‘The Office’ star Rainn Wilson is speaking at a Utah university — and getting an honorary degree
In the second season of “The Office,” Dwight Schrute receives a Salesman of the Year award for his work at the paper company Dunder Mifflin.
A serious case of nerves hits him when the time comes to give an acceptance speech at the Northeastern Sales Association’s gathering, but Dwight is eventually able to muster up the courage to take the stage and stand behind the lectern, where he gives a rousing, dictator-inspired lecture: “We are warriors! Salesmen of northeastern Pennsylvania, I ask you once more: Rise and be worthy of this historical hour!”
Actor Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight for nine seasons on “The Office,” likely won’t be as nervous — or as militaristic — when he delivers the commencement address at Weber State University on April 26, an appearance the school in Ogden, Utah, announced in a news release on Friday.
“This year, we want to forge a new tradition where commencement serves as both a celebration of our students’ achievements and an engaging community event,” Brad Mortensen, the president of Weber State University, said in a statement, noting that the event is free and open to the public. “An acclaimed actor and creative thinker like Rainn Wilson can offer unique and inspiring insights to our graduates and will make the day even more memorable for them.”
The Emmy-nominated actor and comedian will also receive an honorary degree from Weber State, per the news release, which was shared with the Deseret News. Wilson holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University’s Graduation Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts.
What has ‘The Office’ star Rainn Wilson been up to?
In addition to being an actor, Wilson is a writer, producer and director.
He released his latest book, “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution,” last year and is the host and producer of the new documentary travel series “Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss,” available for streaming on Peacock.
In “Soul Boom,” Wilson explores the benefits of spirituality, as the Deseret News previously reported.
“Spirituality has helped me on my mental health journey, but I also feel like culturally we’re not engaging in deep enough, relevant enough conversations about how we can use spiritual tools to transform ourselves and make our lives better but also help transform society,” Wilson told NBC News during a panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival last year.
“This stuff is important. It’s not just like a hobby or a side conversation. Spiritual tools are something we need, we are in the biggest mental health crisis in human history, that’s killing young people,” he continued. “There are spiritual solutions, spiritual tools that we can learn from all of the great faith traditions of the world. We need them. It’s vital. It’s important.”
What’s the latest on ‘The Office’ revival?
For several months, talk of an “Office” reboot has been circulating, as the Deseret News previously reported.
The latest news regarding the potential series came just a couple of days ago, with “The Office” showrunner Greg Daniels bringing “Nathan For You” co-creator Michael Koman on board, Variety reported.
But, as Deadline noted earlier this year, the potential series — which is still in the development phase — is an expansion of “The Office” universe, not a reboot. The show “would likely be set in a new office with new characters but live within the same world as the Steve Carell-led mockumentary series,” Deadline reported.
But Wilson still finds himself creating new “Office” scenarios involving his character — including how Dwight would’ve acted during the pandemic. In an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” last year, Wilson walked viewers through a pandemic-themed episode.
“I think it would be: (Dwight) gets the call from corporate to get everyone back in the office and everyone is resistant,” Wilson said, as the Deseret News previously reported. “So, one at a time, Dwight has to kidnap every ‘Office’ cast member and bring them into Dunder Mifflin in some kind of obscure and somewhat inappropriate way.”
“If we had pandemic episodes, that would’ve been amazing,” he continued. “‘The Office’ writers were so great — they would’ve been able to spin that in some beautiful ways.”