St. Louis Magazine features an in-depth interview with Phyllis Smith:
Phyllis Lapin-Vance could just as easily be that woman from accounting who shares a cube wall with you and wears old-lady perfume and God-awful Christmas sweaters and spends hours on the phone, planning special trips to Orlando for herself and her husband. And Phyllis Smith seemed like she could be that same person, but now we’re not so sure. The line between Phyllis Smith and Phyllis Lapin-Vance is pretty fuzzy to begin with, and honestly, with all this jumping back and forth between the two, we’re starting to confuse ourselves.
Link: Hello My Name is Phyllis
Tipster: Kim
that’s funny that she doesn’t like andy’s character, at all!
“i don’t trust you Phyllis!”
Wow. That was actually a very touching story. I love how this show casts unusual choices and when you read her story you really root for her. I hope she finds her Bob Vance. And a decent agent.
This article came out a while ago, but unless you are a St. Louis resident, you probably do not read STL mag. I am always hoping that I will see Phylis in the Lou one day on one of her trips home. *SIGH* that would be magical.
Very good story, I learned a lot!
Phyllis is extremely attractive. I want to quote one of Michael’s lines from “Sexual Harassment” right now, but I think it violates OT’s comment policy. :)
What a great interview. I just love Phyllis (both of them).
Great Interview! As a dancer myself, I was touched by her decision to get back into it. Was anyone else surprised about who she chose to marry/screw/kill?? Interesting!
Phyllis is so cool. Really.
She wants to kill Andy?! Hehehe. That’s funny…and a bit surprising for some reason.
She seems sweet. It’s always great to hear more about these cast members. Somehow it’s inspiring.
This same issue featured some St. Louis-born directors (including James Gunn). Jenna Fischer is mentioned briefly in his profile here.
And from March 2006, Jenna’s high school jobs.
Awww. She doesn’t like Andy. Poor Andy!
Phyllis is so awesome, I wish we got to read and see more about her. Her character is so layered and interesting and it seems the real Phyllis is no less so. It really bums me out that she doesn’t show up on the dvd commentaries. I hope wider media will give us more Phyllis Smith. Give the people what they want!
I had already known that Jenna Fischer is from Saint Louis and Ken Kwapis is from Belleville, a suburb on the Illinois side. But it seriously made my day to learn that Phyllis is from Saint Louis as well.
Thanks for posting this. I just love Phyllis.
Great article. I think we have so much more to discover about Phyllis’ character.
Case in point: “Are you calling me a ho?”
The character of Phyllis perfectly demonstrates how fantastic this show is. There is so, so, so much more to that character than what meets the eye. She will steal your wedding, tell you not to give your boyfriend preferential treatment, close the sale, and shake her maracas.
Wherever the line is between Phyllis Smith and Phyllis Lapin-Vance, I think the woman on both sides of it seems awfully fantastic. And I’m glad to know that, should I ever run into Phyllis Smith, she won’t hate me for running over to her and squealing like an idiot so that I can tell her that!
I just love Phyllis! She is one of the nicest people, so down to earth and happy!
Phyllis Vance is one of my favorite characters on the show and Phyllis Smith sounds like a nice, fun person. I know exactly what she means about fewer people holding the door open for you at the bank as you get older.