SEATTLE — Once you've rocketed to fame as a beloved "Office" mate, been nominated for three Emmys, and authored multiple books, everyone seems to think they know you.
"Which can be great," said Rainn Wilson, "but can also mean a lot of crazy, inappropriate behavior, people just grabbing me, or just coming to hug me without any personal boundaries like I'm Goofy at Disneyland or something like that."
This son of Seattle isn't exactly who you think he is.
"I am best known for Dwight from 'The Office,' I always will be," Wilson said. "That's what will be on my tombstone. And that's great. It has opened so many doors for me. But that's not the entirety of who I am."
Before starring as quirky Dwight Shrute on the long-running NBC comedy, Wilson was a quirky student at Shorecrest High School in Shoreline.
"Seattle's a huge part of my identity," he said.
Wilson was raised in the ancient B'hai faith. His writings, and a docuseries called "Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss," have explored the very meaning of life.
"The 'Geography of Bliss' was my own personal search for happiness," Wilson said.
While Wilson's been off exploring life's great mysteries, streaming re-runs of "The Office" have made him and the show more popular than ever. He's probably appearing in a meme near you.
"I use them!" he said, "I use my own GIFs to make points to people all the time. I think the one where I'm, like..."
He slowly shook his head with a disappointed look on his face.
"...just the slight disgust and disapproval without anything else is pretty spot-on."
Now, this multifaceted man is making a return to his hometown for "An Evening with Rainn Wilson."
"With me!" he exclaimed, "We'll be showing some video, there'll be some jokes, there'll be some stories."
There's no telling where the conversation, moderated by musician and old friend, Chris Ballew, could be headed.
"Climate change is something I'm very involved with," Wilson said, "so we'll get into all of that. But there will be plenty of Dwight to go around."
Rainn Wilson appears at the Moore Theatre Friday, December 1.
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