I AM RAINN WILSON, ACTOR, AUTHOR, BASSOONIST, LANNISTER.

Hello Rainn, I met you at the book signing in Naperville, just wondering if you did eat the cookie cake? You know the one that said "Dwight you ignorant slut"

THANK YOU FOR THE CAKE IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!

What was the funniest scene to film for The Office? So funny that it needed multiple takes to finally complete?

John and I on the party planning committee for Kelly's party. Hanging the brown and grey balloons. We COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING.

Who was your favourite cast member of The Office to work with and why was it Steve Carell?

Steve Carell.

Worst encounter you've had with a fan?

This one!

Are you doing this AMA from Portland right now? I want to come to your book signing tonight at Powells.

I am in Portland. I'm at the airport Holiday Inn room 212.

Is "The Farm" 100% dead in the water? :(

Yes. :-(

What's your favourite prank Jim pulled on Dwight?

When he put my desk in the bathroom.

I was reading you book and laughing a lot because you and Mindy are pretty consistent with you feud and you guys are classy and diss each other in books. What is your actual relationship with her like?

I LOVE MINDY. She's the best. I would love to be on her new(ish) show but she hasn't asked me! She's a beautiful girl and a gorgeous mind.

What advice would you give your 20 year old self?

Believe in your self. You are capable of much more than you think you are. Keep going. Dream big! Also, quit smoking pot.

How does being Baha'i influence your career?

Baha'is believe that the way to be the most spiritual is to be of service! So I try to be of service in what I do. Sometimes I just really believe in the project - and want to play the character - but I believe that making great stories and entertainment is a very valuable service. SOulpancake, a for-profit company, is also a service - providing uplifting inspiring content that helps bring people together!

Who would Dwight vote for in 2016?

Edit: forgot a letter

Dwight would vote for Mussolini.

Do you like beets?

I actually do.

Do you still keep in touch with your Office cast?

Yes. Especially Jenna, Angela, Brian and Oscar. And Kate. And BJ.

Hey Rainn! 

Thanks for doing this AMA! I have a weird question… can you channel Dwight? Like how much of Dwight depended on writers and how much of it was just really good acting? Can I talk to him (this is turning into Inside The Actors Studio)? What are his thoughts on the real life Rainn Wilson?

I had Dwight write the introduction to my book which was really funny. He's definitely the combination of myself and the magic of the writers. Greg Daniels, BJ and Paul Lieberstein helped with the intro.

Dwight hated the book and thinks Rainn Wilson is an idiot.

Still have Dwight's glasses?

I do! My proudest possesion!

Do you have any of Dwight's personality traits?

Yes, I can be an asshole, idiot.

Would you ever do another film with the tone of Super? Amazing performance, by the way.

I loved the movie SUPER - it was my absolute favorite! I would love to do more work in that Vein.

Hi Rainn,

Do you play Street Fighter?

No. I actually street fight. With a shiv I carved out of the pelvic bone of the first guy I knifed. Wanna duel?

Hoping to catch you quick so I'm sorry if this was asked.

What happened to Backstrom? I enjoy you in pretty well everything I've seen you in, you're hilarious. I hardly ever watch actual television, but Backstrom was one show I tried to catch every week.

Backstrom was such a great show. We were on a terrible time slot. Got hammered in the reviews. And people just didn't give us a chance. Too bad! Oh well.

Hey Rainn, thanks for doing this! I'm a filmmaker and actor, and I've recently become financially stable, which is extremely strange. For the past decade I've been comically broke - paying my way through school, scrounging gigs, sleeping very little, smoking way too much. Having any kind of money is making me dizzy.

What advice could you give to a pragmatically stunted, wide-eyed artist with a steady-n-solid paycheck in order to avoid succumbing to lifestyle inflation, or worse, getting too comfortable to fight as hard as they have in the past?

PS - I really love the sensitivity and energy you bring to all of your roles. It's pretty special.

Study under the very very best people. Apprentice yourself. Undertake a lifetime of learning.

What's your favourite show that you didn't star in?

Arrested Development

You and your wife have a charity for young females in Haiti. Why that specifically as opposed to anything else?

