W.B. Jones of W.B. Jones Heating and Air paid a visit to Dunder Mifflin in the "Chair Model" episode. Barry Sigismondi stepped into the role and generated tons of laughs during the meeting of the Five Families.
Barry, known as W.B. Jones to MySpacers, is an incredibly awesome guy... He answered some questions about the show and gave us a peek into life at Dunder Mifflin.
Tell us about your day on the set of The Office.
Pretty much a full day even though we really only shot one scene and my commercial for WB Jones Heating and Air. It's always exciting to be on a set shooting, especially when it's for a show you love and admire. Everyone was great and even though they hardly knew me, they all treated me like I was one of the gang. Ed Helms as Andy and Brian Baumgartner as Kevin were really great and extremely funny! BJ Novak was on the set and the writer of the Chair Model episode, and he was just fantastic to work with and lots of fun!
Were there any quirks of WB Jones that you envisioned as the character’s backstory?
While I'm not at liberty to discuss it all, WB has quite a history before the Heating and Air Conditioning business. Let's just say he he's had his share of vacations at the grey bar hotel and knows the right people to get things done if you know what I mean.....
How hard was it to get through the scene at the conference table?
The first few takes were really tough because everyone is so dead-pan funny! It takes every ounce of strength to do your lines and respond to what the other characters are doing without breaking out into laughter. It doesn't get much easier even after the next 5 !
If you could create any future storyline for “WB Jones of WB Jones Heating and Air”, what would that be?
Actually the viewers only saw about 1/10th of the total scene we actually shot. The scene in it's entirety, was much, much more involved and really funny! Maybe the entire scene will show up on the dvd or maybe they will come back to it in a future episode. While what you saw, seemed complete and finalized, there is one twist you may not have considered that will or could open up a whole new can of worms that WB is behind !!! We'll just have to wait and see what the producers decide to do.
What challenges and/or rewards did you experience during your time on set and was there a particular memory that you took away from the project?
While everything on the show looks spontaneous and almost improvisational, virtually all of it is scripted. Before arriving on set you have everything memorized as written and yet what you shoot may actually have been changed on the spot or altered somewhat. This particular day, after shooting all of the coverage on the conference room scene we got some additional dialogue changes that had do be done pretty quickly and accurately with a minimum of takes. My best memory of that day was just how great it was to be working with all of these great actors and the atmosphere that was created by the crew, writers, cast and producers. It's not often you find such a collaborative, constructive and fun environment to work in and trust me, The Office is the BEST!
Because I am a nerd, I called the number listed (800) 984-3672. Did you really record that voice message?
Actually no that wasn't me, that message was recorded by my operations manager..... but if you leave a message, I'll be happy to come by to do a free estimate of your heating or aid conditioning needs!
As a fan of The Office, who is your favorite character and why?
Well it's a close call between Michael (because I love the insanely crazy things he does as the branch manager that is so wrong for any manager to do) and Dwight (because he's so intense, committed to Michael, his own career and because he's soooooo unpredictable !)
What is your favorite line from the show?
This is like an impossible question to answer because there are so many. I really believe The Office is the best written and most clever show on television. While this is not my favorite per se, it is just one of many Michael quotes I think are funny: "And, even though we're still a family here at Dunder-Mifflin, families grow. And, at some point, the daddy can't take a bath with the kids anymore. I am upper management, and it would be inappropriate for me to take a bath with Pam, as much as I might want to."
What did you think about the season finale?
I really loved it for the subtle heartbreak of Jim's surprise proposal to Pam, being unknowingly thwarted by Andy and Phyllis' stumbling upon Dwight and Angela in a compromising situation.
What can fans look forward to seeing in regards to your work?
Well WB Jones is really Barry Sigismondi and you can find a listing of my previous work here. I recently finished shooting a pretty neat horror film, being produced by Screen Gems, titled "Quarantine" which should be coming out later this summer and a made for TV film called "Meteor" which should be broadcast later in the year.
Since I am doing a countdown of "25 Films Everyone Must See" I would love to hear what are five of your favorite films and why?
These are a few of WB's favorites:
Birdman Of Alcatraz - Bert Lancaster - redemption
The Godfather - Al Pacino - Once you're in you can't get out
Requiem For A Heavyweight - 1962 - Anthony Quinn -just see it
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - 1930 Silent film - things are not always as they seem
Blue Velvet - David Lynch - Don't dig too deep you might not like what you find.....
Interviewer's Note: Thanks for such fun answers, Barry! We're all hoping for more W.B. Jones and the Five Families scenes in season 5! Barry has a MySpace page - be sure to friend him up :D
1 Comments here!:
Wow! Those are some great questions! I love how in depth and thoughtful W.B.'s answers were- I like his character EVEN MORE :-) Another great interview Tiffers! (btw- i've seen a few of those movies and he is right on the money with his suggestions- you'd love 'em Tiff)
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