One Part Of Michael’s Wildly Inappropriate Message To Jan In Season 3 Of The Office Was Not In The Script

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Even though The Office ended over ten years ago (and is available on Peacock), we’re still discovering fun facts about how the show was made. It turns out a lot of the comedy, especially from Steve Carell, was improvised! Paul Lieberstein, a writer, producer, and showrunner (who also played Toby), recently shared some of his favorite moments. He revealed that Michael’s famously awkward message to Jan in season 3 wasn’t actually written in the script – it was an unscripted addition.

On the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Angela Kinsey asked Paul Lieberstein if any specific scene from the show resonated with him. Lieberstein immediately highlighted a cringeworthy moment from Season 3’s “The Job,” where Michael Scott asks Jan’s assistant, Hunter, to deliver a bizarre and unsettling message. He remembers the scene vividly.

I couldn’t help but laugh when he told Hunter to relay a suggestive message: ‘Tell her I really want to squeeze them… she’ll understand what I mean.’ He then instructed Hunter to imitate the sound of a motorboat.

Jenna Fischer, who co-hosted the podcast, later revealed that the sound effect wasn’t written into the original script. Although no one knows for sure if Steve Carell improvised the moment, it’s likely he did, considering his history of playfully and awkwardly deviating from the lines. The actor who played Toby explained:

Oh, good, I figured. I figured he improvised it.

This small addition makes an already awkward scene even more unforgettable for viewers. Michael’s cluelessness was a key part of the show, and this moment perfectly showcases Steve Carell’s ability to make it both hilarious and uncomfortable. It’s also a good example of how the show allowed its actors to take scenes beyond the original script, sometimes to an extreme degree.

As a huge fan of the show, I always found that scene so surprising – it’s one of the few times things get really explicit, considering how the show usually builds comedy through awkwardness. And honestly, it’s Michael Scott at his absolute wildest! That little ‘brrrb’ sound? It just makes the whole thing ten times worse… but also ten times funnier. What’s even cooler is that a lot of those iconic moments, like that one, weren’t even scripted! The actors were encouraged to improvise and really go with their gut, which is amazing.

In the episode “The Job,” director Ken Kwapis encouraged the actors playing the accounting team – Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nuñez, and Kate Flannery – to continue riffing after Michael revealed he’d sold his condo. This led to a naturally awkward and realistic exchange, all improvised on the spot. Adding to the scene’s spontaneity, Angela Kinsey’s famously blunt line, “Goodbye, Kelly Kapoor,” was also unscripted and quickly became a memorable moment for fans of the show.

You can start watching all nine seasons of The Office with Peacock TV for as little as $7.99 per month, or $79.99 for a year. They also offer Peacock Premium and Premium Plus plans for ad-free viewing and the ability to download shows and movies to watch offline. See the deal here!

Many scenes that appeared meticulously staged were actually full of spontaneous moments. For example, when Jan accidentally drops the box of office supplies, the resulting chaos – including Melora Hardin’s genuine laughter, which she tried to conceal – was completely unscripted. Everything that happened after the box fell was improvised by the actors.

The success of The Office came from allowing its actors and crew to experiment and take chances, and those risks really worked. Today, it’s still one of the most popular shows to rewatch, not because it was perfectly scripted, but because some of its greatest moments were actually unplanned.

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2025-10-29 16:11