What made The Office so special during its time on NBC was its ensemble cast, but there was one character who wasn't originally going to be part of the show. With a group of characters like Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, and Jim Halpert, it's hard to imagine one character not being a part of Dunder Mifflin, the paper company that was more like a misshaped family than a company.
As the Scranton office's regional manager, Michael Scott rarely fired his employees. While the main objective was to sell paper and stay in business in a paperless world, Michael's mission was to create the family atmosphere at work that he didn't have at home. While some main characters left The Office early, each part of the ensemble cast brought something different to the table, and not seeing the likes of Pam, Angela, Stanley, or Creed would have altered the series forever. Knowing this, it would be strange to watch The Office without one other main character who wasn't originally part of the roster.
Phyllis Vance Was A Last-Minute Creation
Phyllis Smith had never intended on being an actor on The Office. She was a casting associate whose credits included writers became characters on The Office, Smith was the only casting agent among the cast.
Phyllis Became A Necessary Part Of The Office
Like Phyllis Smith, The Office's Phyllis Vance (née Lapin) was soft-spoken and shy, which made her genuine and relatable to viewers. As a saleswoman for Dunder Mifflin, Phyllis was good at her job but modest about her success. Unlike Dwight, Phyllis liked her job mainly because of the people she worked with — although she had ongoing squabbles with Angela — not because she was ionate about paper.
It also didn't hurt that she met her husband, Bob Vance, who worked in the same building as Dunder Mifflin. In The Office season 3, episode 1, "Phyllis's Wedding," Phyllis and Bob got married in front of their loved ones, and their relationship became important to the show. With Bob working in the same building, Phyllis used him as her protector whenever Michael got out of line or Dwight insulted her. While some Office characters were adapted from the UK original, Phyllis was totally new, and her bond with Bob and her connection to her colleagues was essential to the show as one of the more notable side characters.
Phyllis Smith Has Continued To Work As An Actor
Playing Phyllis on The Office wound up being a dream role for Phyllis Smith, and it has led to many more acting gigs for the former casting associate. Her on-screen credits since debuting on the sitcom have included the movies Bad Teacher and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and the shows Trophy Wife and The OA. Smith's next most famous role, though, is the emotion Sadness in Pixar's Inside Out, performing as a voice actor alongside The Office's Mindy Kaling in the animated feature. Smith even went on to win the Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production for her role.
