Positive, embarrassing moments are mortifying. However they often make nice tales down the road.
For those who want proof, look no additional than The Workplace — particularly the Season 6 episode “Koi Pond,” which was impressed by one man’s real-life slip into an workplace constructing koi pond.
On the newest episode of Stitcher’s Workplace Women podcast, former co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey chatted with “Koi Pond” writers Warren Lieberstein and Halsted Sullivan in regards to the inspiration behind Michael’s embarrassing koi pond dip.
Seems Lieberstein himself had his personal koi pond mishap forward of a vital assembly. Earlier than you hear the story, nevertheless, we extremely advocate you get within the temper by rewatching Michael in all his clumsy, dramatic, soaking wet glory(opens in a brand new tab). All completed? OK, let’s hear it.
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“The concept for the story stemmed from my falling right into a koi pond,” Lieberstein informed Fischer and Kinsey. “What occurred was our brokers arrange a gathering for Halstead and I on the Westside of Los Angeles. It was on this good two-story workplace constructing. There was a marble reception, an open atrium foyer. There have been these darkish travertine flooring. So we enter into this constructing for the assembly and I am chewing gum. And I can not go to a gathering chewing gum. That is horribly unprofessional. And so I am instantly searching for a trash can.”
“Warren and I stroll in for this assembly and you understand, I head over to the receptionist simply to announce our names and Warren says, ‘Oh, I will go throw away my gum,'” Sullivan recalled.
Lieberstein made his approach over to a trash can close to the staircase. After he tossed his gum, he went to pivot on his proper foot and head again to Sullivan, who was nonetheless on the reception desk checking in. What got here subsequent was an enormous splash.
“So my proper foot does not discover the ground, and I lose my stability, and I am falling backwards,” Lieberstein says. “At this level, the actual concern is that I am falling to my demise, down an open stairwell or no matter. My legs hit first and I do not know what measurement tank of water I am falling into. On this millisecond, I now imagine I am falling right into a shark tank and I am positively going to die by shark assault. However after a second or so, I understand clearly I am in a koi pond. I simply ‘Nestea plunged’ into it.(opens in a brand new tab) I’m drenched. And all I can say over and over is, ‘Oh my god.'”
The writers went on to clarify that everybody on the primary flooring of the constructing got here out of their workplaces to see what the commotion was. The foyer flooring was soaked, as was Lieberstein, so a well-meaning onlooker tried to help.
“Somebody comes as much as us with a roll of these brown paper towels that you simply get from the toilet. , they’re simply principally product of manila paper and have zero absorbency. And it is like, OK, thanks,” Sullivan recalled.
After Lieberstein took a second to completely comprehend what simply occurred they jumped into problem-solving mode.
“We all know that across the nook is a sporting items retailer, so we go there,” Sullivan stated.
“I am soaking wet. There are these two ladies working there and I appeared insane, like Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura when he comes out of the toilet. Water is pouring throughout their flooring and I simply say, ‘I want considered one of all the things,'” Lieberstein shared. “We return to the assembly and Halstead appears to be like nice per regular, you understand, in his regular assembly outfit. And I seem like a rap star from the ’80s. It was a sportswear retailer so, you understand, all I may get actually was a tracksuit. However we take the assembly. And naturally, all we are able to actually discuss is me falling into the koi pond. And the puns had been flying. They saved asking if I wanted extra water, you understand, all of it. And we we used all that within the script.”
“The puns had been flying. They saved asking if I wanted extra water, you understand, all of it. And we we used all that within the script.”
After the assembly, Lieberstein’s agent known as and stated, “I heard you made a splash on the assembly,” they usually gave that actual line to Erin in The Workplace episode. Wonderful.
“So that’s the koi pond story,” Lieberstein stated. “Life imitates artwork, artwork imitates life, and also you make an Workplace episode out of it.”
Make sure to hearken to the complete podcast episode to listen to extra behind-the-scenes tales about filming the episode, “Koi Pond.”
You possibly can stream episodes of The Workplace(opens in a brand new tab) on Peacock(opens in a brand new tab) and observe together with the podcast each week on Earwolf(opens in a brand new tab), Apple Podcasts(opens in a brand new tab), or Stitcher(opens in a brand new tab).
Originally posted 2022-03-09 15:38:58.