Leslie David Baker of 'The Office' comes to USC

On Wednesday night, Leslie David Baker came to USC to talk about his life, his career and, of course, his time on "The Office." 

Carolina Productions brought Baker to Russell House Ballroom, which was packed tightly with students. Baker was interviewed live and talked about his experiences starting out in acting, his co-stars and stories from "The Office" and the work he's done since, including films such as "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" and "Puppy Dog Pals."

Baker's extensive body of work officially began in 1998's "Maggie," a TV series on Lifetime where he played Frank the ice cream truck driver. He later had roles on "Malcolm in the Middle," "Scrubs" and "That '70s Show" before landing his role on "The Office." 

Baker said he got his Actors Union card by doing a fur commercial in Chicago, but he started acting as a hobby before it evolved into his career. During the show he stressed hobbies may turn into careers and degrees do not always determine where someone will end up in life. Baker has a degree in psychology from Loyola University in Chicago and briefly attended medical school before he realized his true calling was acting.

The second half of his show consisted of questions from the audience. Most questions focused on Baker's role as Stanley Hudson from "The Office," a role Baker had from 2005 to 2013. 

Stanley is probably best known for his attitude and facial expressions, the latter of which he had long before the breakout role.

"I always heard from teachers, you know, that I had an expressive face and that they could tell what I was thinking," Baker said. "If there was something that I liked, you would know it. If there was something I thought was ridiculous, you could look at my face and it was right there."

Baker said he added other quirks to Stanley, leading to some of the character's most iconic scenes. For instance, he said, doing crossword puzzles in conference room meetings was purely his idea. 

One of Baker's most iconic quotes, "Boy, have you lost your mind?" was also improvisation. Baker's direction for the scene was simply "Stanley rants," which led to the widely quoted scene. 

While there are many actors who wish to move past their iconic roles or try to avoid being known for their one big role, Baker said he does not have that mindset.

"I don't have a problem with having been known for having appeared in 'The Office,'" he said. "I've got an extensive body of work that I've done in film, television, theater, so nothing will take away from that, not even a nine-year stint on 'The Office.'"