‘The Office’: John Krasinski Said He Struggled to Get Through 1 of His ‘Favorite Jokes in the Entire Show’
The Office “Dinner Party” episode has so many hilarious moments that the cast had a hard time getting through some of the scenes. John Krasinski, in particular, struggled with one of his favorite jokes — when Michael Scott shows off his flat-screen TV. He said it took “19 or 20 takes” before he could even quiet his giggles.
‘The Office’ ‘Dinner Party’ episode was full of funny uncomfortable moments
During the March 17 Office Ladies podcast, Krasinski shared what it was like to film that “Dinner Party” episode scene and it wasn’t easy for anyone involved. He knew he was in trouble when they did the table read.
“When we got to the moment with the television, I think there was an energy in the room that was overwhelming,” Krasinski recalled. “I was already quaking with laughter. It wouldn’t have taken much for me to laugh — and then throw in maybe one of my favorite jokes in the entire show.”
He continued, “And I remember at the table read laughing. But then to see Steve [Carell] again with that beaming face of pride just turn to us and say, ‘You won’t believe what I have.’ And also ‘Look what it can do. When company comes over I can just do this.’”
John Krasinski was crying laughing during this ‘The Office’ scene
The sight gag of the TV only adjusting mere inches from the wall sent Krasinski off the deep end. “I’m pretty sure that the distance between the TV and the wall was like an inch and a half,” he said. “And he was so proud that it comes out to watch TV in the comfort of your own home and then you push it back a good inch and a half to hide it away when company comes.”
Krasinski pointed to the outtakes from the episode to prove that he couldn’t keep it together. “Jenna [Fischer] can tell you, but I think that it took probably 19 or 20 takes before I was even able to stand up vertically in that scene without doubling over,” he shared. “And again, as I’ve always said, I’m a crier laughter. So when I laugh that hard, my entire face turns red with tears and the pressure that’s filling in my face for trying not to laugh and to no avail.”
“That is without a doubt one of my favorite scenes and I will cherish that memory for the rest of my career,” he added.
Fischer confirmed what it was like to film that hilarious scene. “There are two times when I laughed so hard on our show that I thought I wasn’t going to ever recover. This was one of them,” Fischer explained. “Tears streaming down our face.”
Steve Carell improvised some hilarious moments in ‘Dinner Party’
The “Dinner Party” episode was so well written it didn’t require any rewrites. Even with the tight script, Carell took a few liberties and improvised a number of lines that have become fan-favorites, including his description of the wine having an “oaky afterbirth” flavor.
Carell also improvised the line about having multiple vasectomies. “Snip, snap, snip, snap, snip, snap. You have no idea the physical toll three vasectomies has on a person,” Michael Scott says in the episode.
“Jenna we should share with everyone what line Steve improvised that sent us all to the floor,” Angela Kinsey noted during the podcast.
“I mean, you try not laughing with Steve Carell in front of you, improvising stuff like that, we were all goners,” Kinsey added.