We have been going to Haiti regularly for many years and really fell in love with it. We both love arts education and did a lot of work and research on the fact that education of adolescent girls is the BEST WAY TO REDUCE POVERTY! So we decided to put our money where our mouth is and go to the poorest parts of Haiti and teach there. Check us out: http://lidehaiti.org

Hey Rainn, what is the book about?

I'm going to sign off here, folks. Been fun. Sorry it was so short.

My book is about me - all of who I am. I hope you'll all give it a gander. It's really funny and has a lot of heart as well. Some big ideas about Faith and God and Life and Failure woven in as well. Plus TONS OF PICTURES!!! Check it out, ok? I love you all. Well, almost all of you. Thanks for being so nice! Let's do another one soon!

Hello Mr. Wilson, how did you chose that hairstyle for Dwight? It didn't match the canon for the other characters on the show, and unlike Jim's hairstyle, it stayed the same through its entirety.

I tried to purposefully create the UGLIEST haircut I could possibly design for my ungainly enormous head and forehead.

I also stole that from McKenzie crook who played Gareth. He gave him a terrible haircut.

Also, Chris Cole, a guy I played D & D with as a kid had THAT EXACT SAME HAIRCUT!

Would you ever do something with Crispin Glover? I find that you two have really amazing acting abilities that others around you thrive off of. 


I would love to work with him! He's a lunatic but soooo brilliant

Rainn! Love you, man!
If you were cast as the next Bond and given a degree of creative input what could we expect to see?

I thought Spectre was gorgeous and forgettable dogshit. Nothing made sense. It was preposterous. The plot holes were ridiculous.

why is your book listed under the genre "religious humor" on amazon? Fa-la-la-la-la...lala ka-ching

they changed that now I believe. that' honestly kind of embarrassing. I think it points to this weird disconnect in the entertainment world. I'm a comic actor who writes a LITTLE BIT about Faith and religion in a book of mostly funny stories and observations. People get SO FREAKED OUT ABOUT THIS - they don't know how to categorize what I'm doing. I'm quite proud of the fact that the book has these different facets and colors to it. Philosophy and Faith and and personal stories and humor all mixed together.

Question: What kind of bear is best?

The original question bear.

Who do you support running for president right now?

As a Baha'i I am not political. I believe that eventually we need to ban partisan politics and write in the best person for the job who may be too humble to seek the position. What would Elon Musk or Bill Gates be like as president?

Favourite day on the set of the office?

After we won the EMMY. After being almost cancelled 5 or 6 times it was a sweet sweet victory!

What's the best way to make you uncomfortable?

Stand too close.

Wanna grab a donut in Seattle sometime?

I was just there!

How does it feel to be the bassoon king?

I am so psyched to take my crown! The Bassoon King is my new book? Do you guys read things other than Reddit? Just curious. Remember those bound paper things called books? Kind of like Reddit only made out of trees.

Rainn, I have had this rash on my left arm for a while, what should I do?

Amputate.

Hey Rainn!

I'm a HUGE Office geek so this AMA is cool to see. My question for you is which episode was your favorite to be apart of? I know there are manyyy to choose from but I'd love to hear anything about my favorite tv show.

Have a great day and thanks for your time

The Injury was my favorite episode. It was such freewheeling comic mayhem but so grounded at the same time.

Do you regret being responsible for naming Weezer's worst album Raditude?

A little. Not their strongest work but a GREAT TITLE!

Do you enjoy working with TIm and Eric? How did ou go about meeting them?

I literally just called them up and said I was a huge fan and asked if I could be in a sketch! I miss them!

Hey Rainn, how was the process of writing your own memoir?

I kept a document on my "notes" app which had all my outrageous anecdotes. I would put them in order chronologically. SO when I got started with the book I had a 3 page document with TONS of great ideas - shitty jobs I had done, the time when worms came out of my butt, getting cast in the Office, when my son was born, being a TOTAL GEEK in High School, etc...

Do you have any favorite stand-up comedians?

Was watching Patton Oswalt last night. AMAZING. Love Demetri Martin too.

Are you going to cry when the Cardinals beat the Seahawks tonight?

I'm going to laugh like the Lord of the Mountain Trolls as the Seahawks dismantle the Cards and regain their rightful place at the top of the NFC west. Tonight is the night.

When so much shitty stuff is happening in the world, does it make it harder to be tastefully funny?

