Rainn Wilson shares a heartfelt message on a napkin about The Office given to him by a flight attendant: ‘So humbled’

It’s not every day that we humans can have such a positive impact on the lives of people we’ve never met.

But that’s exactly what happened to actor Rainn Wilson in recent days when he took a flight through Portland International Airport.

While traveling, Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on the hit series The Office, unknowingly received a heartfelt message from a fan of the show in the form of a letter on a napkin.

He has since posted a photo of that napkin to his social media platforms, along with a message back to the woman, who turned out to be a flight attendant.

‘The Bureau helped me through some of the darkest days of my life. I can’t thank you enough for that,” read the message from Melanie of Alaska Airlines.

Rainn Wilson, 57, shared a sweet message he received from a fan, who praised him and The Office for helping her “get through some of the darkest days of my life.”

In addition to posting the photo of the message to Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), Wilson shared even more of the story behind her act of kindness, as well as a tribute to his former colleagues on The Office.

“I didn’t even see who dropped this on my lap at PDX airport, but I really appreciate the sentiment, Alaska Airlines flight attendant Melanie,” he wrote in a response. “It is so humbling to be part of a show that moved, moved, comforted and inspired. And continues to do so! It’s so damn rare.’

It’s at this point that the acclaimed actor, who earned three consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series for his work on The Office, shared some of that woman’s praise with the cast and crew.

“A continuing thank you to the entire Office family, cast, writers, crew and most importantly AUDIENCE!” the Seattle, Washington native continued, before adding that “this is not an open invitation to give me notes on napkins!”

The mockumentary series also starred Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Ed Helms, Mindy Kaling, BJ Novak, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Paul Lieberstein, Ellie Kemper, David Denman, Melora Hardin, Creed Bratton, Craig Robinson, Rashida Jones, Zack Woods, Amy Ryan, Catherine Tate, James Spader, Clark Duke and Jake Lacy.

The show, which depicts the daily work lives of office workers at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, ran for nine seasons on NBC from 2005 to 2013.

Based on the BBC series of the same name created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it was adapted for American television by Greg Daniels, veteran writer on Saturday Night Live, King of The Hill and The Simpsons.

Like its British counterpart, the show was filmed in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track to simulate the look of a real documentary.

The actor played fan favorite Dwight Schrute on the mockumentary sitcom during its nine seasons on NBC from 2005 to 2013

Wilson claimed he didn’t even see who dropped the sweet message on his lap at Portland International Airport this week

Although The Office was a popular show during its original run, it experienced a resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, which began in mid-March 2020; photo stars BJ Novak (Ryan Howard), John Krasinski (Jim Halpert), Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesley), Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute), Steve Carell (Michael Scott)

The Office, starring Steve Carell in the lead role of boss Michael Scott, received 42 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, resulting in five wins; depicted in a scene from the show are Wilson, Carell and Krasinski

In total, The Office received 42 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations resulting in five wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series (season two), Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series (Greg Daniels for Gay Witch Hunt), Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series (Jeffrey Blitz for Stress Relief) and excellent single-camera editing for a comedy series (David Rogers and Claire Scanlon for Finale).

Although Carell never received an Emmy Award for his performance on the series, he did win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical (2006).

The series saw a resurgence in popularity while everyone was in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in mid-March 2020, as reported by a number of publications, including People. Wilson discussed the impact the show has had on fans with Carell during the finale of his Instagram Live series, Hey There, Human.

“One thing that’s been really satisfying to me is that in this very dark time, I’ve heard from so many people that they’ve really appreciated The Office being there – that it has a warmth and humanity to it, a kind of family feel to it. that makes it something special and that has helped them during this time, and even their mental health,” Wilson said at the time.