LITO Interview with “Office” Writer Gene Stupnitsky

Writer Gene Stupnitsky graciously allowed me to interview him recently for Life In The Office. This is the first (of hopefully many) in a series of CAST & CREW interviews. The offer Brian made still stands to any members of the cast and crew who would like to grant LITO an interview.

You may recognize Gene as the head writer of episodes, “The Fight,” “The Secret,” “Michael’s Birthday,” “The Convention,” “Traveling Salesmen,” and “The Return,” or as the writing partner of Lee Eisenberg, but did you know that he has appeared on the show as a Vance refrigeration employee?

Gene, center, cracks Jenna Fischer up on the set of Season 2, Episode 16, “Valentine’s Day.”

Here’s the start of our interview:

1. Which Office character do you most closely identify with, and why?

Benjamin Franklin. Not sure why…

2. Are there any plans for you and Lee Eisenberg to reprise your roles as Vance Refrigeration delivery men?

Despite the huge outpouring of support, sadly there are no plans to bring us back. I have a feeling Greg thinks we’re more valuable in the writers’ room than when we’re giving acting clinics on screen. However, there’s a chance that we’ll end up in a deleted scene sooner or later.

Read the rest of our brief interview after the jump!

~Elyse Moretti~

3. In “Traveling Salesmen,” all the members of the sales team adopt a slightly different tactic. Which strategy is your favorite?

– None are great, but my favorite to write (with Mike and Lee, of course) was Jim and Dwight’s strategy. We’d been wanting them to work together for some time (just like those random episodes of “Tom and Jerry” where T&J would team up) and it turned out better than I’d hoped.

4. Is there anything you can share with us about upcoming episodes?

–Ah, yes, the REAL reason for all this questioning! All I can say is that there will be a very exciting survivor-style competition, a flashing, and Jack Bauer will save the office from a terrorist attack. Oh, wait, you probably wanted information on “Jam,” didn’t you? All your questions will be answered come mid-May (well, your “The Office” questions, anyway).

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