McShane’s acting ability helped make Dr. Swanson a pivotal character in the movie, as his influential hypnosis on Peter turns the whole movie around. Peter has upper management written all over him thanks to the work of the doc. When auditioning for Office Space, McShane went in trying for the part of Milton, but was told he was too big for the role, something he has had to deal with his entire career as an actor, and even his whole life.
He knew he wasn’t going to have much time on film, but McShane says he wanted to give the small part his all. He was extremely gracious that Mike Judge gave him a chance to be a part of such an influential movie.
"I went to audition for Stephen Root’s part and I after reading it, I got called back to read it again," McShane says. "Mike Judge said he liked what I was doing, but I was too big for the part. They needed someone smaller. So a week later, they offered me the role I got, and I was very satisfied with that."
Stepping up his act was made a little difficult by the hot, humid Austin, Texas weather. "I remember it being really hot an humid when we were shooting my scene," McShane says. "It was so hot, I did something unheard of: I cut my scene. I said cut. I shouldn’t have said cut, but I was really hot and asked for a fan. Luckily, they were really nice about it and gave me a few minutes to cool off. The scene after that ended up being a great shot, so it worked out OK."
McShane didn’t see a lot of his great longtime friend and Office Space co-worker Paul Willson during the shooting because McShane’s scene only took a few days, but he still has plenty of great words for his friend.
"We were lovers, but we broke up. He always thought he was the smartest thing around. And he thought he was a better dancer. Sometimes I shed a tear over him," McShane laughs. "No really, Paul is great. He is a real brain machine. His brain is so maximized."
Willson knew he was one of the five fat guys to leave their mark on the film, McShane was another. He has had to deal with his weight his entire life. Getting turned down for roles has been his pet peeve, but he continues to battle through the weight and the rejection. "One guy said you have to trim the fat. And I am like, dude, it’s not like fat is an allergy. It’s not like you can catch it. That’s bullshit."
Whether it be being pelted with milk cartons, or being called an ogre, McShane has fought for his life against both bullies and obesity.
He might not have played the best part in Office Space, but McShane sure made due with the character he had. He made Dr. Swanson the best Dr. Swanson that could be, and he still cherishes his success and the overall success of the movie. "Oh I love it. It is such a great movie. I have been trying to make a point to buy it, but it is always sold out. It was a great movie and I was so happy to be a part of it. I might not have had the biggest role, but I was proud of the job I did. Somehow it has gotten popular again. It wasn’t marketed very well. When it tanked, I was like ‘what the fuck?’ Fox didn’t push it. Have you seen it? It’s fucking funny. What Mike needed was a whipping boy to go out there and say, ‘Have you seen Office Space? It’s funny, go see it,’ to the executives. Every movie needs a whipping boy."
Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox
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