THE OFFICE: Josh Groban Talks Guest Turn as Andy’s Brother

Acclaimed singer/song-writer Josh Groban guest stars in tonight’s episode of The Office as Walter Bernard, Jr., younger brother of Dunder-Mifflin’s new manager Andy Bernard. Josh is currently on tour in Europe (I’ve been to a concert on his current tour; it was outstanding!), but took some time out from his busy schedule to talk with a group of reporters about his time in Scranton, PA.

Josh is a big fan of The Office, but getting invited to guest star came from…Twitter!

“[The Office star/producer Mindy Kaling] direct message Tweeted me and I was shocked to hear from her,” Josh says, still sounding a little surprised. “It just so happened that the exact week that they were taping this episode was the exact week out of an 8-month tour that I’m doing that I happened to be in the Los Angeles area. It was 100% serendipity that I happened to be in town when they were taping this episode, and I’m so happy that the stars lined up for that.”

What kind of relationship do the Bernard brothers have?

“Andy is the firstborn, which is usually I think the favorite son, but for whatever reason, being the second born, somehow I stole his name from him – he was originally going to be Walter Jr., but they made me Walter Jr.  – and he kind of wound up being the happy go-lucky, very successful, almost kind of ‘fell up’ in a way…of course he likes to sing, he’s been very successful in business, and can do no wrong in the eyes of his parents. This episode really shows some of the backstory of why Andy grew up to be the bit of the overachiever that he tries to be,” Josh teases.

The competitiveness between the brothers is more one-sided than you’d expect, however.  “I think that Walter, Jr. loves Andy to death,” Josh muses. “For the most part, I would guess that he’s a bit ignorant to the fact that Andy is competitive or feeling left out. I think Walter, Jr. just thinks the world of his older brother, looks up to him even though he [Walter, Jr.] is more successful and always can’t wait to see him. That said, subconsciously I think there’s always a bit of a rivalry going on in a family, whether you choose to admit it or not. Most of that rivalry is sparked by the dad who tends to favor Walter, Jr. more than Andy. But I think if Walter, Jr. could, he’d give Andy as much praise as he could.”

Inquiring minds want to know, will the brothers be singing?

“Andy’s always had that thing where he’s got a guitar if there’s any opportunity for him to sing on The Office, he will,” Josh says. “And I think this episode definitely shows where that kind of ‘get it in while I can’ mentality comes from. I think this episode shows a tremendous musical rivalry in the family — not only between Andy and my character, Walter Jr., but also the patriarch. Our father, played by Stephen Collins, is quite musical and has quite a voice as well. So I think the whole musical tapestry of Bernard family comes to light in this episode, for sure.”

What’s it like to actually visit Schrute Beet Farm?

A longtime fan of The Office, Josh geeked out a little bit when he arrived on location for his scenes at the Schrute Beet Farm. “I was very, very honored. I was kind of surprised they didn’t put a blindfold on me on the van ride over,” he chuckles. “It feels like one of those top secret TV-land locations. As a fan of the show, it was really fun to see. Everything you see on the show, none of that feels like a set when you’re there. It’s a beautiful piece of land, and what the prop department and the people who’ve created that house, it’s so detailed. To be able to walk in and look closely at all of the Schrute portraits on the wall and the pictures from his childhood and the oil painting of his grandfather next to the KISS poster… They haven’t left any stone unturned when it comes to his character and what that property means to his character. As a fan of the show, it was really cool to see that.”

Watch Josh Groban on The Office tonight at 9/8c on NBC.