Dakota Johnson recently stepped back in time by revisiting her appearance on The Office’s series finale. The highly acclaimed mockumentary sitcom starring Steve Carell and John Krasinski concluded its nine-season run on NBC with the series finale in 2013.
In the two-part episode that said goodbye to The Office’s cast and characters and welcomed the newest generation of Dunder Mifflin employees in their stead, Johnson portrayed a character by the name of ‘Dakota’. On Wednesday’s episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers, the actress—who made her film debut with Crazy in Alabama at the age of ten—revealed that her experience on the popular NBC show was not easy.
With a laugh, Johnson remarked that it was the worst time of her life.
Dakota Johnson’s Candid Confession: Her Behind-the-Scenes Account of The Office Finale
The Office, a much-loved sitcom known for its camaraderie and improvised humor, appeared to be the ideal vehicle for Dakota Johnson to capitalize on her comic chops. However, what seemed to be a golden chance ended up being a disappointment and a regret for the Texas-born actress.
Seth Meyers disclosed on Late Night with Seth Meyers that he and Johnson did, in fact, co-star in The Office finale. While Meyers co-starred with Bill Hader in the series as himself, the actress made a cameo as Dakota, a new accountant. During the segment on Wednesday night, Johnson, 34, told the host:
“That was honestly the worst time of my life. I love that show so much, and they were like, ‘Do you want to be in the series finale?’ and I was like, ‘Of course,’ thinking that I’d show up for, like, half a day. I was there for two weeks and I’m barely in the f—ing show.”
Johnson’s popularity was still in its infancy when The Office concluded. That was prior to her big break as Anastasia Steele in the 2015–2018 film trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey. Her smaller roles in 21 Jump Street, The Five-Year Engagement, and The Social Network made her famous prior to that.
Her career took off after landing roles in How to Be Single (2016), Suspiria (2018), A Bigger Splash (2015), and Black Mass (2015).
Dakota Johnson Also Mentioned ‘Weird Dynamics’ in The Office
With films like Suspiria and Fifty Shades of Grey, Dakota Johnson is no stranger to the spotlight. But little did she know that her 2013 guest appearance on The Office proved to be far from pleasant. The actress went on to say that, despite her happiness to be there, the set’s “dynamics” were a little gloomy.
When Seth Meyers, the host, asked if they were “super sad” on set, she responded:
“They were sad and also, like, there were weird dynamics that had been going on for the last 10 years. Some people didn’t speak to each other. And I’m coming in like, ‘So excited to be here!’ No one wanted to talk to me. No one gave a f—. I was like, in the background of all of these scenes, faxing things.”
Johnson previously disclosed in 2021 that the purpose of her appearance was to tease a possible spinoff of the popular series, but it never materialized. At that time, she admitted to The Hollywood Reporter:
“If everything else just falls away, maybe you’ll find me in that Office spinoff that no one wants to watch. I don’t know in what world that would’ve worked for me creatively. I have found that when something is successful, even when there’s nothing left, they just keep trying to wring out the towel of story. Sometimes things need to end when they’re supposed to end.”
Johnson performed as an accountant in the last episode of the show. Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) appointed the actress’ character to succeed Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) after the latter was fired. The Office, which ran for nine seasons between 2005 and 2013, also starred Ed Helms, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, John Krasinski, & Steve Carell.
The Office is streaming on Peacock.
