Richard Riehle Reflects on Iconic Office Space Role (March 8, 2024)

[ChrisReid]

Today we have an interview from the Hollywood Reporter with the cast of Office Space on its 25th Anniversary. Richard Riehle has a lot to say, and I thought it was fun to hear his perspective on various things even if there's no direct connection to Wing Commander. I was surprised to see that Mr. Riehle is 75 years old now, which would have put him in his early/mid 40s when portraying the role of Pliers in WC4. That sure makes me feel old! I've cut a few quotes below, but you can find the full Q&A here.

How does it feel to hit 25 years since Office Space?

Richard Riehle (engineer liaison Tom Smykowski): Hard to imagine it’s been that long. It seems like just yesterday, and people still talk about it. When I’m recognized, it’s one of the first things they ask about.

Riehle: Mike [Judge] always had things that he wanted to throw in — “Try this, try that.” He was the best host there in Austin, as well as director. He would take us to places where his band used to play and to places with good food.

Riehle: Maybe four months later or so, I was back in L.A. and doing upfronts with Fox, so Mike was there as well, and I said, “Mike, the strangest thing is happening. People on the street are quoting lines from Office Space to me.” And he said, “It just got picked up on Comedy Central, and everybody is loving it.”

Riehle: It certainly was a nice element. Unfortunately, it was sold outright to Comedy Central, I think. I never found out any of the details of that. But I’ve gotten more checks over a longer period of time for Free Willy than I have for Office Space. (Laughs.) But it certainly has been nice to get definitely a decent check for it a couple times a year.

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Original update published on March 8, 2024