Rainn Wilson Says Not Becoming ‘a Movie Star’ After “The Office” Stardom and Experiencing Box Office Bombs Was ‘Very Hard on My Ego’
Rainn Wilson Says Not Becoming ‘a Movie Star’ After “The Office” Stardom and Experiencing Box Office Bombs Was ‘Very Hard on My Ego’
Angelique BrenesFri, October 2, 2026 at 2:57 AM UTC
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Rainn Wilson in October 2025Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty -
Rainn Wilson says the failure of The Rocker was “very hard on my ego” in a Sept. 30 podcast interview
The Office alum says Hollywood quickly decided he wasn’t a movie star after the film bombed at the box office
Wilson now says he’s grateful the film didn’t become a major hit, saying he may not have been able to handle the resulting fame
Rainn Wilson is opening up about the reality of finding fame on The Office and career disappointment he experienced afterward.
The actor, best known for playing Dwight Schrute on the hit comedy, recently reflected on his early attempts to build a movie career, including the disappointment he experienced when his 2008 film The Rocker failed at the box office.
“I did this movie called The Rocker halfway through my Office tenure,” Wilson said on A.J. Daulerio’s podcast The Small Bow, released on Wednesday, Sept. 30. “When it came out, no one saw it. It was a big box office bomb.”
Rainn Wilson in The RockerCredit: George Kraychyk/Twentieth Century Fox
Wilson, 60, said the film’s performance was particularly difficult because he felt Hollywood quickly decided he wasn’t destined for a film career.
“It was brutal. And then there was the immediate Hollywood just kind of like, ‘All right, he’s not a movie star,’” Wilson said. “And that’s just how the business works. People that star in big movies that bomb, they don’t get other chances.”
At the time, Wilson was already starring on The Office, which ran from 2005 to 2013 and became a major television success. However, he said he was still chasing the kind of movie career enjoyed by stars such as Jack Black and Will Ferrell.
Looking back, Wilson said he is grateful The Rocker did not become the kind of blockbuster he once hoped it would be.
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute in The OfficeCredit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC
“But in a way, I’m grateful because what if it had been a big success? If The Rocker had made $50 million or $100 million, and then I was a movie star at that point in time, I could not have handled that. I probably would have lost my marriage. My family would have fallen apart,” he said.
Even so, Wilson said not achieving success at that level was painful.
“I’ve been able to play a lot of really cool roles, mostly independent films, but I did not become a movie star. And it was very hard on my ego, and it hurt and stung for a long time,” Wilson said. “All I wanted was Hollywood’s approval, and here I was. I was the weird guy from The Office. That’s kind of how Hollywood works.”
Wilson has previously been candid about feeling dissatisfied during his Office years, despite being part of one of television’s most successful comedies.
During a 2023 appearance on Bill Maher’sClub Randompodcast, Wilson said he spent several years feeling unhappy because he was focused on what he hadn’t achieved rather than appreciating what he had.
“When I was in The Office, I spent several years really mostly unhappy because it wasn’t enough,” Wilson said. “I’m realizing I’m on a hit show, Emmy nominated every year, making lots of money, working with Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski and these amazing writers and incredible directors like Paul Feig. I’m on one of the great TV shows. People love it.”
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Wilson said he was preoccupied with landing a major movie career.
“I wasn’t enjoying it. I was thinking about, ‘Why am I not a movie star? Why am I not the next Jack Black or the next Will Ferrell? How come I can’t have a movie career? Why don’t I have this development deal?’” he said.
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute in The OfficeCredit: Trae Patton/NBC
He also admitted that money played a role in those feelings, particularly as Carell’s film career took off.
“When I was on The Office … I was making hundreds of thousands,” Wilson said. “I wanted millions. I was a TV star, but I wanted to be a movie star. It was never enough. Humans have lived for hundreds of thousands of years, and ‘never enough’ has helped us as a species.”
Despite not finding success at the box office, Wilson continued working steadily across television and film after The Office ended. His credits include the Fox series Backstrom, CBS’ Mom, the first season of Dark Winds and Apple TV’s miniseries Lessons in Chemistry. He also appeared in the films The Meg and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and has written three books, including 2023’s Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution.
Wilson earned three Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Dwight, while The Office won the Emmy for outstanding comedy series in 2006.
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute in The OfficeCredit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC
Over time, Wilson has also come to recognize the lasting connection audiences have with the show.
During a 2020 episode of his Hey There, Human Instagram Live series, Wilson and Carell discussed the show’s renewed popularity during pandemic lockdowns.
“One thing that’s been really gratifying for me is during this really dark time, I’ve heard from so many people that they’ve really appreciated having The Office there — that it has a warmth and humanity to it, kind of a family feel that makes it a special thing and that’s helped them during this time, and even helped their mental health,” Wilson said at the time.
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute in The OfficeCredit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC
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Carell, 64, similarly reflected on the show’s enduring popularity.
“Maybe we watched it when we’d all get together and watch episodes. That was most of my watching the show, so I don’t know all the details. It’s great that it caught on like it did, because we all felt that it was special when we were doing it,” Carell said.
TheOffice franchise has continued in a new form. Peacock debuted The Paper in 2025, a spinoff set at the struggling Toledo Truth Teller, with Oscar Nunez reprising his role as Oscar Martinez. The series was renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
