It’s a stone cold fact of life. If you watch TV on Thursday nights, you know who this woman is. After all, The Office is the first show to come along and revitalize “Must-See-TV” since the cast of Seinfeld somehow ended up in prison. No one loves Jan or takes her more serious than Melora.
Obviously, the popularity of your show, The Office, stems from different people around the country, fellow office citizens who suffer similar experiences as the characters on the show. Is that what drew you to the show initially?
Sometimes you read things and you go, “Oh, I don’t know if I totally get that person.” I just slipped into her skin really easily. I thought she was funny, I thought she was smart and I thought she represented a modern day woman in a way that I don’t really see that often on television. Usually women like her are really one-dimensional. I just sensed that she had a lot of different places to go. Luckily for me, we have writers who have taken her on many different paths and more to come next season.
Can you divulge?
In the season finale, something really big happens to Jan.
Big as in an elephant?
Yeah. I’m talking about a pink elephant.
What do you think a comedy like The Office really stands for?
With reality shows being such a big hit for so long, people were really ready for something that was sort of fictitious but still reality-based. I think the timing was perfect. It represents a part of society that hasn’t really been so nakedly presented to a television audience before, at least in America. I think that’s probably what’s at the root of its great success. It’s kind of always surprising and a little bit shocking.
People still relate, even if they wince a little.
Television has always been the most intimate medium because coming in your living room, people get to have that personal relationship with you week after week, feeling like they get to know you and you become their friend. You hear actors saying things all the time that people come up and say, “I can’t believe you punched her! I can’t believe you kissed her!” like, they really believe it. They feel like you’re in their life and they really have some say in what you do. I think this takes things to the next level and it feels so real.
It’s easy to base a character on something people have experienced before. Is there something you base your characters off of?
She’s just a place in me that I can relate to. It’s not like I know anyone who’s like Jan although I’ve had a lot of corporate women who come up to me and say, “I am Jan! Oh my God, I am you.” I always find that flattering and slightly disturbing.
When the show premiered, did it feel as though fans of the British version seemed against the idea of an American version?
Yeah, I think people were definitely waiting to see how we were going to ruin the show. And when we didn’t, I think that they had to take notice. I get people constantly coming up to me and constantly saying that ‘I think your version is better.’
Which version do you think is better?
I think they’re both brilliant. I think Richard (Ricky Gervais) is amazing. His way of playing Michael Scott (known as David Brent in the UK) is a completely English take on it. He’s an English idiot. He’s sarcastic. He’s got incredible dry humor. If you tried to do that in America, it wouldn’t work! I think Steve Carrell has created a Michael Scott who’s a petulant child. If you look at our show, all of our men are petulant boys and all of our women are ball-busters. I feel like our audience has embraced that, but it doesn’t diminish the other version. They’re both really amazing and viable in their own culture.
With everyone who’s on the show, it must be difficult to remain composure on set.
I think I’m pretty good about it, but at least once a day I have a good laugh. I usually wait until they say “cut” which is why you won’t see me much on the bloopers.
If you could say one thing to Jan, what would you say to her?
“Lighten up and let loose, baby!!” with two exclamation points with the two little dots making the eyes and then a smiley face underneath!
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