Rainn Wilson’s Biggest Regret on ‘The Office’ Is Not Losing His Deserved Emmy Award

Rainn Wilson played one of the most iconic roles in television history, and it was none other than Dwight Schrute from The office. The character is so memorable that many fans still have trouble separating Rainn, the actor, from Dwight, the role.

Oddly enough, despite the role’s popularity and brilliant performance, Wilson never won an Emmy for the role. But you know what? It’s not his biggest regret. Not even close. There is something else that he himself admitted will haunt him for the rest of his life.

What is Rainn Wilson’s biggest regret?

Sitcoms have the power to intrude into an actor’s life. Spend enough time on set and suddenly the faux sets make you feel at home and the props become strangely personal. The officeof course, it’s not just any sitcom, it’s THE the sitcom, the jewel of television comedy.

Fans know every inch of this set, every stapler, every action figure, every painting on the walls (that may or may not have been ruined by Kelly). So naturally, a burning question fans always ask the actors is: what things did they get a chance to bring back from filming? Or better yet, what things were they able to sneak into without anyone noticing?

When Rainn Wilson appeared on the office ladies podcast, he was ready to answer that question. But instead of boasting a legendary haul, Rainn Wilson revealed he couldn’t take much. And that is his greatest regret. This is what he said,

Oh, it breaks my heart. I should have taken a lot more, I should have scammed NBC Universal, I took Dwight’s glasses, I took his little desk plate that said Dwight Schrute on it. I took his stapler. And a couple other things that I don’t quite remember, I have to look around and see, but I had a whole list of things that I gave to (props man) Phil Shea, and I said : “Phil, put these aside for me and I’ll get them later.” And it was Dwight’s briefcase, and this, and that, and everything else, and blah, blah, blah.

Thanks to the incredible Phil Shea, the legendary Prop Master behind The office and other NBC hits like HypermarketRainn Wilson managed to salvage a few elements of the set. But not as he pleases. For what? Because he heard the rumor that the crew members had been warned, in no uncertain terms, that if they were caught stealing equipment, Desk props, they would be fired on the spot and blacklisted from ever working for NBC Universal again.

Even the iconic Dwight figure wasn’t fair game! The one the actor managed to bring home wasn’t even an official prop, it was a discontinued version.

Rainn Wilson was unhappy on the set of The officehe wanted more!

It’s really weird that Rainn Wilson, the man who brought Dwight Schrute to life, never won an Emmy. He was nominated three times, sure, but he never won the trophy. And while Wilson says he has no regrets about it now, things were a little different back when the show aired.

On set, he wasn’t always happy about the lack of recognition. Of course, The office was a huge success during its original run, one of the most popular television shows at the time. But it wasn’t until the streaming era that he reached a whole new level of fame. Talking with Bill Maher on his Random club podcast, the actor opened up about how the glitz and glamor of the show’s success didn’t always feel so glamorous to him. He said,

When I was on “The Office”, I spent several years really unhappy because it wasn’t enough, I realize now that I’m on a hit show, nominated for Emmys every year, I earn a lot of money, I work. with Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski and these incredible writers and incredible directors like Paul Feig. I’m on one of the big TV shows. People love it. I didn’t like it. I asked myself, “Why am I not a movie star?” Why am I not the next Jack Black or the next Will Ferrell? How come I can’t have a career in cinema? Why don’t I have this development agreement?

Although The office brought a lot of glamor, Rainn Wilson couldn’t help but feel a certain emptiness at that moment. He admitted he wasn’t content with just being a TV star, he wanted more. He dreamed of being the next big Hollywood star, a real movie star. Sure, he made hundreds of thousands of dollars, but he wanted millions. Looking back, he realizes to what extent his experience on The office really was. He now understands the importance of being a part of something he loves so much, a cultural phenomenon that countless actors would kill to be a part of.

The office is now something etched into the very fabric of the Internet and the universe itself, and will likely remain so forever, serving as a comfort watch to millions.

The Office is streaming on Peacock.