Rainn Wilson, an actor well-known for portraying Dwight Schrute in "The Office," spoke at Penn to promote his new book, "Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution."
As a part of the Authors@Wharton Speaker Series, Wilson joined Wharton Management Professor Adam Grant to discuss his career and spiritual revolution in Irvine Auditorium on Oct. 4. Free copies of Wilson’s book were handed out to the first 500 people in attendance.
Grant introduced Wilson’s role as Dwight Schrute as the “most iconic character of our time.” The actor studied at NYU’s graduate acting program and started his career in theater, going on tour as an ensemble member of a Shakespeare production crew.
Wilson recounted his transition from theater to TV as one that was extremely difficult, as he initially could not get call-backs for entry-level gigs. His breakthrough in the industry was getting cast as Dwight. Wilson reflected on the opportunity as one that would likely be the best one in his TV career.
According to Wilson, the spiritual foundation behind his book came from the times when he felt unhappy in his role throughout the nine seasons of "The Office." His struggles with feeling unqualified led him to find solace in studying religions around the world. By focusing on the problem-solving aspect of religion, Wilson realized how “timeless yet timely” spirituality was.
The last segment of the talk was a lightning round, where Wilson revealed his favorite Office character, Creed, and his favorite improv skit as Sith Lord Dwight. At the end of the event, Wilson emphasized the importance of creating a spiritual revolution — which he dubbed a “Soul Boom" — to heal personal and global problems.
“Your twenties are a waste of time. Your twenties is a time to make mistakes, to try things, to travel, to fall in love, to read books, Wilson said. "The college experience is about sinking your teeth into ideas. This is not a time to find the right internship, or get the right test score, or build the resume. If you’re on that track, you’ve already lost.”
Launched in 2012, the Authors@Wharton Speaker Series seeks to facilitate discussion on various topics within the Penn community outside of a classroom setting. Recent guests include Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey and restaurateur Daniel Meyer.
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