Darryl on The Office is a perfect example of a character whose role on a show expanded as the actor portraying him, Craig Robinson, got increasingly famous. Thankfully there wasn’t anything wrong with that — Robinson’s Darryl was one of the best characters on the show because Robinson himself is a very funny guy. He actually portrays a version of himself in the movie This Is The End, and spoke about doing that and what The Office did for his career in an interview with Yahoo!
Most actors don’t get the chance to play themselves (or versions of themselves) in a movie, and Robinson admits that the on-screen version is a bit exaggerated. He says, “It’s obviously heightened versions of ourselves but because you’re playing yourself, you can really make no mistakes. It was really about being as close to you as you can but also having these crazy things that you would never say or do as we played the characters.”
In fact, when asked what is the most different thing about on-screen Craig from “real” Craig, he says, “In the movie I think I admit to murder and I probably wouldn’t do that in real life. That’s the most heightened difference really … I was so callous about it too (in the film).”
Naturally Robinson talks a bit about The Office, which he has appeared on from the first season to its recent finale. He has nothing but positive things to say about the show and the cast, saying, “It opened every door and beyond because it’s like you’re everybody’s friend, people really think they know you … That’s nine years of being in someone’s living room and it means the world. It’s given me a career and friends with strangers. People come to my shows because they want to see a piece of Darryl. I’m going to miss seeing where’s he’s going. He was always a stoic dude, kind of callous but pretty smart and then he was getting these interviews and having breakdowns, so he had these layers. I do miss his one-liners and being the smartest dude in the room.”
The forty-one year old Robinson didn’t really “make it” until his cameo appearances in movies began to pick up during his time on The Office. For those hoping to follow his path, he says, “Keep grinding your axe because you can get rusty. Every joke has a life and it’ll dictate its life to you so your responsibility is to bring that joke to life each and every time.”
