109: Rainn Wilson: Dwight Schrute Talks About Religion

Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica… and spirituality?

Rainn Wilson is known for playing beloved misfit, paper salesman, and beet farmer Dwight Schrute on the hit TV show The Office. But in Hollywood, he’s known for being a bit of a misfit in another way… he frequently talks about religion in public.

Recently, he wrote a book called 'Soul Boom' in which he calls for a spiritual revolution. “We've thrown the spiritual baby out with the religious bathwater,” he says, “but spiritual ideas helped transform my life and made my life better, and the stakes have never been higher.”

In this episode, he discusses his upbringing in the Bahá'í faith, how his career as an actor and comedian in Hollywood took a dire toll on his mental health, and how a return to spirituality gave him the tools to begin living a happy, flourishing life.

 

Show Notes:

• Similar episodes 
  • Actor and Activist: Martin Sheen
  • The Road to Character: David Brooks
• Resources mentioned this episode
  • Soul Boom by Rainn Wilson
  • Laughing Matters Documentary
• PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes
• Transcription Link

 

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