"For me to have the cleavage out and the tight costumes, I had that attention to my physical self that was necessary to play a role like this. Pam is an inside out kind of girl. She’s a real thinker and feeler. Darlene starts from the outside and when you get inside, there’s not a lot real there. She’s really vacant. That was an adjustment for me to make."
Jenna Fischer is perhaps best known for her role as Pam Beesly in the hit NBC sitcom ‘The Office.” But at a press day in New York City, Jenna walks into a room of reporters with a bedazzled, flashy Dewey Cox t-shirt – a huge departure from the quiet and shy receptionist that most “Office” fans see her as.
This Christmas, Jenna ditches the computers, pencils and paper for flashy costumes and big hair in the comedy “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.” She stars opposite John C. Reilly in this hilarious faux biography about the ups and downs of the life of a country-rock singer.
We talked to Jenna about working on the film, “The Office” and women in comedy.
Q: So was it fun working with John C. Reilly and working with that goofiness and comedy?
JENNA: Yeah. John is a classically trained actor so doing comedy with him was very different from any of the other people I’ve worked with. He approached the role really seriously but he also has a great sense of humor. So it was a lot of fun. He’s probably my favorite co-star. I enjoyed working with him. This was the second movie I’ve done with him. I hope there’s a third movie.
Q: Did this film fit in with your schedule on “The Office”?
JENNA: Not really. I had to really force it. This movie started two days after “The Office” ended so I had all my prep for this movie on the weekends and on the evenings as well, I was working on “The Office.” So I was overworked when I started this movie. But it was one of those things where it was a brilliant script and really funny and the people I was going to work with…when you need to make your plate bigger, even though it’s full, you pour more on it. So I made my plate a little bigger.
Q: In “The Office,” Pam is sort of quiet and not-so-glamorous. In this film, however, you’re pretty much the sexpot character. Was it refreshing to do something like that?
JENNA: Yeah. When they sent me the script, I assumed they wanted me to read for Edith. That who I wanted to read for. She’s sort of the put upon, wallflower first wife. They already had Kristin Wiig so when I went into the audition, they asked me to read for Darlene. I don’t know. I see myself that way because I had to get over my own personal shyness to do [Darlene]. But it was good. Sometimes acting is really cool because it forces you to exercise some muscles in your personality that you wouldn’t normally be called upon in life. This was my chance to be in the spotlight and revel in the spotlight and be really flashy with my hair and my costumes. I had to find that part of me that enjoyed it.
Q: Did you find it liberating having that different character?
JENNA: The role was definitely liberating, that’s for sure. I’m typically the one where you go to a beach, I’m the last one to take her cover off, or the first one to grab a towel in coming out of the water. I’m very shy in that way. For me to have the cleavage out and the tight costumes, I had that attention to my physical self that was necessary to play a role like this. Pam is an inside out kind of girl. She’s a real thinker and feeler. Darlene starts from the outside and when you get inside, there’s not a lot real there. She’s really vacant. That was an adjustment for me to make.
Q: A lot of guys have crushes on Pam but like you said, she’s more quiet and of a thinker and not so flashy. Does it allow you really exercise the comedic aspect of her character?
JENNA: Yeah I think that’s what was exciting about playing a part like Pam. When they were casting the role, the casting director said, “Please don’t wear makeup to your audition. This isn’t what the part is about.” I knew the casting director. She would say when I would go in for other roles, “Look as hot as possible.” And I’m like, “This is a third grade teacher? It seems inappropriate.” And then she would say, “But they can also make you look less sexy. Just let them know you’re sexy.” What was so great and liberating playing someone like Pam, it was really about character first and appearance was arbitrary. It’s important that she’s very relatable and people be able to connect with her. If she was too flashy, I’m not sure you can get in and experience it with her. She’s supposed to be every person. She’s not supposed to be an idol.
Q: How would you compare the comedy styles of something like “The Office” with “Walk Hard"?
