The final good-bye for The Office is three weeks away, and many of the cast members are taking some time to look back on their time on the show. Eric Goldman recently ran an interview with Angela Kinsey (Angela) and Ellie Kemper (Erin) about the bittersweet end of the series. We also sat down with Craig Robinson (Darryl Philbin) to talk about his not-so-tearful experience shooting the finale, the Michael Scott cameo that wasn't and his upcoming turn in two apocalyptic movies.
IGN: In looking back over your career, could you have imagined how it's developed over the last ten years?
Robinson: That's a yes and no answer. I mean, I feel like you have to have some vision to keep climbing. It's like looking at the top of a mountain from the bottom, you know what needs to be done, but in the midst of climbing you forget and just kind of find yourself saying, 'Oh! Look how far I've come.'
IGN: It's kind of incredible when you think of the careers that have come out of The Office, it's like a petri dish for amazing talent. One of the cooler things about the show is that often times they've been able to construct the characters so that they stay true to themselves, but also evolve and grow like human beings do. How much input did you have on Darryl's progression as a character?
Robinson: I input zero on Darryl. Sometimes the writers see you and they get ideas just from being around you, but I didn't start writing and I didn't start inputting, so I didn't want to finish it. As a matter of fact, they gave us the opportunity, like, 'How do you want to see Darryl end up?' And it's like, 'Well don't ask me! What are you talking about? Ya'll got this.' So, no I would just look forward to what Daryl was going to say and do when I got the script.
IGN: Have you been happy with it? Because I think for audiences it's been fun to see him kind of take charge of his own life and start this new career.
Robinson: Yeah, I love where he's going. One of the things I adore about Darryl's journey is that he would be so sure of himself, and so confident, and knowing he's going to rise, and then he gets these interview opportunities and he just has a complete breakdown. So it's fun to play those quirks and wonder what the hell is wrong with him.
IGN: Was it an emotional end for you guys shooting that finale? Or were you really ready to move on?
Robinson: It was emotional, it was a lot of people crying and stuff. I feel I didn't earn the cry that a lot of them earned. Because a lot of them were there for every single episode, I wasn't. So part of me feels like, okay, you know I'm going to miss seeing these guys, and this was an amazing experience, but I don't feel like I earned the tears as much as a lot of those characters did.
IGN: You know we're all sort of waiting to see the Michael Scott cameo in the finale that's been rumored.
Robinson: I wish, I wish that that was the case. You know it was a big question: "Was he coming back?" And it was like, he said his good-bye, so they didn't want to overshadow the whole finale with that, because Michael had already said his good-bye.
IGN: There's a lot of pressure when ending series like The Office, that's had such a long run and meant so much to fans. Do you think fans will be happy with it? Are you happy with it?
Robinson: Yeah, I think we have a really nice send-off. I think fans are going to get everything you'd expect from The Office, from awkwardness, to a lot of humor and heart.
IGN: Some of the cast, including yourself, are already on to other projects. When you look forward, where do you see the cast going from here?
Robinson: Everybody on that show could have their own show. Some people have other projects, and some people are being considered for other projects. I don't see anybody slowing down anytime soon.
IGN: You most certainly aren't. You have this new pilot based on your experience as a teacher.
Robinson: Yeah, and a band leader.
IGN: Why were you interested in drawing from that particular time in your life?
Robinson: We started to develop the concept and I sat down with Greg Daniels (writer/executive-producer on The Office) and a creative team and I just started telling them about my life. Everybody just started pitching ideas about their time as a student or how their kids acted during their teenage years. But it really was just like, 'This is how I was as a teacher, this is how I am as a band leader,' and we fashioned it into this pilot.
IGN: What's the tone of the pilot? Does it feel like a more traditional sit-com than The Office?
Robinson: It's a single camera, music driven and all about me. I'm a band leader and substitute teacher, and then one day they bring me into a music class and I'm like, 'Wait a minute, I know this stuff.' And the principal is like, 'Just throw the video in and call it a day,' and I'm like, 'That's not good enough, I want these kids to know what it's like to have a gig and all that kind of stuff.'
IGN: You're also tackling your first leading man role in the rom-com Peeples. Is that exciting?
Craig Robinson: Very exciting, and I couldn't have picked a better first leading lady. Are you kidding me? I have to fall in love with Kerry Washington, 'S**T!'
IGN: Are you a fan of the genre? Do you like a rom-com?
Robinson: I do, I do enjoy a good rom-com here and there. Would A Fish Called Wanda be a rom-com?
IGN: Hmm, well it would be awesome. I don't know, I'm not sure if it's a traditional rom-com...
Robinson: I mean they [John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis] fall in love, so it's a rom-com.
IGN: Sure, I'll buy that.
Robinson: So then I'm a fan.
IGN: [Laughing] 'If it's A Fish Called Wanda, then yes, I like a good rom-com.' Good answer. How involved was Tyler Perry in the production on Peebles? I know he was producing, but I don't know if he was really in there with you guys.
Robinson: Tyler would not leave us alone! No, he came to set one time and he was like, 'Oh, ya'll got this.' You know I think he got his cut of the movie or whatever, but he really was using his name to shine his light on us.
IGN: You've also got Hot Tub Time Machine 2 coming up, yes? Have you seen the script yet?
Robinson: Yes, we start shooting in June. I've seen the script, Josh Heald, who wrote the first Hot Tub Time Machine, is back for this one. With any sequel you want to duplicate what people love about it, but also bring in something different to the table, and I think Josh did a good job of that.
IGN: You also have these two end of days stories, Rapture-Palooza and This is the End coming out this summer. We know that This is the End is very improvisational, how about Rapture-Palooza?
Robinson: Rapture has a lot of improv as well. These are comedy heavyweights coming in for both of those movies. There was definitely a lot of improv, and I got a lot of free reign on Rapture. Most of the movies I've been doing call for improv. The difference between Rapture and This is the End is that in This is the End we play heightened versions of ourselves, in Rapture we play straight-up characters. Also, in This is the End, the rapture is happening all around us and in Rapture-Polooza we're two years into the rapture and the Antichrist has taken over.
IGN: And you're the Antichrist, yes?
Robinson: Yes, baby.
IGN: What kind of Antichrist are you?
Robinson: He's so insecure that he does not need to be in power, but he's so insecure that he needs to be in power and he relishes in it. He has this whole body guard team, and this amazing mansion, and anything he says goes. Everybody is ready to do his bidding. And so he runs into Anna Kendrick who tells him that she's a virgin and he just loses his mind, and he says the most vile things and he thinks he's being charming. I love him.
IGN: Working on improv-heavy films can be risky in some cases in terms of keeping things clear and on-track story-wise. Have you seen the completed version of This is the End? Is there a good balance between a clear story and really funny moments?
Robinson: Oh yeah, you've got Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Jay Baruchel and James Franco and they all understand story and jokes; and with Seth and Evan Goldberg directing you get a lot of improv.
IGN: How were they as first time directors?
Robinson: It was like being in the basement with your friends and someone says, 'Hey we got a camera, lets do this!' We just let the camera roll and get everything and chop it up later.
IGN: You know sit-coms and rom-coms have kind of specific structures and needs, and then you have these hard-R comedies which are more free. Do you prefer the hard-R comedies? Or is it nice to have the mix?
Robinson: It is nice to have the mix. I think the rom-com, it's refreshing especially for my mother. I've taken her to my movies and its like I had to cover her eyes in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and then she hears me curse, and so something like Peeples is something she can tell her church friends about. So the mix is nice.
The one-hour series finale of The Office airs Thursday, May 16 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Stay tuned for our continued coverage.
Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
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