The Office Episode That Jenna Fischer Could Not Stop Laughing Through

Quirky characters, oddball antics, and hilarious situations helped make NBC's "The Office" a sitcom behemoth. Even after ending its nine-season run in 2013, the series continues to be a hit on various streaming platforms. That "The Office" still has us laughing is a testament to both the writers who wrote the jokes and the actors who delivered them. In fact, the comedy's writers were so good, that the actors deserve an extra heaping of kudos for being able to say their lines with a straight face.

Of course, anyone who's taken a moment to watch "The Office" gag and blooper reels know that the show's actors could not always get through their scenes without breaking character and falling into laughing fits. On the "Office Ladies" podcast, hosted by "Office" stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, Fischer shared the details about one scene in the series' pilot that she simply could not get through.

For the pilot episode, the writers made sure to lay the foundation for the four core characters' various idiosyncrasies. From the start, viewers got a sense of Jim's disaffected slacker persona, Dwight's more doctrinaire sensibilities, Pam's lack of personal and professional fulfillment, and Michael's unending need for attention. Not surprisingly, the scene that was too much for Fischer involves both Pam and Michael.

After collecting his messages from Pam's reception desk, Michael sarcastically highlights the importance of one message, saying he must rush to his office to answer it. What follows is about 20 seconds of Michael doing an impression of Steve Austin from "The Six Million Dollar Man," with slow-mo movements and "sha-ta-ta-ta" sound effects. As he slowly heads for his office, Michael continually looks back to see Pam's reaction, which is about as uninterested and dead-eyed as one would expect. However, Fischer's real reaction was much different.

As she revealed on the "Office Ladies" podcast, Fischer could not stop laughing while Steve Carrell "sha-ta-ta-ed" his way across the set. Typically, once the giggles are out of their system, actors are able to film the scene. However, as Fischer admitted, she could not finish the scene, no matter how many takes they did. Her laughing fit was so powerful that in order to get the shots of Pam's emotionless face, the crew had to film her reaction separately — with Steve Carrell banished from the set. While we understand Fischer's situation, her behavior should have earned her a full disadulation.