8 things you never knew about Office Space

By Seija Rankin
January 14, 2019 at 11:00 AM EST

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Office Space 20 years later

Credit: Van Redin

The highly-ironic comedy is solidly considered a success in 2019, but two decades ago its fate was much more uncertain. Most fans know the story behind its slow rise to fame, but the real story of how it all came together is so much more detailed. To celebrate the movie's 20th anniversary, EW talked to everyone from the stars to the producer to the network execs. Ahead, some of the craziest things we discovered — and be sure to check out our full oral history with Mike Judge and the cast.

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Fox wanted Mike Judge to pursue Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as stars 

Credit: Evan Agostini/ImageDirect

And yes, this was post-Good Will Hunting success. As everyone knows, they wound up tampering their expectations slightly.

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The studio asked Ron Livingston to fast before his screen test

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The actor, who starred as Peter, spent the weekend prior to the big day jumping rope — but only made it halfway through the fast.

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Jennifer Aniston and David Herman went to high school together

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"I was a sophomore when he was a senior," she told EW of the actor who portrayed the fictional Michael Bolton. "He was a quiet, genius actor-type back then. I was sort of madly in love with him, and also terrified of him."

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Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Kate Hudson all auditioned for roles

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In a shocking twist, those auditions were unsuccessful.

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The "flair" storyline was added at the last minute

Credit: Van Redin/Fox

It was meant to give Jennifer Aniston's storyline more heft — she was the biggest star among the cast, after all.

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Jim Carrey and Chris Rock were some of the movie's earliest fans

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Even though it was a box office flop, Mike Judge got a dinner invitation from Carrey and a glowing voicemail from the Rock.

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Madonna had the hots for Michael Bolton

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She told creator Mike Judge during a dinner: "That Michael Bolton guy is my favorite character. There’s something sexy about how angry he is.”

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To this day, people still ask Jennifer Aniston about flair at restaurants

Credit: Fox

But only when she's at a "certain type" of establishment.

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