WILSON: (as Dwight Schrute) Nazi was a fascist movement. The kids don't want to hear some weirdo book that your Nazi war criminal grandmother gave you.ĭELANEY RUTH FARRELL: (Sasha) What's a Nazi?ĬARELL: (as Michael Scott) What's a Nazi? My Grandmata used to read these.ĬARELL: (as Michael Scott) Yeah, you know what? No, no. WILSON: (as Dwight Schrute) These are cautionary tales for kids. WILSON: (as Dwight Schrute) There's a photo.ĬARELL: (as Michael Scott) What the hell are you reading to them? The great tall tailor always comes to little girls that suck their thumbs - are you listening, Sasha? Right? And 'ere they dream when he's about, he takes his great sharp scissors out, and then cuts their thumbs clean off. It's called 'Struwwelpeter,' by Heinrich Hoffman, from 1864. And now, a very special treat, a book my Grandmutter used to read me when I was a kid.

WILSON: (as Dwight Schrute) That was 'Greensleeves,' a traditional English ballad about the beheaded Anne Boleyn. GROSS: And Michael is at the door watching. It's Take Your Daughter to Work Day, and you're like at the head of what's almost like a little classroom, like all the daughters are sitting in chairs, and you're in front, reading to them and playing your recorder or flute-a-phone. GROSS: Well, I have to play a clip from 'The Office.' This is a classic scene. WILSON: But as Pam on the show said, you know, I have a vacuum cleaner that could also run this office pretty well. So when Angela, the head accountant, whispered those thoughts of power into his ear, you know, much like Macbeth, Dwight tried to rise to the challenge.

He only did it when encouraged by his little Lady Macbeth, Angela. And that was what you're referring to is a period of time when Dwight was potentially trying to rest control of the office from Michael, and I think it was a deadly combination. You know, in season four, sides of Dwight that no one had ever seen before. with Angela, and that was a whole other side of Dwight that got to come out. I mean this last season was Dwight's heartbreak, you know. I think that - and they're so canny, the writers on our show, because they're always creating textures for me to play, as Dwight. Was that a change in character for you when that change happened to Dwight? GROSS: And you just become like such the commander, as opposed to the lieutenant. And then, you know, all bets are off, like you want that power for yourself. But then he senses he can have that power, and it looks like Michael's going to leave and he can become the new Michael. GROSS: And at the beginning of 'The Office,' Dwight is the most loyal lieutenant imaginable to Michael. GROSS: Well, you mentioned that, you know, Greg Daniels told you that he has this like almost childish love of hierarchy. They're just more in tune with the dirt and the tides and the seasons and the wolves than, you know, human interaction. They can play it cool, they can do whatever they want, they can't really fit into city life no matter how much they try. And then I love the fact that he's, we discover later on that he's a beet farmer and that makes total sense, 'cause you ever meet a farmer, they can't quite ever fit in, in society. Can you say ass-kisser on FRESH AIR? All right. The other thing, so Dwight is a militant dweeb ass-kisser. Greg said, Dwight has an adolescent love of hierarchies, and to me that phrase sums it all up. WILSON: The show runner of our show who is insanely brilliant, and all of us on 'The Office' would follow him into battle because he such a great guy. GROSS: And he's the creator of the American version.

One of the things that Greg Daniels said to me early on. Dwight is hard to put your finger on, and I've spent years trying to describe him in interviews. He plays Dwight Schrute, who started as a flunky to Steve Carell's Michael Scott, but eventually ended up running the Scranton office himself. I'm David Bianculli back with more of our salute to NBC's 'The Office.' Rainn Wilson is another cast member who was around for every episode since 'The Office' began on NBC in 2005.

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