Jenna Fischer on Life After The Office, Her Survival Guide for Actors and New TV Husband

Jenna Fischer moved from her hometown of St. Louis to Los Angeles at age 22 with a theater degree, plenty of determination and no idea how to make her dream of starring in a TV comedy come true. Eight long years and many office temp jobs later, she landed the life-changing role of Pam Beesly on The Office—but she hasn’t forgotten the grit that got her there.

Now 43 and starring alongside the likes of Ben Stiller (in Brad’s Status) and Judy Greer (in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming The 15:17 to Paris), she’s literally written the book on how to make a career as a professional actor. Drawing from two decades of experience, Fischer lays out a survival guide for Hollywood hopefuls in The Actor’s Life—and gives the rest of us a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes hustle.

What made you decide to write The Actor’s Life?

There aren’t enough cheerleaders and supportive voices for the struggling artist, and I really wanted to be one. When I was struggling, it meant so much to me every time someone took the time to encourage me.

The book is a how-to guide for the aspiring actor, but there are takeaways for non-actors too.

I think that there are certain universal truths about finding success and happiness in life, and they apply to any vocation. And I think one of those big truths is that you are enough—just you, as you are, are enough. Isn’t that why we love Bridget Jones’s Diary? Because he says, “Bridget, I love you just as you are.”

If you can take that into any job, that’s where you will really thrive and excel. That was a big lesson for me as an actor. I have to fill the spot that I create, not fill somebody else’s spot.

Was that hard to keep in mind during the years you were struggling to get even small roles?

Oh, yeah. An actor’s life is filled with a lot of ups and downs. When you’re up, you will be down again. You have to believe that when you’re down, you will be up again.

What’s your best advice for aspiring actors?

Two things: One is to create your own work. Find other artists like yourself and create. There’s so much power in that, and even if nothing comes from it, you’ll learn so much and it will make you a better actor. It’ll expand your education of the business, even on the small level of using your iPhone and editing it on your computer. It’ll make you better, and it’ll give you something to do.

And the other piece of advice is to finish what you start, and also allow yourself to do things imperfectly. If you start that project with your friend, finish it, even if it’s awful. Because the next thing will be better. You have to finish it before you can learn how to be better. That’s the advice that got me through.

What’s it like to be known as Pam from The Office?

It’s weird to be so well-known for the character of Pam. People will come up to me in the grocery store and call me Pam. But it’s only opened doors for me, and it’s given me a lot of freedom.

What I wanted when I came to Los Angeles to be an actress was to land on a long-running ensemble comedy show where I got to play a defining role. My dream came true. I can’t believe it. I go back and watch old episodes of The Office, and I can’t believe that’s me.

What’s your career like post-Office?

I still audition for things. Sometimes I’m offered things, but if there’s a role that’s different from the work I’ve done, I have to go fight for it and I have to audition. I just did this movie, Brad’s Status, with Ben Stiller, and that role was offered to me. But I also just did a movie directed by Clint Eastwood, and that role I had to audition for. There’s no finish line in this business.

What’s your next exciting role?

I’m about to do this new TV show for ABC called Splitting Up Together. My character [Lena] is an expression of the Type A part of my personality, the list-maker, the person who likes to be in charge, and finding the comedy in that part of myself. Very different from Pam, but still very much me.

I love Oliver Hudson, who’s my co-star. I hope that people will accept my new “marriage” to Oliver and not be too mad that it’s not John Krasinski. And I’m excited to be back on TV again.

What were Sundays like when you were growing up?

Sundays growing up were about doughnuts and the Sunday paper. My dad would go get doughnuts for the family, and if my sister and I were awake, we would tag along with him, sometimes in our pajamas. I always got the doughnut that has the strawberry frosting on top, and then I graduated to powdered sugar. We would get the Sunday paper, and my sister and I would read the comics or we would watch Super Friends cartoons on TV. And then we would go to church, and afterwards we’d go for a big brunch at Bob Evans.

What do Sundays look like for you now?

Sunday still includes coffee, doughnuts and the newspaper. Then it usually involves some sort of sports game or kids’ birthday party or playdate or something like that. But the mornings are the same. We usually start with Dad [Fischer's husband, writer/director Lee Kirk] going to get doughnuts, usually with one or both kids in their pajamas. There might be a stop at Starbucks, and we get the Sunday New York Times delivered to our house and we let the kids watch cartoons in the morning. It’s that same sort of pajama day, as we like to call it.

Jenna 411

Favorite breakfast food
Scrambled eggs with a side of fruit and coffee

First job
Cleaning cages and walking dogs at a kennel in St. Louis

Book she’s reading
Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

Favorite podcast
WTF With Marc Maron

Old favorite TV show
Breaking Bad

New favorite TV show
The Crown

Dream co-star
“Kate Winslet. I would feel totally nervous and would probably throw up, but I would love to get to work with her.”

Favorite Jim and Pam moment
“I love when Jim takes Pam up onto the roof to have grilled cheese and watch fireworks.”

Favorite souvenir from The Office
“I have Pam’s watercolor of the office hanging in the house.”

Secret talent
“I’m very good at recreating things out of Play-Doh in tiny form.”