‘The Office’: Mindy Kaling Thought She ‘Might Pass Out’ While Filming This Episode
Like many members of The Office cast, Mindy Kaling looks back at her time on the show with great fondness. Not only was her character, Kelly Kapoor, a great addition to the Dunder Mifflin Scranton team, but she also wrote many episodes that have become fan-favorites. As one of the writers for The Office, Kaling penned beloved episodes like “The Dundies”, “Hot Girl”, “The Injury”, and “Niagra”.
While Kaling enjoyed her time working on The Office, it was certainly hard work. Writing for the show required incredibly long hours and since Kaling was a part of the cast too, she was also expending emotional energy for her job. As an actor, Kaling sometimes had to deal with pretty intense conditions. In fact, the writer once admitted that she felt like she was going to pass out while filming one particular episode.
Mindy Kaling thought she’d pass out while filming ‘The Fire’ episode
Fans may recall “The Fire” episode from Season 2. During the episode, Ryan (who is still a temp at the time) accidentally starts a fire and everyone has to vacate the office and hang out in the parking lot while the fire department takes care of the issue. Because it’s supposed to be Fall in the show, most of the cast sports long sleeves in the episode. However, in reality, they were dealing with a record-breaking heatwave that was so intense it made Kaling feel like she might pass out.
“I remember feeling like I might pass out during ‘The Fire,'” Kaling shared in a 2010 interview with Office Tally. “We all stood around in 108-degree heat with coats on, having to pretend it was Fall.” Of course, “The Fire” wasn’t the only time that The Office cast and crew had to deal with extreme weather. In fact, they dealt with another heatwave while filming one of the beloved Christmas episodes also.
‘The Office’ cast and crew dealt with extreme weather while filming a Christmas episode
The Office is certainly known for its Christmas episodes and “Classy Christmas” is no exception. The two-part episode marks Holly’s return and also the infamous snowball fight between Dwight and Jim. One of the most memorable scenes features the numerous snowmen that Dwight builds in order to heighten Jim’s paranoia. The snowmen were actually very challenging to create and took an entire day to build. And, because the episode was actually shot in extremely warm weather, they also required a great deal of maintenance.
In the same interview, Randy Cordray (who was one of the producers for The Office) detailed how much behind-the-scenes work went into making the “Classy Christmas” episode. “Our special effects team built metal molds and hand-packed the dozens of snowmen needed for the day,” Cordray revealed. “And, of course, we shot these scenes on one of the hottest days of the fall. It was in the high-90’s and blindingly sunny that day, so the entire crew was outfitted with UV-protectant sunglasses since snow-blindness was a real possibility.”
‘The Office’ cast stayed indoors until it was time to film
Fortunately, Kaling didn’t have a repeat experience of filming “The Fire.” The Office cast and crew were kept under watch to ensure that nobody was exposed to the extreme conditions for too long. “Our set medic monitored the working crew all day to make sure they were well-hydrated and slathered in sunscreen,” the producer added. “The actors, wearing heavy winter clothes, were kept indoors in an air-conditioned holding area until moments before each shot.”
It’s pretty fascinating to hear just how much work went into creating just one episode of The Office. We’re sure fans never would’ve guess that the cast was dealing with extreme heat while shooting the Christmas episode. It just goes to show that everyone on set was a true professional.
