Before The Office became one of television’s biggest comedies, its stars were still waiting for Hollywood to notice them. Jenna Fischer remembers one particular day when she and her castmates decided to chase a little celebrity attention of their own, only for the moment to become an instant reality check. What they thought was their big paparazzi moment turned out to be someone else’s.

Here is what actually happened during The Office cast’s hilariously failed paparazzi moment that has resurfaced online.

Jenna Fischer, The Office star, recently revisited the hilarious incident on the Dinner’s on Me podcast, recalling how she, Angela Kinsey, Kate Flannery, and Phyllis Smith headed to Los Angeles hotspot The Ivy to celebrate The Office getting picked up for Season 2. Knowing the restaurant was a paparazzi magnet, the actresses deliberately requested a patio table, hoping to finally get their own candid celebrity shots. Instead, they were stuck near the kitchen, and when paparazzi suddenly came sprinting past them as they left, Fischer said they thought, “It’s happening!” The excitement lasted only seconds before they realized the photographers were chasing Seinfeld star Jason Alexander.

“Me and [Angela Kinsey] and [Kate Flannery] and [Phyllis Smith] from The Office, we decided we were going to have a ladies’ lunch to celebrate getting picked up for season 2. And we were going to go to the Ivy, which is the other place that the paparazzi hang out.” Fischer recalled on the Dinner’s on Me podcast.

The Dinner's on Me revelation somehow got better later when Kinsey proudly told a returning photographer that they were from NBC’s The Office. Rather than recognizing the sitcom, he apparently wondered whether they were simply employees from “the offices of NBC,” before asking them to call if they knew anyone at the network who might be worth photographing. Fischer and her castmates may have been invisible to the paparazzi that afternoon, but the timing could not have been more ironic-The Office would soon explode in popularity, nearly doubling its viewership in Season 2 and eventually becoming one of NBC’s defining comedies.

Rainn Wilson Reveals “Politically Incorrect” Humor Like 'The Office' Will Never Be Made Today

And that painfully awkward lunch turned out to be only the beginning of Fischer’s transformation from an unknown actress into Pam Beesly.

Jenna Fischer spent eight years struggling to break through in Hollywood before The Office changed everything, even working as a receptionist and administrative assistant in real life. That experience became unexpectedly useful when she auditioned for Pam, with casting director Allison Jones encouraging her to be as natural and “normal” as possible. Fischer leaned into that understated energy and turned a seemingly ordinary receptionist into the emotional center of Dunder Mifflin, eventually taking Pam from a quiet observer to a confident saleswoman and office administrator.

Her chemistry with John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert became one of television’s most beloved romances, while Fischer earned a 2007 Primetime Emmy nomination and two SAG Awards alongside the ensemble. Her post-Office credits include Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and Hall Pass, but she later found another hit by revisiting Scranton with Angela Kinsey on the Office Ladies podcast. The pair also co-authored The Office BFFs, proving that the actress who once struggled to get paparazzi attention eventually built an entire second career from the world that made her famous.

While Fischer and her castmates may have been overlooked that day, the joke was ultimately on the paparazzi, because the women they ran past would soon become part of one of television’s biggest comedy hits.

Ricky Gervais Calls 'Alley Cats' His Most Nerve-Wracking Show Since 'The Office'

Have you watched The Office? What’s your favorite moment from the show? Let us know in the comments.