Rainn Wilson on Meditation, The Sexy Nostril Exercise, and Acting as Therapy

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“Cynicism is a disease that robs people of the gift of life.” – Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson (@rainnwilson) is best known for playing “Dwight” on NBC’s Emmy-winning, “The Office.” He has also acted in “Super,” “Cooties,” “Juno,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” and “The Rocker” among other movies. He co-founded SoulPancake, a media company that seeks to tackle “Life’s Big Questions.” He’s a board member of Mona Foundation and co-founded Lidè Haiti, an educational initiative in rural Haiti that empowers young, at-risk women through the arts. He is the author of the brand-new book, The Bassoon King, which is his laugh-out- loud memoir.

We cover a lot in this episode, including:

  • The value of “as if” exercises from drama school
  • Meditation practices, and what constitutes a “win” in a session
  • The origins of SoulPancake and the Kid President video mega-hit
  • Favorite books, documentaries, and movies
  • Acting as therapy (even for non-actors)
  • The basics of Bahá’í Faith and what Rainn would put on a billboard
  • The Sexy Nostril exercise

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Want to hear another podcast with a cast member on The Office? — Listen to my conversations with BJ Novak. In this episode, we discuss creative process, handling rejection, and good comedy (stream below or right-click here to download):

 

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: When it comes to setting goals, what do you find most difficult? What have you tried that hasn’t seemed to work, and why do you think you weren’t successful?  Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

Kid President | Subscribe on YouTube | What Makes Someone Truly Wealthy 

  • Watch more of Rainn Wilson:

The Office | Hesher | Backstrom

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Show Notes

  • SoulPancake and long-term goals for the company [8:15]
  • What has been Rainn’s most challenging projects and how he prepared for success [15:20]
  • Does getting deep into the mindset of a depressed character help you fight depression in real life? [19:20]
  • Rainn Wilson’s meditation practice [23:10]
  • Exercises that could benefit non-actors to get outside of their own head [29:00]
  • Rainn Wilson’s exercise habits [34:15]
  • When you think of the word successful, who is the first person that comes to mind and why? [36:20]
  • Most gifted books [42:30]
  • In recent memory, what purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life? [46:35]
  • What is something that you believe that other people think is insane? [48:43]
  • Common misconceptions about Rainn Wilson [52:05]
  • What Rainn Wilson has in common with Dwight Schrute (his character in The Office) and which characteristics are completely different? [53:00]
  • Why Rainn Wilson decided to write The Bassoon King [53:55]
  • The core tenants of Bahá’í Faith [58:20]
  • If you could have one billboard anywhere, what would it say and why? [1:06:05]
  • Advice to a 30-year-old Rainn Wilson and what his life looked like at that point [1:06:55]
  • Favorite movies and documentaries [1:08:45]
  • An ask or request of the audience [1:10:55]

People Mentioned



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