‘The Office’: Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson Couldn’t Keep It Together During This Iconic Scene

The Office cast often found themselves struggling to get through scenes because the writing and actors were so funny, but there was one Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson scene that the two found particularly challenging. It involved Carell’s character Michael Scott wearing an iconic Halloween costume that created another level of hilarity.

Jenna Fischer said Michael Scott’s hilarious Halloween costume was ‘too much’

During a January 2020 episode of Office Ladies, hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey discussed The Office “Halloween” episode. Everyone dresses up at the office, with Michael Scott sporting a second head — and Carell’s delivery in the costume proved to be challenging in one scene with Fischer.

“Well, the scene with Michael and Pam. Do you guys remember how he’s wearing the second head?,” she said. “And Pam goes in his office and he tells her that he needs to fire someone. And then he sort of implies maybe it could be her.”

Fischer shared that her character deflects the idea that he’d fire her by flattering him about his costume, but the actor found it especially tricky to get through the scene because of the character’s extra head.

“Then she just gets out of the room as quickly as possible,” Fischer recalled. “I could not get through that scene. Listen, Steve is funny enough on his own. But Steve, with that extra Steve on his shoulder? It was too much and it wobbled in a sort of way.”

Carell, according to Fischer, “loved wobbling” the costume for comedic effect.

Rainn Wilson was doubled over laughing in one scene with Steve Carell

The wobbling got to Rainn Wilson as well, as Fischer recalled a scene in which Michael calls Dwight into his office and discusses how he has to fire someone.

“Dwight starts naming all the people he should fire,” Fischer said. “But then Michael implies maybe it should be Dwight. And then Michael’s second head starts talking to Dwight.”

Dwight is dressed as a sith lord from Star Wars, which adds another layer to the funny scene.

Carell and Wilson cracked up while filming the scene. “Do you remember Steve and Rainn laughing during that scene?,” Fischer asked. “I remember they could not get through that scene. I was sitting out at reception in the background and they were cracking themselves up in there.”

Kinsey recalled that “Rainn was literally doubling over.”

“Because he was like kind of leaning forward and he would just kind of collapse into himself,” she added. “He was laughing so hard.”

‘The Office’ scene added a ‘funny angle’ with Dwight’s ‘Star Wars’ costume

While discussing the “Office Olympics” episode on Office Ladies, director Paul Feig, who also directed the “Halloween” episode, shared how the camera angle with Wilson dressed as a sith lord came about.

“We just found that funny angle that looked like the emperor from Star Wars, where you just kind of see his face,” Feig explained. “And we just, you know, him just taunting him … But [writer] Greg [Daniels] I think, jettisoned some other kind of storyline just so we could keep that scene long because it was just so funny.”

They found a way to make the side angle of Wilson’s hooded costume really work during the hilarious scene.