Rainn Wilson: "I was so unhappy during The Office!" (Dwight Schrute)

About this episode

From a childhood in the jungle to Dunder Mifflin and fame, this is the Rainn Wilson you don’t know. In this new episode Steven sits down with actor, comedian, podcaster and author, Rainn Wilson. Rainn is best known for playing Dwight Schrute on the US version of the TV sitcom ‘The Office’, which ran from 2005 to 2013. During this time Rainn was Emmy Award nominated three times for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2008, he co-founded the digital media company SoulPancake, which aims to encourage open-hearted dialogue about what it means to be human. In this conversation Rainn and Steven discuss topics, such as: His childhood in the jungle of Nicaragua Growing up in a loveless home Childhood depression and anxiety His struggles with addiction How therapy has changed his life His mothers affair Being grateful for his traumatic childhood Channelling pain and trauma into comedy His spiritual and mental crisis Why he chose to become an actor Struggling with anxiety attacks His search for meaning and purpose in life His journey into spirituality How humans are spiritual beings having a human experience Why a lot of life is just static Coming to spirituality out of necessity The impact of his son's birth Feeling of unfulfilled while filming 'The Office' The cultural impact of 'The Office' Being unhappy despite his massive success Why there is no end point of happiness Why the present moment is all we have The importance of gratitude The battle of the ego and why it causes unhappiness How everyone has a shadow self The 12 step programme and how it encourages change The power of surrendering You can purchase Rainn’s most recent book, ‘Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution’, here: https://bit.ly/3EbRwPP Follow Rainn: Instagram: https://bit.ly/462rF99 Twitter: https://bit.ly/3Eb6fdN Follow me: https://beacons.ai/diaryofaceo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices