B.J. Novak played temp-turned-vice president Ryan Howard and also served as a writer, executive producer, and occasional director on the show. On top of all of that, Novak was also the first person to be cast in a series role. This fact was confirmed in an episode of the podcast "Office Ladies," which is hosted by two of the show's actors, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. In each episode of the podcast, Fischer and Kinsey rewatch an episode of "The Office" and then discuss it, often divulging some behind-the-scenes facts. In the pilot episode of the podcast, Fischer reveals the "fun fact" that Novak was the first to be cast — which even took Kinsey by surprise.
Fischer continued, "Greg Daniels saw him doing standup comedy. And he thought this guy, I want this guy. So he offered B.J. a role as both a writer and the role of Ryan the temp on the show. So when I came in for my audition, B.J. was already cast. He was the very first person. And he was also the first example of that synergy of having people who were both performers and writers for the show.
In an interview with Playboy, Novak was asked if he thought the series would be such a big hit back when he was the first one cast. Novak responded, "Honestly, at every stage I thought it would be a big hit. No one really believed that back then, but I never doubted it."
