Wendi McLendon-Covey has made us laugh for years in The Goldbergs, Reno 911!, and, of course, Bridesmaids. However, like many actors, she also struggled a lot to get success.
In a recent appearance on the ‘Office Ladies’ podcast, she disclosed a story that was heartbreaking as well as eye-opening. Back in the early days of her career, Wendi got a role in a movie and even flew out to Michigan for shooting. However, before she could film her single scene, everything changed.
“The money guy decided I was not pretty enough to do the role,” Wendi McLendon-Covey revealed. “So I was put on a plane crying to go right back to L.A.”
Podcast hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey were stunned. However, Wendi didn’t name the movie or the person who fired her. Instead, she told the story in a positive manner.
“It was pretty brutal, but also a blessing because that movie went nowhere,” she laughed. Staying there would have meant waiting around for weeks with barely any screen time.
She summarized that “sometimes you’re in the wrong place, and something horrible has to happen to get you in the right place.” For Wendi, the right place was with the fan-favorite Michael Scott.
The very next day after flying home in tears, Wendi McLendon-Covey got a call offering her a role on ‘The Office.’ Fans will remember her as Marie, the hotel concierge who has a funny fling with Steve Carell’s Michael Scott.
She joked, “Thank God I got fired, right? Because nobody saw that movie, but everybody saw this.”
It wasn’t the only career setback Wendi faced around that time. However, she has since bounced back in a big way. Looking back, she sees that painful moment as the push that led her toward bigger and better things.
