Jenna Fischer

'Office' star gets ready to 'Walk Hard'

By ZACHARY PINCUS-ROTH

Fischer

JUDD AND HIS MERRY MEN

• Judd Apatow
• Seth Rogen
• Michael Cera
• Jonah Hill

FEATURE THESPS

• Tim Allen
• Rowan Atkinson
• Kevin James
• Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
• Adam Sandler
• John Travolta
• John C. Reilly

HELMERS & SCRIBES

• Jason Reitman & Diablo Cody
• The Hot Fuzz Guys
• Walt Becker
• Tyler Perry

TOON TALENT

• Brad Bird
• The Simpsons troika
• Jerry Seinfeld

LIVE LAUGHS LEADERS

• Jim Gaffigan
• Demetri Martin
• Katt Williams
• Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan

WEB HEADS

• The Lonely Island Guys
• Perez Hilton
• Funnyordie.com

TUBE TITANS

• Bill Engvall
• Jenna Fischer
• Tina Fey
• Bryan Fuller
• Flight of the Conchords
• Tracy Morgan
• Steven Koonin
• Chuck Lorre
• Neil Patrick Harris
• Ricky Gervais
• Jaime Pressly
• Conan O'Brien
• Jon Stewart
• Amy Poehler
• Sarah Silverman

After years of sitcom auditions in which she'd confused fellow actors with her quirky line readings and awkward pauses, Fischer and her understated style have finally found their match in "The Office," which this year netted the 33-year-old actress her first Emmy nomination.

On the show this season, her character Pam and true love Jim (John Krasinski) finally broke their romantic tension, yet Fischer still managed to help keep their relationship fresh and funny. This year, Fischer also made a graceful transition to the bigscreen with "Blades of Glory," playing the Cinderella sister of two obnoxious figure skaters in a comedy feature that netted more than $144 million globally.

Next up is "Walk Hard," the Judd Apatow-produced country music biopic parody in which Fischer takes fairly specific aim at Reese Witherspoon's June Carter take in "Walk the Line." The role not only shows off her comedic range but also earns her a membership card in the Apatow repertory.

Point of view

“The reason I wanted to do ‘Walk Hard’ is it was completely out of the zone of being that shrinking-violet character,” Fischer says. “She’s all about her sexuality, she’s very confident, she’s loud. She’s a person who makes things happen.”