JENNA: I’m a big fan of satirical comedy and this is a little different from “The Office” because I don’t think the humor is as ironic in this movie as it is in “The Office.” We don’t call out the subtext as much. We don’t like say our age when we’re talking. There’s that great line where it’s like, “I’m Darlene at age 52.” So it’s a little bit of a different type of comedic delivery. I think the thing that prepared me the most was the type of atmosphere on the set. They both have a freestyle type of attitude. But in the show, everything’s scripted. It’s not like we go there and improvise the show or movie but that creative energy. I think both the show and the movie are structured in that sense.
Q: Growing up, did you listen to guys like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan? What were some of your favorite musicians growing up?
JENNA: I am really musically illiterate. The other day, I was in a car listening to a mixtape that a friend had made. I turned to another friend and was like, “Oh my gosh, I love this band. I want to get more of their music.” And my friend was like, “Yeah, that’s The Clash.” And I was like, “They’re fantastic. I hope they keep making records. I think they’re great.” Growing up, I watched a lot of movie musicals. My mom had a lot of movie musicals. So I didn’t have a very hip music upbringing.
Q: How does your experience on “The Office” help you prepare with roles in feature films?
JENNA: It keeps me fit in terms of my acting. The more you do it, the more easy it is to do and the more accessible things are. Just by getting to work, every day, I have that muscle nice and toned. I think also “The Office” demands some dramatic stuff as well as some comedic part. I get to flex both those muscles which is nice.
Q: With the writers’ strike going on, do you feel like you’re losing that muscle?
JENNA: I do a little bit. I miss it. I did a comedic sketch show with friends the other weekend because I didn’t want to lose that training almost. I really miss it.
Q: Do you have any ideas as to what’s coming down the line in terms of the storylines for the show once you guys go into production again?
JENNA: I don’t. We don’t have any scripts. We have the one we were going to shoot that was shutdown mid-episode. That is the only script that I’ve read. I have no idea what the story is. I know the script that we were shut down with was “The Dinner Party” and Michael Scott throws a dinner party with Jan at his condo. That’s an idea we’ve been kicking around for two years. It’s this idea that Michael invites all the couples to his house and they all have to be together at a dinner party. It was really funny. It planted a lot of seeds that are going to pay off, particularly with Dwight and Angela.
Q: How long was it known that Jim and Pam would get together this season?
JENNA: We knew that the season was going to end with her confessing her feelings for him and that this season would begin with them dating. So we knew at the end of last season but not really before. I think to keep them apart would have been really unnatural. It would have felt forced. I mean, what other obstacle could we have come up with that wouldn’t make it feel like soap opera? I think it was time.
Q: Do you come up with your own ideas for the show?
JENNA: We do. It’s pretty collaborative because the writers are on set so we pitch things. Angela and I came up with the women in the workplace storyline that we pitched a couple of seasons ago. We’re always pitching ideas for the women on the show. We love the episode where Michael takes all the women to the mall. When Phyllis was getting married, we were trying to pitch a bachelorette party episode and they came up with the Ben Franklin as our stripper episode. All the girls are trying to find reasons to hang out because whenever we get the boys out of the office, we have so much fun. That testosterone is all about fantasy football and burping. We like to talk about shopping and Target and stuff.
Q: Is it tougher these days for women to really shine in comedy and when you’re looking at scripts or your own career, is this something that crosses your mind?
JENNA: I do think about it. I think there was a time when we had people like Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Teri Garr and Madeline Kahn – these were women that were starring in movies. They were female driven films with female protagonists. They were funny and the leading ladies. I think about a movie like “The Jerk” and they would never cast an actress like Bernadette Peters in that role today. It would b some leggy European model or some beautiful singer-turned-actress. It wouldn’t be a real comedic actress. I think we’re having a comeback. I’m happy for that. I think people like Tina Fey are leading the way with her television show. People like Amy Poehler and Kristin Wiig are a great example. I hope we’re forming another troupe. I think it would be really great if we can trick people into seeing our movies for just us and not having a male star.
"Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" opens in theaters December 21.
