The Office: 1 Tiny Detail Inspired Angela's Biggest Character Trait (2024)

The Officeand its characterswere widely beloved, including Angela, whose most defining character trait was actually inspired by one small thing. Part of the reason this show was so beloved was because of the wacky yet lovable characters who were still grounded in realism. Even though the characters had big personalities, they still felt like people who could be run into and interacted with at work. One of these characters was The Office's crazy cat lady archetype Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey). It was these eccentricities that made the character so memorable, and even the smaller quirks fleshed out the character to make her all the more funny and even a little bit relatable.

A lot of fun information has come out about the show recently due to the release of the book The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. In this book, Fischer, who portrayed Pam Beasley, and Kinsey shared details about the production and their characters, which means more Easter eggs to look out for when rewatching the show. Through this book and Jenna Fischer andAngela Kinsey's podcast Office Ladies, many Easter eggs were shared, one of which evenrevealswhat inspired Angela's deep love for cats.

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Audiences ofThe Office know that Angela's cats are her world, but that wasn't always the show's intention. That detail of her character wasn't originally planned, but the set decoration changed that.Kinsey recalled that a blue ceramic paper clip holder shaped like a cat is what inspired her to weave that detail into Angela's story. Showrunner Greg Daniels would encourage actors to make the characters their own and improv lines and details as they saw fit, which meant that Kinsey was allowed to run with that little detail inspired by the seemingly unimportant prop that sat on her desk.

The Office Prop Inspired Angela's Love Of Cats

This decoration was the catalyst for many hilarious storylines surrounding her cats, like when Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) mercy-killed Sprinkles, Angela's cat. Also, the deeper characterization of Angelamade her more than Dwight's love interest, which ended up adding complexity to the relationship. Another aspect of this prop that inspired Kinsey is the fact that the paper clip holder had a small chip on the ear. She mentioned that the tiny chip told her that Angela was someone who didn't need new or fancy things to be happy. While on set, Kinsey was able to have time to think about her character and add these small details. The ensemble cast was consistently seen in the background even when they were not the scene's focus, making the workplace vibe seem realistic. This time spent at the desk made it possible for Kinsey to focus on why Angela would have each item on her desk and create character stories around each of them.

The smallest details brought so much life and humor toThe Office through nine highly rewatchable seasons. These details made the characters and setting feel real for both the show's actors and millions of viewers. This specific cat-shaped paper clip holder meant so much to Kinsey that she even decided to take it home once filming was wrapped, which is understandable considering it inspired Angela's cat-loving personality. Easter eggs like this one are what make the show and characters so much fun to spend time with, which adds to the desire to rewatch the show over and over again.

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