It's almost impossible to envision other actors portraying characters from The Office considering the legacy that NBC built, and the same can be said for Dwight Schrute. The sitcom ended more than six years ago but it has since found new life on Netflix and syndication. When looking back, it feels like the workplace comedy was perfectly cast but it took time to get the correct pieces to the puzzle. In fact, a number of surprising faces auditioned for the role of Dwight Schrute before the role went to Rainn Wilson.
When The Office premiered in 2005, Dwight was just one of five characters categorized as series regulars. The others included Michael Scott, Jim Halpert, Pam Beesly, and Ryan Howard. The enigmatic beet farmer with a penchant for following the rules served as Michael's right-hand man at Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Dwight started out as the assistant to the regional manager but before the series closed out, he finally got a chance at being the branch's leader. He had a tendency of being involved in the office's most amusing hijinks due to his naivety and gullible personality.
Shortly after The Office made its debut, Dwight emerged as an instant fan favorite. He was strange to an excessive degree and stood out with his iconic look with mustard-colored collared shirts and big glasses. Wilson seemed to embody the character but the actor was instantly picked for the role of Dwight. Actors Seth Rogen and Patton Oswalt auditioned for the role as well as comedians Matt Besser and Judah Friedlander. Rogen's audition was later released by NBC but it was all in good fun considering the actor received his breakthrough role a few years after losing out to Wilson.
Rainn Wilson Was The Best Fit For Dwight Schrute
Before Wilson was chosen for the part of Dwight, he auditioned for the role of Michael Scott, The Office's leading man. Wilson was a big fan of the original UK version of the series and the actor described doing a Ricky Gervais impersonation for the audition. He remembered it being less than stellar but Wilson clearly knocked it out of the park when it came to his audition for Dwight. The casting directors saw a lot of potential with his portrayal of Dwight and they were right in listening to their instincts.
When Wilson won the role, he decided to go to the barber and asked for the worst haircut imaginable. The actor then held that hairstyle for the better part of the decade as he appeared in all 201 episodes of The Office. Late in the sitcom's run, NBC toyed with the idea of giving Wilson a spinoff focused on Dwight but it was later passed over. Despite the fact that NBC didn't give the spinoff the green light, it was no question that Dwight remained one of the best aspects of the series and much of that was credited to Wilson.