Mindy Kaling reflects on joining The Office cast after starting as a writer

Mindy Kaling says she never expected to appear on camera when she joined The Office as a writer.

Speaking with Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast, Kaling recalled how she was cast as Kelly Kapoor during the show's second episode, "Diversity Day," which she described as one of the funniest episodes of the series.

Kaling said writer B.J. Novak wrote the episode, and creator Greg Daniels asked her to play an employee who becomes the target of Michael Scott's awkward diversity training. She said the scene worked because the office needed a diverse group of characters for Michael's offensive behavior to have its full comedic impact.

At the time, Kaling said she was happy to focus on writing and was surprised by the chance to act. She also noted that television rarely featured women who were not presented as conventionally glamorous, but said Daniels believed authentic people were worth putting on screen.

Kaling said Kelly Kapoor was fun to play because the character was confidently delusional, believing she was the most attractive person in the office and destined for fame. She later brought a similar confidence to the lead character in The Mindy Project.

Kaling remained with The Office throughout its nine-season run. After the series ended in 2013, she starred in and created The Mindy Project, which ran for six seasons.