It's super hard to make comedy in the world today. I smashed a bassoon on Colbert and pissed off hundreds of people who were VITRIOLIC! HOW DARE I SMASH A BASSOON!!??? It was an old prop bassoon and rock bands smash guitars all the time. People get so pissed off at all the wrong things.

Hey Rainn, did you influence your office character "Dwight" at all from the original Gareth from the UK office?

I did. I write about this a great deal in my book. McKenzie had a brilliant sense of being unhinged and taking himself completely seriously. I just outright stole that. He's amazing. I love watching him and I was thrilled to take the mantle of that character from Gareth to Dwight.

Have you kept up with your naked drumming?

I AM NOW THE NAKED BASSOONIST!

Who have you chosen to be your Bassoon Queen?

My beautiful wife, Holiday Reinhorn, is my Bassoon Queen!

Have you stuck a toilet roll in your bassoon yet?

Great idea!

Rainn! What's your usual coffee order? I ask because as a fellow Washingtonian I'm positive you're very particular.

I drink a decaf americano (quite caffeine several years back) with long shots and steamed soy milk. Very particular!

Are there any shows/films in the making that you're going to star in in the near future?

I just did an independent film called SHIMMER LAKE that I have high hopes for. It's got a great ensemble cast and a cool HEIST FILM vibe like the Coen Brothers.

I did two indie horror films recently - both of which you can stream:: THE BOY and COOTIES. I think they're pretty terrific and interesting. No one saw them. :-(

Do you play the bassoon?

Yes I do! Come see me at a book reading and I'll play it for you!

Do you think Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback?

Fuck no.

Hi Rainn. Would you consider playing a marvel superhero anytime soon?

I would like to play a super villain! Any ideas of which one would be good for me?

What was the most difficult part in writing a book compared to screenplays or anything else?

It just takes such a long long time... 320 pages. 88k words! think about that!!! so many words. But It was really fun and satisfying... (that's what she said)

What's the weirdest thing a fan has done to/for/around you?

I find the Dwight tattoos flattering but a bit extreme!

Soul Pancake is an amazing channel. I miss the metaphysical milkshake series. Do you ever feel that conversations on human existence, faith, purpose, etc.. become repetitive? Who's the most enlightened person you've had a conversation with?

I just did one with myself! Did you see? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56gbUPkh2ME

I truly loved talking with Russell Brand. He's so brilliant. His memoir is truly funny as well. I wish he focused more on the spiritual and less on the political as he has so much wisdom.

Happy to see you here Rainn!! What is your proudest achievement as an actor, writer, artist, or just Rainn? Also is the safety still on?

Honestly, this book http://www.amazon.com/The-Bassoon-King-Faith-Idiocy/dp/1611763371 Is my proudest achievement.

It's all of me. My ups and downs and foibles and failures. Lessons learned and ridiculous stories from my truly WACKADOODLE childhood. It's all of who I am. If I got hit by a bus tomorrow - it would be the document of who I am and what I believe and what I've gone through. I'm very proud of it.

You were in a short film called SELF-STORAGE many years ago. How was it working with Peter O'Brien?

Love Peter!

Rainn, if the question below this is nonsensical and the one above is ludicrous, why did you answer this one?

Because this one was JUSSSST RIGHTTTT!

Can you convince me to get your book?

No.

I can't make it to Powell's tonight.

Do you still love me?

nope

Hi Rainn! What's the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?

Andre Gregory, the theatre director and writer, once told me that the world wants you cynical. To keep your heart open to possibility.

I really took that to heart. The world needs hope, service, humor and love. It's way too easy to stay jaded and cynical and pessimistic. Such an easy fall-back position - anyone can do it.

If you had one sentence to try and persuade someone to buy your book, what would it be?

Laugh out loud comedy with a sprinkling of profundity create 300 pages of mayhem and inspiration.

Hi Rainn! Thanks so much for being here. I have two questions for you: 1. What is your fondest memory from filming “The Office”? and 2. What part of your new book are you most proud of?

I loved seeing my other family every morning - laughing together. I really miss that.

I'm most proud of putting my failures and struggles in the book. I'm not trying to white-wash anything. I make myself really vulnerable and put myself out there.

Will you buy the book?