The 'Office' Scene That Had Stars Laughing So Hard Production Had to Be Shut Down

If watching The Office has ever made you laugh so hard you had to leave the room, then you can probably imagine what it was like for the actors and showrunners trying to make the hilarity happen in real time. Though I’m sure most scenes had to be shot at least twice due to the giggles, some scenes were nearly impossible to get through.

One bit in particular from Season 5 was so difficult for Jim Halpert actor John Krasinski and Dwight Schrute actor Rainn Wilson that they had to just call it a day. Buzzfeed reports, via Wilson's book The Bassoon King, that while filming the two-part episode “Lecture Circuit,” the two cos-stars just couldn’t stop laughing at the birthday party scene.

As you remember, Dwight and Jim are appointed heads of the party planning committee, but drop the ball for Kelly Kapoor's (Mindy Kaling) big day. Dwight, in charge of decorations, hangs half-inflated grey and brown balloons, as well as a banner that says “It is your birthday” (a statement of fact). Apparently, Krasinski and Wilson kept cracking so many times during this scene that production had to be shut down.

Talk about the best reason to be sent home from work.