Now that you're pregnant in real life, do you need some new clothing goals for Pam? Or can you just reuse the clothes she wore during her pregnancy in the show?
I do not think. I'm a lot bigger than Pam. The only thing that grew when Pam was pregnant was her belly. Everything about me has grown: my arms are bigger, my legs are bigger, my face is bigger. When you get pregnant in real life, your whole body gets pregnant, not just your belly.
[Editor's note: These next two questions were part ofa post we published last week.]
Will your pregnancy be incorporated into the show?
Yes. Pam will be pregnant when the season starts. Pam and Jim snuck away on Valentine's Day last season and had sex. The story is that they conceived this baby back then and kept it a secret until we got back from the summer. So yes, Pam and Jim are having their second child this season.
Did they write it because you were pregnant?
No. When we shot that episode, I knew I was pregnant, but I hadn't told anyone yet. When we started shooting that episode, I thought to myself:If all goes well, this will be a very, very useful case. A very happy accident.And I think I found out I was pregnant when we shot that episode.
Did anyone question your weight before they knew you were pregnant?
When the moviePassionsI found out I was pregnant and I couldn't share that with anyone yet. I hadn't shared it with my managers, my agents. We hadn't told my family. And I immediately started gaining weight. At eleven weeks I bought my first maternity jeans. I don't know if it was water retention or what, but when I got dressed for [thePassionspremiere and press] I had to explain to everyone that I had gone up a size and refused to wear Spanx. I couldn't explain why I was suddenly such a diva about all these things I had wanted to do before. I say, "I'm not wearing Spanx! I refuse!" Because you know you can't restrict that area when you're pregnant. So it was very interesting, just in terms of the early pregnancy, the part where it was secret. Even early when we were shootingThe office, I grew out of my skirts and couldn't tell people I was pregnant, so I walked around with them half open so I could sit down. And one day we came back from break and I knew I wouldn't fit into my shirt, so I went to J.Crew and bought my own shirt and brought it to work that morning. Once again everyone was very confused. Why does Jenna insist on wearing this purple shirt from J.Crew? For seven years, she has never brought her own clothes. The truth was, if I wore the shirt they put in my dressing room, I wouldn't be able to button it. It was very stressful! So it was a big relief to finally be able to share the news and get clothes that fit me. Now I have to let it all sink in.
James Spader joins the show full-time as Robert California, CEO of Dunder Mifflin's parent company, Saber. What do you think he will bring to the series?
I'm really excited because I didn't have any scenes with him when he was in the finale. They told me not to say this but there is a great story with Pam and Robert California. And then the new role of manager, they told me who it would be - and also told me not to tell. I'm very happy with the choice they made and I think the fans will be very happy too.
Was there a part of you that hoped a female actor would get the role, without revealing who the new manager is?
Yes, I really wanted Christina Applegate to play the role. That's the one I was advocating for. I had just worked with ChristinaPassions, so maybe part of me was just selfishly trying to find a way to work with her every day.
Had they really thought about her?
As soon as I said her name, their ears perked up. I think they looked into it, and then they said NBC already realized she needed to be in a TV show and gave her another TV show.
We would like to answer some reader questions from you.EVANGILBERGI wonder if you have any ambitions to direct an episode of itThe officelike so many of your co-stars?
No. I have no ambitions to write or direct. I made a video calledlollipop lovethat I wrote and directed, and it was a very challenging project artistically, but it certainly showed me that writing and directing is not my future.
Here's one of themJMJE: “What feelings did you have when you were filming the final scenes at the airport with Steve Carell in his final episode?”
It was really emotional. They said, 'You know what, Jenna? Just say what you want to say to Steve. Just say hi and we'll record it, and when you're done, give each other a hug and go your separate ways.” And it was actually a challenge, because every time I got down there, I immediately started crying, and I had to try to hold it in for a while. We made so many recordings of that farewell and I cried every time. I even choked up telling the story now.
