Ellie Kemper has described her time in the office as “the gift of a lifetime,” and given the friendships she’s formed with her co-stars, it’s easy to see why.
The 46-year-old actress, who joined NBC’s beloved mockumentary in 2009 as bubbly and naïve receptionist Erin Hannon, spoke with PEOPLE recently.
“Isn’t that the gift of a lifetime? I feel like I won the lottery by being cast on the show because it’s so organic and it’s a very natural friendship that we share, which feels weird,” Kemper said.
She was already a fan of the show before landing her role in season five, which makes it all seem even more magical.
When asked what he thinks has given the series such enduring appeal, Kemper pointed out something that seems obvious in retrospect but is actually quite difficult to achieve: genuine relatability.
“I think what speaks to the audience, or at least I speak for myself, is that you can relate to everyone on that show,” she said.
“There’s a character for every person in your life. Like you can say, ‘Oh, that’s Uncle Kenny, or whatever.’ You see people in your life on that show and I think that makes it easy for the audience to relate to.”
The authenticity, he said, extended far beyond what viewers saw on screen during the show’s nine seasons, from 2005 to 2013.
The cast is, in his words, “really nice people, so it’s a good mix.”
That warmth has clearly endured.
The cast stays in regular contact via a group text thread and email chain, and Kemper describes it as “largely quite funny” and a reliable mood-booster whenever a message arrives.
One colleague in particular stands out as the thread’s resident comedian. “I’d say Rainn Wilson sends some pretty funny messages in that thread,” he admitted.
For a show that ended more than a decade ago, the cast’s connection remains remarkably alive, which, when you think about it, is probably exactly what Dunder Mifflin would have wanted.
