The Office BFFs Book Summary - The Office BFFs Book explained in key points

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The Office BFFs summary

Name: The Office BFFs
Author: Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey

Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey

Tales of the Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There

19 mins

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Autobiographies Media Lifestyle & Pop Culture

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The Office BFFs
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What’s in it for me? Get an insider’s scoop on the beloved series The Office and Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer’s BFF moments.

It's March 2005. You're watching a new show on NBC about a certain paper company called Dunder Mifflin, run by obnoxious regional manager Michael Scott. You're uncertain about how the show would pan out, but in the end, you find yourself doubling over in laughter over Michael's best boss mug and Dwight's stapler in Jell-O.

Little did you know that this goofy little show would be occupying your nights for the next nine years.

Yes, that's The Office, a mockumentary focusing on the employees of the fictional paper company's Scranton branch. Here, Jenna Fischer portrays the receptionist Pam Beesly, while Angela Kinsey plays the part of senior accountant Angela Martin. Although the two don't have much of an on-screen relationship, they actually share a strong bond off-camera.

Let's peek behind the scenes and explore the lives of these co-stars and the world of The Office in this Blink to The Office BFFs.

The Kismet Meeting in The Office Set

Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey's passion for show business started early—from a young age, they both knew that this was their calling. So, armed with their dreams and the hopes of making it big, they each headed to Los Angeles and started auditioning for various roles. However, it wasn't until 2003 that the big break they were looking for landed on their laps.

TV producer and director Greg Daniels wanted to bring the British sitcom The Office to American TV. Jenna was asked to audition for the show and eventually got the part of Pam. Angela was also invited to the auditions by none other than Greg Daniels himself, who she was related to by marriage then. Unfortunately, she didn't immediately get cast in the Dunder Mifflin universe until several weeks later when she was called back to try out for another role, Angela Martin of the paper company's accounting department. Angela brought her A-game to the audition and was given the part.

During this time, Jenna and Angela haven't crossed paths yet. But that changed when they walked onto the set of The Office in Culver City, California on their first day of shooting. Angela found herself sitting right next to Jenna's reception desk, with only a partition separating their workstations.

Since Jenna was the nearest girl to her on the set, the chatty Angela naturally gravitated toward her. She introduced herself to Jenna and chatted away. This turned into their routine for the next several days and set the stage for their blossoming friendship.

Unfortunately, because they were doing just the pilot episode, the cast and crew were together for only a week. Once the shooting was done, they had to part ways for almost three months while they wait for the episode to be edited and for NBC to decide whether or not to turn the show into a series.

For those three months, Angela and Jenna's friendship had to be put on hold. But like a good old-fashioned cliffhanger, it wasn’t the end of their story, and they were destined to pick things up right where they left off.

From Co-Stars to Besties

As luck would have it, The Office officially became a series after NBC requested five more episodes. The cast and crew were called back, and this marked the start of the sitcom's nine-year-long run.

As expected in the entertainment industry, they had to put in long hours on set, averaging around 60 hours per week. However, what set The Office apart from any other movie or show was that the cast members were almost always together in every scene. Even though they weren't delivering lines, they had to stay in their workstations to be background actors. After all, a typical office isn't without a bustling background.

The People Behind the Famous Paper Company

The original cast and crew of The Office had a special connection from the get-go. Some of them have worked together in the past, while others shared hometowns and even lived in the same neighborhood in Los Angeles. Despite being mostly strangers, they all collaborated so well that there never was any drama or altercation on set, just never-ending laughter.

Angela and Jenna loved the women on The Office, not only for their talents but also for off-screen support and love. One of the unsung women on the show was Carey Bennett, their costume designer who went so far as to visit a real paper company just to get their looks right. Of course, there were Angela and Jenna's co-stars, Kate Flannery and Phyllis Smith, who were with them from the start.

Michael Says Goodbye to Dunder Mifflin

Unfortunately, towards the end of Season 7, Steve's contract was ending, and with this, he made the tough decision to leave The Office behind. He realized how many family milestones he was missing with his hectic actor schedule, and he wanted to start being more present to his kids. While The Office did provide family-friendly accommodations like sending them home early on Halloween and letting the new moms bring their babies on set, Steve was well aware that acting still consumed a big chunk of his time. So ultimately, he had to bid goodbye.

When it came time to film Steve's last episode of The Office, there wasn't a dry eye in Dunder Mifflin. The mood was as heavy as a ream of paper, and the saddest day was when they surprised Steve with a goodbye song. He was kept in the dark about the surprise, and what the cameras captured was his raw, genuine reaction.

When Breaking Bad Meets The Office: The Epic Episode Directed by Bryan Cranston

Apart from the "Goodbye, Michael" episode, another one of the most memorable episodes in The Office was the "Work Bus" in Season 9. It was definitely one for the books for a number of reasons. One is that it was directed by Bryan Cranston, who also directed the hit TV series Breaking Bad. It was ironic for him in a way, to go from directing a show about a shady RV to one about a quirky group of paper salespeople crammed into a bus.

However, what really made the episode unforgettable for the cast and crew was the fact that they almost died not once but twice while shooting. The first close call was when they were filming what was supposed to be Dwight's mad driving skills.

That’s a Wrap!

Before the chaotic episode that was the "Work Bus" even started shooting that fateful day, another momentous event happened. Greg Daniels returned as showrunner and had both good and bad news for the cast.

The good news was that NBC ordered two additional seasons of the show. The bad news, however, was that Jenna and John were the only lead casts to be present for the entire run of the season. This was because the others' contracts were ending, and they already had other projects lined up.

Life After The Office

But wait! The story of The Office might have come to a close, but Jenna and Angela's tale is far from over.

Although they couldn't see each other every day as they were moving around a lot for work, these two stayed as tight as they were before. Jenna even jetted off to London, but it's clear that distance couldn't keep them apart. Almost every day, they would send each other voice memos they refer to as "Ramblies," where they would talk about essentially anything under the sun.

Final Summary

Angela and Jenna's friendship just goes to show that having your person by your side is like a superpower in itself. Both of them have accomplished a lot since they met on the fateful set of The Office, and they continue to accomplish great things together even after saying goodbye to their beloved characters, Pam and Angela.

So if you're lucky enough to find your person, hold on tight. They might just take you on an adventure of a lifetime.

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What is The Office BFFs about?

The Office BFFs (2022) peels back the curtain on the close-knit friendship of Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer from the American hit TV series The Office. It comes complete, not only with their candid time together on and off camera but also with never-before-seen photos featuring the cast and crew of the show.

Who should read The Office BFFs?

The Office fans
People curious about the behind-the-scenes friendship of Angela and Jenna
Celebrity enthusiasts

About the Author

Jenna Fischer played receptionist Pam Beesly in The Office. She later starred in other sitcoms, including Splitting Up Together and You, Me and the Apocalypse. Angela Kinsey played the accounting head Angela Martin in The Office. She later appeared on Tall Girl and Tall Girl 2 on Netflix. Jenna and Angela both host and produce their podcast, Office Ladies.

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