The Office Actor Explains Creative Way He Scored Kevin Role

Brian Baumgartner, who played Kevin Malone on The Office US, shares the creative way he got cast for the show. The Office US started as a recreation of the UK version of the sitcom, which ran from 2001 to 2003. However, it quickly departed from that source material and put its own unique spin on the mockumentary sitcom format, earning a massive fan following that continues to this day. The Office ran from 2005 to 2013, centering on office employees Michael Scott (Steve Carell), Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez), Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker), and Kevin Malone, among others.

Baumgartner first took on the role of Kevin in the pilot episode of the series. His character evolved slightly after The Office season 1, but quickly settled into the slow-moving character the other employees in the office liked to poke fun of. Kevin is part of the Dunder Mifflin accounting department along with Oscar and Angela, and was frequently the butt of jokes due to his lethargic nature and perceived low intelligence. A staple of the show, Kevin had some of the funniest moments on the series, particularly the fan-favorite chili scene, but he nearly played another iconic character.

Baumgartner discussed his casting during an appearance on Inside Of You With Michael Rosenbaum. Though he reveals that he didn’t originally read for the role, he had an amusing and creative way to secure the part of Kevin. Check out his story below:

“Allison Jones is brilliant, but they had me reading for the role of Stanley and I knew the British version of the show and I knew this character that they were calling Kevin here was the part for me. So I read, for the producers, Stanley as though it was Kevin. I left the room and was like, ‘I don’t know how that went,’ and Allison ran after me and said, ‘Hey, there’s this other role that we want you to read.’ So then I went back in for Kevin.”

Baumgartner’s casting story proves that he was perfect for the role of The Office‘s Kevin. Although the play seems out of character for Kevin, a tidbit from the series about the accountant revealed his affinity for gambling. This makes the calculated risk the actor took with the audition, which clearly paid off big time, even more in character. The amusing story shows that Baumgartner was a fan of the original Office, and knew exactly which character was right for him. He definitely made the character his own over the course of the show, making the creative audition story, in which he also made the role of Stanley Kevin’s own, all the more satisfying.

In the end, it’s a good thing that Baumgartner went for The Office role he really wanted. The backstory to his audition had a happy ending, since fan response to his character has been overwhelmingly positive, especially since the series’ resurgence in the streaming era. The actor has been vocal over the years about his appreciation for the series and the friendships he made over the course of the seasons, so it’s clear that he loves the character just as much as the fans. As The Office lives on in fan reactions and re-watch podcasts like Office Ladies, Baumgartner continues to receive well-earned credit for his comedic talents as Kevin.

Source: Inside Of You With Michael Rosenbaum