Why This ‘The Office’ Star Is Giving Fans $100,000 Back
Actor David Leslie Baker from The Office is returning any money generated through a Kickstarter campaign to launch a spinoff starring his character Stanley Hudson.
Baker hoped to revive his crossword puzzle-loving character in a series loosely titled Uncle Stan. The plot followed Stanley after he retired from Dunder Mifflin and moved to Florida. His peace is interrupted when his nephew Lucky called and said that he needed help running his Los Angeles-based motorcycle/flower shop.
The pilot was set up for Stanley to encounter new characters in a new setting, but two hurdles ultimately blocked any movement.
At this point, Baker is returning about $100,000 to fans. There was also some confusion about the final tally, which Baker explained in a recent Instagram post.
Why is David Leslie Baker from ‘The Office’ unable to move forward with the spinoff?
Baker launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund The Office spinoff but was hit with delays thanks to coronavirus (Covid-19).
“The project took longer than anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control,” he shared on Instagram. “Initial delays were caused because of the COVID lockdowns and pushed us back further than expected. As things started returning to normal and we commenced reward fulfillment and preproduction, the WGA strike was announced causing us to put things on hold again.”
“As you are all aware, SAG is now on strike and we will continue to be on hold indefinitely until an agreement is reached,” he continued. “We stand in solidarity with those in the entertainment industry and will do our part in supporting WGA and SAG during these times.”
Leslie David Baker cleared up the Kickstarter totals
According to the Kickstarter post, the campaign generated more than $300,000. Baker explained in his Instagram post.
“FYI, although the total funded amount shown on our Kickstarter campaign page was stated as $336,450.53,” he shared. “That was not the actual final amount we received. A large portion of backers’ pledges were lowered, or completely dropped and never collected once the campaign was completed.”
“The final amount that we received from Kickstarter was exactly $110,629.81,” he added. “The funds were never used for any purposes other than reward fulfillment and backer refunds, and have otherwise remained accounted for and untouched in the account. We sincerely apologize for any miscommunication or inconvenience during this campaign. As mentioned above, we will be providing full refunds to our Backers. Thank you again for all your love and support!”
Stanley and Phyllis from ‘The Office’ could have rekindled their friendship
Baker and Phyllis Smith (who played Phyllis Lapin-Vance) spoke to Showbiz Cheat Sheet about their characters’ friendship on The Office. They even addressed the fan theory that Stanley and Phyllis were romantically involved.
“What would Bob (Phyllis’s husband) have done to Stanley?” Baker laughed.
“Stanley wouldn’t be sitting here today if that were true,” Smith joked. She added that she and Baker quickly built a strong friendship, which resonated on camera.
“We just had the camaraderie,” Smith said. “And when he gave me the whittled bird, those tears were real that day.”
