Jenna Fischer "Really Struggled" With This Infamous Office Episode
For some actors it is sex scenes that are the hardest to play. But for Jenna Fischer who portrayed the character of Pam, Jim's girlfriend in The Office series, the most uncomfortable scene had nothing to do with sex.
Appearing on the Office Ladies podcast, the actress admitted to struggling with one scene of The Office Season 6 episode The Lover. Yes, it is when she learns that her boss Michael Scott was dating her mom Helene.
A fan asked Fischer what did she do "to get yourself into this mode of angry? Was it difficult since Pam is usually pretty calm?"
"This was so difficult for me. As an actor, this episode, I really, really struggled," replied the actress adding that Pam was very confrontational in this episode and being that confrontational is not Pam's typical behavior. "I never felt her as a confrontational person," Fischer explained. "Pam gets mad, but she's a like, silent sufferer," she went on to admit.
The actress revealed that she talked a lot about the episode with the creative team of the show and finally they all agreed that everyone "has a breaking point that makes them behave out of character for themselves." This is exactly what happened to Pam after she learnt that Michael Scott was her mother's boyfriend.
Scott did not tell her that he was dating her mother explicitly, he just said that he was dating "the mother of a close friend of mine, more than a friend – a co-worker" staring at Pam so that she could understand who he's talking about. And this is when Pam suddenly realizes that the 'mother' in question is her mom Helene.
The way Pam reacted to the news was so uncharacteristic of her – she rushes out of Scott's office shouting "Oh my God! No!" right into Dunder Mufflin's parking lot. And there's no stopping her as she keeps on screaming.
She later calls her mom unleashing a tirade of accusations at her saying that her mom just couldn't do that to her because Pam complained so many times about her idiot boss. This scene showed The Office fans "a whole new side of Pam", the actress says.
Jenna Fischer also shared with the podcast that she re-watched the episode before joining the panel and "It just doesn't seem like Pam" to her, because the scene was absolutely crazy, apparently.
For the good or for the worse Michael Scott dumps Helene at a restaurant in his 'elegant' fashion, when Pam seems to have calmed down a bit.