The Office U.S. is perhaps the most beloved television sitcom of the last two decades. Premiering in 2005, the TV show graced our screens for seven seasons, up until 2013. As a mockumentary-style TV show, it would be the most successful first of many, changing the history of TV shows for all eternity. However, The Office U.S. probably wouldn’t be quite as successful if it hadn’t had such an impressive cast of talented actors with their quirky characters. Led by the eccentric Regional Manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell), a good number of these characters remain pop culture icons off the small screen. But how have their careers fared in the last ten years since The Office came to an end?
Ed Helms (Andy Bernard)
Ed Helms as Andy Bernard was not a part of the day-one employees of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, considering he was still a part of The Daily Show when he first came on. However, Andy Bernard won his way to many fans’ hearts as the friendly, singing face of the Scranton branch (despite his stint with anger management). Ed Helms joined the cast of The Office U.S. in 2006, and became a regular in 2007. Post-Scranton, Helms appeared in several drama-comedies like We're The Millers (2013), Vacation (2015), Tag (2018),and Together Together (2021). He was also the lead actor in Rutherford Falls, which was canceled after two seasons on Peacock. Ed Helms’ most recent project is Netflix's 2024 film, Family Switch.
Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute)
Rainn Wilson came on to The Office as everyone’s favorite beetroot farmer, Dwight Schrute. As the iconic Dwight, Wilson was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor three years in a row. After eight years as part of the main cast of The Office, Rainn Wilson quickly moved on. He appeared in a few independent films such as Cooties, The Boy, Don’t Tell a Soul, and Blackbird. Furthermore, he appeared in a supporting role in The Meg by Sony Pictures in 2018. In 2022, Wilson appeared in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story as Dr. Demento. Rainn Wilson is also the current voice actor for Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Movie Universe and was the voice of Gargamel in Smurfs: The Lost Village. Most recently Wilson appeared as host of the Peacock series: Rainn Wilson And The Geography Of Bliss.
Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly)
In The Office, Jenna Fischer was the warm, affable receptionist Pam Beesly. However, the actress has not been as active as some of her co-stars. She appeared in a few minor and supporting roles for films like Are You Here? (2013) and Brad’s Status (2017). She also appeared in Paramount Pictures’ Mean Girls (2024) as Ms. Heron. In 2019, she launched The Office Ladies podcast alongside cast member Angela Kinsey. On television, Fischer starred in the only season of Sky 1’s You, Me And The Apocalypse (2015), as well as both seasons of Splitting Up Together (2018-2019).
John Krasinski (Jim Halpert)
Joining the cast as the suave Jim Halpert on The Office was the big break for John Krasinski’s career. Two years after The Office ended, Krasinski and Stephen Merchant produced Lip Sync Battle for Spike (now Paramount Network). In 2016, he, along with Matt Damon, produced Manchester By The Sea, starring Casey Affleck. The film was nominated six times at the 2016 Oscars and won twice.
Krasinski would also go on to be the face of many commercially successful action and thriller films, starting with both iterations of A Quiet Place (2017, 2020), to his 2018-2023 role as the fifth Jack Ryan. He also debuted in the MCU as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness (2022). Krasinski's most recent project is the animated film If starring Ryan Reynolds and Steve Carell, and set to come out in May 2024.
Steve Carell (Michael Scott)
Steve Carell was the lead cast member of The Office. He led the crew as the naive and enthusiastic Regional Manager, Michael Scott. Due to his immense talent, Carell has been in multiple projects nearly every year since, and even during The Office. A number of these have been biographical films like Vice (2018), Freeheld (2015), and The Big Short (2015). With voice acting, Carrell reprised his 2010 comedic role as the voice actor for the evil Gru for two more iterations of Illumination’s Despicable Me (2014, 2017) and once for Minions (2015). Furthermore, he will appear in the fourth iteration of Despicable Me, which is set to come out in 2024.
Carell also earned some critical success for his dramatic roles in the late 2010s. In 2014, he starred in the crime drama Foxcatcher with Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum. For his role as John Eleuthere du Pont, the millionaire villain, he earned a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination. He was also the lead actor in Beautiful Boy (2018), an addiction drama with Timothee Chalamet. Carell returned to television in 2019 for Apple TV+’s The Morning Show, which is currently in its third season, and Netflix’s underrated gem, Space Force, which was canceled in 2022 after two seasons.