“Sort of like expression of dominance”: The Mind-blowing Origins of Ed Helms’ Catchphrase in ‘The Office’ Will Make It Seem Utterly Inspiring
- Ed Helms reveals where Andy Bernard's 'roo-doo-doot-da-doo' comes from.
- The actor says he's very proud to be a part of The Office.
- Ed Helms admits Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis helped him during the filming of The Hangover!
Actor-comedian Ed Helms is popularly known for his portrayal of Andy Bernard in NBC’s sitcom The Office from 2006 to 2013. The character was initially meant as a temporary inclusion, but eventually, Helms’ performance grew for the makers of the show, and they decided to have him as a regular. He became one of the most beloved characters on the show.
Apart from his stint as Andy Bernard, Helms is popularly known for starring in the Bradley Cooper starrer The Hangover trilogy as Stuart Price, for which he was highly appreciated. The actor served as a correspondent on The Daily Show from 2002 to 2009. He is one of the most talented actors in the industry who shared the origin of his very famous catchphrase from The Office.
The Office star Ed Helms reveals the origin of ‘roo-doo-doot-da-doo’
Ed Helms appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he shared about the popularity of the NBC sitcom The Office. Colbert adds that a whole new generation is finding the show now and is binge-watching it, to which Helms said that he finds it very ridiculous.
The comedian-actor clarifies that young kids who were not even alive when they started filming the show would come up to him at the airport and say his catchphrase from the show, i.e., ‘roo-doo-doot-da-doo’. The actor shared the catchphrase comes from a rather serious place.
The ‘roo-doo-doot-da-doo’ that Andy says on The Office, a lot of people ask me where that came from. It started as a thing that these bullies at my school would—after they gave you a wedgie or pushed you down or humiliated you somehow, they’d go, ‘roo-doo-doot-da-doo’, as a sort of like expression of dominance. Like I just owned you.
The actor said it didn’t make any sense to him, which is what made it even more terrifying. He added that it was just one of those irrational expressions, so he took that and made it into something positive. Helms said that ‘roo-doo-doot-da-doo,’ which was used when he was bullied, became the catchphrase of his character on the show, like an expression of joy.
It’s not just the catchphrase, but the actor revealed on the Ellen DeGeneres show that his friend’s 4-year-old called him ‘Nard Dog,’ which was Andy Bernard’s nickname on the show. He added that he is proud to be a part of The Office, noting that the staying power of the show is just mind-boggling.
Ed Helms would love to return for The Hangover 4
Back in 2023, at the premiere of Family Switch, Ed Helms was asked about the possibility of returning for The Hangover 4 alongside Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis. To this, he said (via People)
Of course. I mean, Bradley, Zach, and Todd Philips—these are some of my favorite people on the planet, so I would do anything with them. Oh my god, I would do anything with those guys.
But he acknowledged that, as Cooper said, it is highly unlikely that the director of the trilogy would be up for a fourth movie. Cooper, during his conversation with The New Yorker Radio Hour, shared that while he’d be down to return for the fourth installment of the movie, he does not think that the director Todd Philips is very keen on making it.
Ed Helms appreciated his co-stars and mentioned that they helped him a lot during the time, adding that if it wasn’t for them, he wouldn’t have been the person he is today. The actor shared with Conan O’Brien (via People) that he felt a lot of anxiety and turmoil around the same time because the role made him a household name, and he was suddenly shot to fame.
He explained that people who do not go through such things will never be able to understand how it feels to lose control of one’s environment. Helms also added that all three of them had kind of commiserated and measured themselves, and he thinks they kind of kept each other from drifting too far from being professional.
The Office is streaming on Peacock.
