“I like to think of [my character] as a full, well-rounded person.”
The Big Picture
- Angela Kinsey had concerns about stereotypical jokes her character made on
The Office
, wanting a more well-rounded portrayal. - Kinsey’s feedback resulted in the removal of a joke in one episode that she felt misrepresented Christianity.
- A new series set in
The Office
universe is in development, featuring new characters in a different setting.
Angela Martin always had some words for her coworkers in The Office, and her comments could cut deep. They were delivered in a sharp, judgmental tone, leaving no room for confusion about their intent. And while she relished putting other people in their place, Angela Kinsey, the actress who portrayed the character, was not always thrilled by some of the comments the character made. In a conversation with her costar Rainn Wilson on his Soul Boom podcast (via Deadline), Kinsey talked about a particular brand of jokes made by her character against her gay coworker, Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez). Kinsey, who is Christian, admitted that she was raised quite differently from her character and felt that sometimes the jokes painted Christians one-dimensionally. She recalled a certain joke in the episode “Gay Witchhunt” that forced her to talk to showrunner Greg Daniels about it.
“Yeah, actually, there were one or two times in which there would be a joke written for her that I thought was just really stereotypical, maybe one note. I like to think of her as a full, well-rounded person. I do remember I remember there was a particular storyline between Angela and Oscar, where Angela was being super judge-y. I never went up to Greg about any joke, but there was a joke at Oscar’s expense, and I went up to Greg [Daniels] and I was like, ‘I can’t.’”
Daniels was receptive to her feedback and agreed to remove the line. The episode featured too many gay jokes at Oscar’s expense, and Angela’s joke invoked Jesus’ name, something Kinsey felt was a misrepresentation of Jesus and what he stood for. She talked about that, saying:
“I just was like, ‘I don’t feel good about it. I don’t feel good about that. I don’t feel like that’s what Jesus represented to me. And he was like, ‘OK.’ And he heard me, and he took the joke out. And the episode, it was “Gay Witch Hunt,” had so many already. But that’s the one pivotal moment I remember being like, OK, this is feeling like a stereotype and very one note. I feel like she has more depth than that.”
‘The Office’ Makes a Comeback
It’s the era of reboots, remakes and offshoots, and the show is getting that treatment. Daniels is developing a new The Office series set in the same universe, but it is not a reboot of the original series. Domhnall Gleeson (The Patient) and Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus) have been cast in undisclosed roles in the new iteration of the workplace comedy. The show also enlisted Michael Koman to help pen the pilot. The series will follow new characters in an entirely different setting, allowing for exploring new stories.
All seasons of the original series are available to stream on Peacock.
The Office
A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium.
- Release Date
- March 24, 2005
- Cast
- Steve Carell , Rainn Wilson , John Krasinski , Jenna Fischer , Mindy Kaling , Craig Robinson , B.J. Novak , Creed Bratton , Angela Kinsey , Oscar Nunez , Ellie Kemper , Ed Helms
- Main Genre
- Sitcom
- Seasons
- 9
- Number of Episodes
- 201
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Greg Daniels
This article was originally published on collider.com