Jenna Fischer won a legion of fans for playing shy receptionist Pam Beesly in the US Office for nine seasons. She will next be seen in another ensemble comedy, except this time it's mostly set in Slough, the home of the original version of the show that launched her career.
Sky 1's You, Me and the Apocalypse features a variety of seemingly unconnected characters as the world literally crumbles around them. Boasting one of the most eclectic casts in years, the UK-US show also stars Rob Lowe, Mathew Baynton, Megan Mullally and Pauline Quirke.
Fischer plays a mum who is sent to prison after taking the heat for her son's naughty computer hacking hobbies, and she has promised viewers that it will have a blockbuster feel to rival some of Hollywood's finest.
"I feel like I'm in a Tom Cruise movie or something," she told Digital Spy on the set of the show. "I feel like I'm in some sort of Mission: Impossible television show-style thing where I get to do all these exciting stunts.
"Meg [Mullally] and I keep saying, 'Is this what Tom Cruise feels like when he goes to work?' That's what it seems like."
Talking about starring in her second show with a Slough connection, she said: "I've never been to Slough. And it did stand out, the title [formerly Apocalypse Slough], because I knew it from The Office. It's like a fun trivia note to my career that this show that was set in Slough was the sort of thing that launched my career, and now here I am.
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"I mean, I hope it's still good luck that I'm imprisoned now under Slough! I feel like my next job after this is going to have to be Slough-related to keep it going. I only do television shows with some Slough reference."
Having moved to the UK to work on the project, Fischer revealed that there was one thing in particular that confused her the most - money.
"Why the coins? Why so many coins? There's like 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, £1, £2. But nothing costs less than £5! Had you noticed that there are so many coins in your pocket, and no-one is talking about it but me?
"I am obsessed with the number of coins in your currency. Is there ever any talk about consolidating the coins? I have bowls of coins in my house.
"Mat Baynton was saying, 'Well, Jenna, it's probably because you're unfamiliar with the coins and so instead of digging through and being embarrassed, not knowing what all of them are, you just hand over a £5 note and then you get more coins back'.
"And he's right. That is what I do. Like no matter what anything costs, I'm like, 'Um, just take this bill...' And then I'm left with an obscene amount of coins."
You, Me and the Apocalypse launches its 10-part series on Wednesday (September 30) at 9pm on Sky 1.
Watch an exclusive clip below:
