5 behind-the-scenes revelations from the ‘Fun Run’ episode of ‘The Office’

Just when you think you know everything there is to know about The Office, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey drop a new set of behind-the-scenes tidbits to remind you there’s still so much to learn.

On the latest episode of the the actors and BFFs chatted about the second half of the Season 4 premiere, “Fun Run.” 

Last week’s podcast episode featured Kate Flannery dishing on the memorable “Fun Run” scene when Michael hits Meredith with his car, but this time Fischer and Kinsey shared a series of personal memories and interesting facts about filming that will give even the biggest Office fans a greater appreciation for the episode.

Here are 5 “Fun Run” facts we learned from the podcast:

1. The real reason why Pam and Jim don’t run in the race

Jim and Pam recently started dating and they’re still secretly reveling in the beginning stage of their romantic relationship in this episode. It’s easy for fans to believe that they leisurely walked for the duration of Michael Scott’s (Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am) Fun Run Race for the Cure because they wanted to be alone and cherish their time together. But the real reason they didn’t take the race more seriously is because Fischer injured her back and wasn’t allowed to run.

“The reason for this is because in May of 2007 — we shot this in August — in May, I fell down a set of stairs in New York City and I fractured four bones in my back and I was not allowed to run,” Fischer explained. “So the writers had to write a reason for me to only walk through this episode.”

Fischer and Kinsey went on to describe the scary injury in greater detail, but thankfully Fischer made a full recovery.

“…That’s why Pam doesn’t run in this episode. I was healed, but I don’t think at this point I was driving myself yet and I wasn’t allowed to run,” Fischer continued.

“Your doctor had you on a very specific sort of recovery plan because you do not mess with the back,” Kinsey, who played a huge role in her friend’s recovery, said.

2. The story behind Angela’s photo with Sprinkles

There are a lot of plot lines running through “Fun Run,” and one of them is that Dwight killed Angela’s cat, Sprinkles, and Angela is in mourning.

In a talking head Angela shows several photos of her with Sprinkles, including one where the two are on a picnic blanket. If Angela’s outfit looks familiar that’s because she wore it in the “Beach Games” episode of Season 3, which is when the photo was taken.

“I’m laying on a picnic blanket. There’s a bowl of grapes and I’m holding the cat. If you notice, I’m wearing my outfit from ‘Beach Games,’” Kinsey said. “Well, Phil Shea pulled me aside and was like, ‘Angela, we’re going to need some photos of you with Sprinkles for an upcoming episode.’ So that day where we started out for ‘Beach Games’ on the bus in the parking lot Phil Shea just said, ‘Angela, I’m gonna grab you when I can and we’ll just quickly take these. OK?'”

Kinsey explained that before everyone went to the beach she and Phil Shea had a little photo shoot and snapped some of those photos. “I walked over in my own flip flops and you can see them in the photo. That’s why I’m barefoot. Isn’t that weird? That Angela Martin would be barefoot with a pair of flip flops and you can see a little eagle on the flip flops because they’re my American Eagle flip flops,” she said.

3. Steve Carell wasn’t really naked in that scene. Don’t worry.

No, everyone. Michael Scott wasn’t actually naked in that scene where Pam walks in on him changing for the Fun Run. Fischer assured fans that Carell was wearing a tan-colored Speedo, but did say that the scene was so hilariously awkward to shoot that they kept breaking.

“It’s still not pleasant to look at, guys,” Kinsey said of the fake nudity scenes. “Those reactions are honest. Whenever anyone has to wear a flesh-colored anything, it’s just off putting.”

“Yeah, you kind of look like a, like a Ken doll or a Barbie doll or something,” Fischer said. “…But it was very, very funny. We were laughing a lot during this scene.”

4. That nurse’s outfit appears again in the show

This episode also features the return of Elizabeth the stripper, played by Jackie Debatin. She’s seen in a nurse’s outfit and presents Michael with a giant check that’s made out for $340.00 to SCIENCE. 

Fischer shared that the nurse’s outfit was custom made to feature a red circle with a white cross in the middle because the Red Cross doesn’t like their symbol (with the colors inverted) to be used for fictional purposes. 

Kinsey went on to reveal that Angela later wore this same nurse’s costume in the Season 7 Halloween episode.

“I wore that outfit, the exact same one, and it was a little too big for me, so I had to wear a little lace tank top underneath it and… they gave me the chicken cutlets to make everything a little bigger,” she said. This wasn’t the first time an item of clothing was reused on the show either. Remember Pam’s Dundie’s shirt? 

5. A hilarious Michael and Meredith scene was improvised

The episode ends with a simple yet deeply hilarious scene in which Michael and Meredith share a lollipop in the hospital. It turns out that gross move was all improv.

“We asked Kate about it and she said they did not rinse [the lollipop] off,” Fischer said.

“She also said Steve improvised that in the moment and she just went with it,” Kinsey explained. 

“Yeah, and I think, I think that’s why you see her pause a second, I think you are watching Kate, the person, decide if she’s going to do this,” Fischer said. “She’s like, ‘Am I going to do this?’ But brilliant ending. Good for you, Kate. Way to really go for it on the show.” 

Be sure to listen to the full podcast episode for more behind-the-scenes stories about filming “Fun Run.”

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