut in Season 5’s finale, “Company Picnic,” where he brings some uncomfortable trash talk to the proceedings. Rolf is consistently over the top, which is further proven in Season 6’s “The Delivery.” Rolf doesn’t win over many people from Dunder Mifflin, yet Dwight still considers him for a temporary junior salesman position during the show’s final season.
James Urbaniak tends to gravitate toward comedy, whether it’s his starring roles in Difficult People, Review, and the voice of Dr. Rusty Venture in Adult Swim’s The Venture Bros. However, Urbaniak can also be seen in more dramatic fare like American Splendor, The Fablemans, and most recently, Oppenheimer. Urbaniak’s unique energy certainly fits the bill when it comes to Dwight’s inner circle, yet Urbaniak’s Rolf still feels like a distinct character and not just another generic variation on Dwight’s family and friends. That being said, it’s too bad that there’s no Office episode where Dwight and Rolf are left to their own devices.
7. Larry Wilmore Tries To Rein in Michael’s Inappropriate Antics
Mr. Brown
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Larry Wilmore is perhaps known better as a writer than an actor, with writing and created by credits on The Bernie Mac Show, Insecure, Grown-ish, and The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore. However, he’s also gradually been on the camera more during the past decade in series like Upload, Difficult People, and The Mayor. Wilmore shows up in The Office‘s second episode, “Diversity Day,” as Mr. Brown, which he also wrote.
“Diversity Day’s” script is its greatest asset, but Wilmore adeptly fits in as the no-nonsense, straight-laced Mr. Brown, who has no patience for Michael’s inappropriate behavior. Wilmore returns once more as Mr. Brown in The Office‘s Season 3 premiere, “Gay Witch Hunt,” which is another instance of Michael at his most oblivious.
6. Amy Adams Gets Her Heart Broken By Jim Early on in The Office
Katy Moore
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Amy Adams is one of the highest-paid working actresses, but she’s also a six-time Academy Award nominee and two-time Golden Globe Winner. She’s delivered captivating performances in both dramas and comedies like American Hustle, Vice, The Master, and The Fighter. However, long before Adams was generating Oscar buzz, she was one of Jim’s early girlfriends before he properly confronted and accepted his feelings for Pam.
Adams first appears in the first season’s finale, “Hot Girl,” as Katy Moore before she returns for two more episodes in Season 2, “The Fire” and “Booze Cruise,” where Jim abruptly breaks up with Katy. Adams, despite her tremendous star power, still feels like a natural fit for The Office‘s early seasons. She’s humble yet extraordinary, which makes it easy to overlook Adams’ brief role in The Office.
5. Thomas Middleditch Is Dwight’s Younger, Odder Brother
Jeb Schrute
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The Office was such a colossal success for NBC that it’s only natural that the network had spinoff plans in place once it was beginning to reach its conclusion. Season 9, Episode 7, “The Farm,” was developed as a backdoor pilot that fits into The Office‘s final season but also would have marked the start of a Dwight-centric spinoff with his family on Schrute Farms had NBC decided to pick the pilot up to series. The Office had previously provided glimpses of the Schrute family, but “The Farm” pulls back the layers even further when Dwight returns home for a funeral.
“The Farm” introduces some new members of the Schrute clan, which includes Jeb, Dwight’s younger brother, who’s played by Thomas Middleditch. “The Farm’s” failure to become a proper spinoff may have been a blessing in disguise for Middleditch, who would go on to star in Silicon Valley the following year, which ran for six seasons.
4. Mark Proksch Is an Obstructive Individual Who Becomes a Fixture of Dwight
Nate N. Nickerson
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Mark Proksch is a character actor who’s cut his teeth in independent productions and Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington’s growing On Cinema connected universe. Proksch has also made smaller appearances in prestige dramas like Better Call Saul, but his biggest role is undoubtedly Colin Robinson in FX’s standout vampire comedy, What We Do in the Shadows, which is set to finish its run after six seasons.
Proksch plays Nathan N. Nickerson on The Office, who manages to show up in 16 episodes across the final three seasons, usually in a sidekick capacity to Dwight. Nate’s journey begins as Dwight’s personal assistant before he moves into maintenance work at Scranton Business Park and then later joins the warehouse staff at Dunder Mifflin. Proksch’s Nate somehow makes Dwight look normal by comparison, which is no small feat.
3. Bob Odenkirk Perfectly Embodies an Alternate Pseudo-Michael Scott
Mark Franks
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The Office does something very special with its casting of Bob Odenkirk as Mark Franks, the regional manager of Simon Realty. Pam briefly considered taking a job at Simon Realty in Season 9, Episode 16, “Moving On,” before she realized that it was a lateral move to her receptionist job at Dunder Mifflin. Mark Franks is essentially another version of Michael Scott, who’s oblivious, rude, and not respected by his employees.
The Office‘s final casting for Michael Scott came down to Steve Carell and Bob Odenkirk, which makes Mark Franks a fascinating look into what could have been. Bob Odenkirk has an enviable career in comedy, which includes the critically praised sketch series Mr. Show with Bob and David. However, he’s also gradually shifted into more dramatic fare like Undone, Lucky Hank, Nobody, and his iconic performance as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and his own character-based prequel, Better Call Saul.
2. Randall Park Participates in One Of Jim’s Greatest Office Pranks
Steve / “Asian Jim”
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It’s quite easy to forget that Randall Park appears in a single scene from The Office, considering that the actor himself has even forgotten that he was ever on the popular sitcom. Randall Park appears in Season 9, Episode 3, “Andy’s Ancestry,” in one of Jim’s more complex pranks on Dwight. Jim hires Park’s Steve to impersonate him at Dunder Mifflin in order to convince Dwight that Jim has always been Asian and break his reality in the process.
It’s an extremely entertaining cold open that properly commits to the bit, right down to the fact that Jim doctors a family photo of Pam and “Asian Jim,” complete with Asian children. Park does so well in this cameo performance that it’s no surprise that he’s gone on to have a rich career, starring in the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, as well as Always Be My Maybe, The Interview, and even MCU and DCEU properties like WandaVision and Aquaman.
1. Dakota Johnson Becomes Kevin’s Surprising Replacement
Dakota
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Dakota Johnson has been a rising star for over a decade with memorable roles in The Social Network, Persuasion, the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, and now Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff, Madame Web. The Office excels when it comes to finding emerging talent early on in their careers, and Dakota Johnson’s brief role in The Office‘s series finale is a great example of this. Johnson’s aptly named character, Dakota, is hired by Dwight to be Kevin’s replacement, and she joins Dunder Mifflin a year after the series’ documentary airs.
Dakota could not be more different than Kevin, but she still has to contend with his years of ineptitude and “kelevens.” Dakota also reciprocates Clark’s flirting, which hints at a possible romance for the two had The Office continued. Johnson’s appearance didn’t make waves when the episode first aired, and some fans don’t recognize her as a blonde, but she does great work in this small role.
