Summary

• Creed Bratton's character in The Office was a happy accident, as he wasn't originally planned for the show, but a mistaken identity led to his first speaking role.
• Creed's unpredictable and strange behavior, like arriving at the Halloween party covered in blood, makes him a fan favorite and an essential part of the show.
• The real-life Creed Bratton's bold move to play along and secure a speaking role mirrors the kind of antics his character would pull off on the show. His accidental inclusion became a crucial part of The Office's success.

Creed Bratton's iconic role in The Office was a complete accident, as his character was not in the original plans for the show. The Dunder Mifflin Quality Assurance Manager, author of Creed Thoughts, and occasional kleptomaniac rose to infamy throughout the nine seasons of The Office and is known for his mysteriously strange behavior. Creed Bratton is a mainstay of the popular sitcom, despite not being based on any character from the UK version of The Office. However, had it not been for one particular incident, the name Creed Bratton may never have made it into American sitcom lore.

Creed Bratton, also played by Creed Bratton in The Office cast, is Dunder Mifflin Scranton's Quality Assurance Manager. He once walked into the building and began working and has been clocking in at Michael Scott's haphazard paper-selling branch ever since; meaning that nobody in The Office, Creed included, has any idea what he does. Creed is an enigma, who claims he was born in 1925 despite a passport that says otherwise, has extensive knowledge of medical narcotics, and claims that the last person who stole from him was also named Creed Bratton. Despite his unsettling secret side, Creed is an essential part of the furniture in The Office and provides several hilariously memorable moments.

How Creed Bratton Ended Up On The Office

Despite his popularity as a character, without a classic piece of Creed Bratton opportunism during the episode "Diversity Day," he may never have been in The Office at all. The real Creed Bratton explains during an interview with The Office's Jenna Fischer (Pam) and Angela Kinsey (Angela) on their podcast, Office Ladies that one of the Assistant Directors mistook him for a speaking cast member and encouraged him to chat with Phyllis. Although Phyllis tried to correct the Assistant Director, Creed signaled to Phyllis to play along, which led to his first speaking part.

Once the mistake had been noticed, it was too late and Creed Bratton was now, technically, a speaking character on The Office, meaning he would be due a higher wage. Ironically, this bold and cheeky career move is exactly the kind of thing the fictional Creed Bratton would get up to on the show. This hints that there might be more similarities between the fictional and real-life Creed Bratton than meets the eye.

How Creed Bratton Became A Fan Favorite In The Office

Despite his accidental inclusion on the speaking character's list, Creed Bratton still nearly didn't make the cut in The Office. During the episode "Halloween," Creed received his first major speaking scene with Steve Carell, where Michael Scott has to fire someone and can't make up his mind who. The real producers of The Office also had to cut one of their extras: either Creed or Devon Abner. As it turned out, they, much like Michael Scott, couldn't decide who to fire either, going as far as to film two alternate endings to the episode.

Thankfully, luck was on Creed's side and Devon was offered a theater contract, leading to his voluntary departure from the show. Creed was kept as a part of the cast into season 2 of The Office and continued to develop from there. Over time, Creed Bratton becomes weirder and wilder, accidentally arriving at a Halloween party in a shirt covered in blood (something which he labels as "really good timing"), running from Scranton PD, and regularly dropping hints of his jaw-dropping backstory. Creed's main feature, however, is that he as a character appears to be a total accident.

Creed arrives at Dunder Mifflin and just begins working until the point where no one really remembers where he came from or how he got here, much like The Office's real-life Creed Bratton. Creed lives by his own rules and is incredibly unpredictable; traits that the real Creed Bratton used to get himself onto the show in the first place. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine The Office being as successful without the accident that gave Creed Bratton his role. He is the unique, unhinged, and unashamed presence that keeps both audiences and his Dunder Mifflin colleagues guessing, and the story of his inclusion into the show proves it beyond doubt.