How ‘The Office’ Changed the Lives of the Cast, Including John Krasinski and Kate Flannery
The Office aired 15 years ago, but the comedy series remains wildly popular amongst fans. The NBC show certainly changed many fans’ lives, but The Office also significantly affected everyone who worked on it. Discover the impact The Office had on actors like John Krasinksi and Kate Flannery.
Brian Baumgartner explored what makes ‘The Office’ special on his podcast
In July 2020, Baumgartner introduced the world to An Oral History of The Office, a podcast that “pulls back the curtain on what went into creating this unstoppable force in American popular culture.”
Throughout the 12-episode show, Baumgartner spoke to the cast and crew of The Office to understand the show’s popularity, even after all these years. In doing so, Baumgartner also uncovered how The Office forever changed the lives of many.
Kate Flannery met her boyfriend on the set of ‘The Office’
As Baumgartner pointed out in the “Who Should Be the Boss?” episode of the podcast, “This show changed not just our careers, but our whole lives.”
Kate Flannery played The Office‘s resident drunk, Meredith Palmer. While working on the show, Flannery met on-set photographer Chris Haston.
“Not only did I stop waiting tables — I met my boyfriend on the show,” Flannery told Baumgartner. “We’ve been together 14 years and he’s the greatest.”
Flannery talked about her boyfriends in the past, adding: “You do not want to meet any of the guys I’ve dated.” Fortunately, Flannery found a winner in Haston. The two remain a couple today.
John Krasinski built his life thanks to ‘The Office’
John Krasinski, who is now an accredited filmmaker, also attributes all of his success his role on The Office.
“[The Office] is my everything,” Krasinski said. “That show changed my entire life. I was 23 when it started, so I hadn’t even really formed an identity of who I was. From a career perspective, I’ve had more opportunities than I ever would have dreamt of having is all due to that show.”
On a more personal level, Krasinski says The Office gave him this “quintessential building block” that he got to stand on and build the rest of his life.
Greg Daniels fostered a community of talent, opening doors for writers and editors
Editor Claire Scanlon credited producer Greg Daniels with creating a community of writers and editors capable of working together in any capacity.
“I call it going to the University of Greg Daniels,” she joked. “He was our professor and then we all shot out and went elsewhere [after the show] but we all remembered each other.”
Scanlon said the “short-hand” developed amongst writers and editors made it easy for them to work together on future projects.
Mike Schur had a similar experience at the “University of Greg Daniels.”
“He taught me how to write,” Schur said of his time working with Daniels. Today, Schur is one of the biggest creators in television, bringing shows like Parks and Rec and The Good Place to life.
All of Daniels’ colleagues agreed — he was good at putting people and teams together. Like Michael Scott, Daniels was a good boss.
