Jim O’Heir Revealed His Favorite ‘Parks And Recreation’ Scene And How Jerry Became ‘The Punching Bag’

Jim O’Heir participated in a Reddit AMA on Thursday promoting his upcoming project, Middle Man, but in good humor, he mostly answered fan questions regarding Parks and Recreation and making out with Aubrey Plaza. One fan asked him what his favorite moment of filming Parks and Rec was, which also happens to be an UPROXX staff favorite:

I loved doing the Fart Attack. I felt that the only way to make it funny was to play it very very real. With craziness going on around me I knew that it would be the best way to handle it. The problem was trying to keep it together when you have Aziz asking if I “ate farts for lunch.”

O’Heir also revealed the exact moment the producers figured out that Jerry was the office punching bag, as his character did not start out that way in the first season:

I had no idea…and neither did the producers. It wasn’t until Season 2 when we shot an episode with Louis C.K. We did a story line where the cast had to find dirt on each other. It was revealed to me that my adoptive mother was a pot smoker…I didn’t know I was adopted. They knew right then and there that that’s who I would be. In many ways I think that one idea is what kept me on the show for seven seasons.

At the same time, he never felt bad about the way his character was treated:

I was never bothered by how they treated my character. The writers gave Jerry such a wonderful home life that it made up for the trouble at work. I always say that when Jerry was in trouble his co workers always had his back. I think Jerry really loved them and felt they loved him back. There was once when Chris Pratt said “I feel terrible doing this to Jerry”. I was like…Go For It!

On that note, now would be the perfect time to re-watch Jerry’s “fart attack:”

×