Ellie Kemper Was Almost Alright With The Idea Of Being Rejected For A Role On The Office

In a February 2020 interview with Today, Ellie Kemper discussed how she landed a role on the popular sitcom, revealing right off the bat that she was a huge fan of "The Office" before being cast in the role of Erin. In fact, because she was such a huge fan, she found herself feeling okay with the prospect of not getting the role because the audition itself was so memorable.

"I remember during my audition as Erin, I was reading with Ed Helms, and I thought, you know, this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me career-wise, so if it ends right now, that'll be fine," said Kemper. But now, she looks back and thinks that it would not have been fine, actually. "Because I wouldn't have gotten a part on 'The Office!'"

The actress then shared that her first day on set turned out to be a very surreal experience, given that, because she was such a fan of the show, she felt like she really knew the characters already — but they didn't know her. Kemper concluded, "It is surreal to feel like you know people and then to actually arrive on a set and meet them in person ... It was like I won the lottery."