Since moving out here a couple years ago, one of the great things I’ve found about living in Los Angeles is that just by going out and doing your normal business you can bump into celebrities. Renting a movie at Blockbuster I saw John Cho (Harold, from Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle), shopping at Trader Joe’s I saw Terry Quinn (Locke, from Lost) and I bumped into Dustin Hoffman at Arclight Cinemas (well, I think it was Dustin Hoffman…but it might have been Mini-me).

There are also many awesome events where you can go hear Hollywood types discuss their works. I’ve had the good fortune of going to Q&A sessions featuring Penny Marshall, Matt Groening, the cast of Prison Break and my all-time favorite, Paul Rubens, aka Pee Wee Herman. Yeah, meeting Pee Wee was great…but I couldn’t get to the bathroom fast enough to wash my hands after shaking his.

Today I had the good fortune of attending a Q&A, put on by Women in Film, with Leslie David Baker who plays Stanley on The Office. Although he mostly discussed his rise to fame and advice on making it in Hollywood, he did offer a few tidbits on The Office.

He talked about filming last season’s “Beach Games” episode where he had to don a “Sumo Suit” and wrestle with Jim. “It was like wearing a full body blood pressure cuff,” he said. “You put on the suit and they pump it up. It was hot and you couldn’t move. I ended up in the emergency room with sand in my eye and a scratched cornea”.

On being a plus size actor – “For a man being large actually works for you. It’s not like women. There is a double standard in Hollywood…they want actresses with Big Rack and Narrow Back.”

On the cast of the office – “People are always asking for dirt on the cast but on our show we are very lucky…we all get along. I’ve been on shows where that is not the case.”

On the why The Office works – “A big part is the diversity of the cast. The appeal of the show, they look like people you work with. They look like people you know.”

And finally, when asked how it feels to be on a hit show, Baker replied, “Wonderful, wonderful. It feels fantastic!”

Stanley is an integral part of The Office’s success. Although occasionally animated (like during Pretzel day) his low-key reactions to Michael’s ignorant comments are always good for a laugh. One of my favorites was during the “Diversity Day” episode:

Michael: That would really, really have shown him up, wouldn’t it? If I’d brought in some burritos or some colored greens or some Pad Thai, love the Pad Thai…
Stanley: It’s collard greens.
Michael: What?
Stanley: It’s collard greens.
Michael: Uh, that doesn’t really make sense, cause you don’t call them “collard people”. That’s offensive.

This post was Authored by Joe Purcell, Our Resident Authority on all things The Office