Rainn Wilson Says There Is a 'Lost' Episode of 'The Office' All About Pets

The Jerry & Marge Go Large actor talked to PEOPLE about his partnership with small pet brand Kaytee and an animal-filled episode of The Office that didn't make the cut

Photo: Justin Lubin/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

There's an unreleased episode of The Office called "Pet Day" currently sitting in Rainn Wilson's desk drawer, according to the actor himself.

"This is an absolutely true story," Wilson, 56, who played Dwight Schrute on the hit comedy, told PEOPLE while discussing his partnership with small pet brand Kaytee. "Recently, I uncovered a lost Office episode — not making this up — called 'Pet Day.' We did a table read of it early on, I think in the first season, but it didn't make the cut. It's not disseminated. No one has it."

Wilson says the unfilmed episode is about Dunder Mifflin celebrating Take Your Pet to Work Day. "I think Angela brings in cats, obviously," shared Wilson, "But everyone brings their pet to work, and Dwight brings in his hybrid wolf."

The cast of The Office. Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

In the hit NBC mockumentary series, Wilson stars as the comically off-beat Dwight, a stickler for rule-following with a penchant for beets. In real life, the actor is more relaxed than his quirky on-screen character, but, just like the farm-grown Schrute, Wilson loves animals — though he prefers pocket-sized pets.

"I am a father to many guinea pigs," Wilson told PEOPLE.

The Dark Winds actor added that he often keeps his pets in a small wicker basket and joked about riding a bicycle around with his guinea pig pals on the handlebars à la the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz.

Out of love for his guinea pigs, Wilson recently partnered with small pet food brand Kaytee for their "Small in Show" campaign and starred in a digital mockumentary — alongside his guinea pig Kenneth — for the brand that saw Wilson and his beloved pet attempt to infiltrate the Westminster Dog Show.

"I think small animals and their owners and handlers, trainers, partners, and roommates should be feted and celebrated," Wilson said. "And that's why I joined with Kaytee in this campaign."

The short film is one of Wilson's recent projects. The actor also plays a part in the new Paramount + release Jerry & Marge Go Large, the true story of a retired husband and wife who discover a mathematical loophole in the lottery and win big.

"It's a really just a fun, uplifting comedy," Wilson says of Jerry & Marge Go Large, which also stars Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston. This project wasn't the first time Wilson and Cranston have worked together — Cranston famously guest-directed a nearly-catastrophic episode of The Office.

"He was really looking forward to directing and just having a really easy gig where we sat around the office and move the cameras around," Wilson said of Cranston's episode of the sitcom, "Instead, it was one of the hardest episodes we ever did."

Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

While filming the episode "Work Bus," the cast and crew were loaded onto a cramped bus on a hot California day. In an attempt to cool down, an air conditioning unit was connected to the back of the bus. One big problem — the tube that sucked in air to cool down before blowing it into the bus, "was exactly lined up to where the tailpipe of the bus was," Cranston said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, "so the exhaust of the bus was going right to the intake."

Luckily, cast member Jenna Fischer, who played receptionist Pam on The Office, noticed a funny smell and alerted Cranston to the carbon monoxide filtering through the bus before things got dangerous.

Despite the stressful workday, Wilson tells PEOPLE, "Brian's a fantastic talent, and super good director as well."

As to whether fans of The Office will ever get to see the unreleased "Pet Day" episode, Wilson is hopeful. "I keep suggesting to them that maybe we do a reading and, you know, charge people for the reading, and then the proceeds go to charity, maybe even an animal charity. So I'll keep working on that."

Jerry & Marge Go Large is available to watch now on Paramount +.