Rainn Wilson is aware that you probably all recognize him for his most iconic and memorable role, that of Dwight Schrute from The Office, but that isn’t the only role he has ever played. The actor has been in a myriad of projects and there is one, in particular, he would love more than ever for fans to watch first before all others, and no, it’s not Dwight.
Wilson played the role of Dwight for nine seasons of the award-winning U.S. sitcom, a character that left fans howling with laughter, not least because of his rivalry with Jim Halpert that always had fans coming back for more.
When asked by Collider which project from his career he’d love for people to see first, it wasn’t the one he’s most known for. The actor is aware of the fame that comes with playing Dwight specifically saying,
“Listen, obviously most people know me from The Office, and they always will, and that’ll be on my tombstone. My epitaph will be, ‘The guy who played Dwight.’ But I did dozens and dozens of roles before I played Dwight. I’ve played dozens of roles after Dwight.”
It was one of these other roles that Wilson actually hopes fans will watch first.
“I would say my favorite role, or one I would love to be remembered for, is the movie Super by James Gunn. It was, again, super low budget. We shot that super quick in Shreveport, scenic Shreveport, Louisiana. But I think the combination of humor, darkness, tragedy, insane imagination, my brain gets touched by the finger of God. I think it’s an extraordinary work, and I’m really proud to have been a part of it.”
2010’s Super, made during the height of The Office‘s fame, was a dark superhero comedy that starred Wilson as the lead in a star-studded cast that also included Liv Tyler, Nathan Fillion, Elliot Page, and Kevin Bacon. Wilson plays Frank Darbo, a short-order cook whose wife leaves him after becoming hooked on drugs. After falling into a depression, Frank has a vision where he believes that God has chosen him to become a superhero so he can save his wife from Jacques, a strip-club owner. Though the film received mixed reviews, many praised Wilson’s performance as the unhinged yet sympathetic Frank.
You can catch Wilson in his latest role in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story alongside Daniel Radcliffe, available to watch on The Roku Channel from Nov. 4.