Rainn Wilson Questions ‘Mortality’ As His List of Health Concerns Grows

by TK Sanders July 12, 2022, 2:43 pmupdated August 11, 2022, 3:04 pm 1.1k Views 285 Comments

Rainn Wilson, most famous for playing Dwight on the American version of The Office, thinks his body is falling apart as he enters the third act of his own life.

The 56-year-old actor said he’s struggling with high cholesterol, knee pain, and weight gain in his later years. Many of the health issues also happen to coincide with his son leaving the nest for college, which prompted Wilson to publicly wonder what comes next for he and his wife.

“My son is 17 and in a year he’ll be going off to college,” Wilson said in a magazine interview. “And then my wife and I … what do we do without raising my son? Figuring out this next chapter is big. And I’m seeing various ways that my body is breaking down.”

He then made the leap from personal purpose to mortality in his reflections.

“My cholesterol is higher and I’m gaining some weight and my knee hurts all the time. Like what’s going on? My body is failing me. This brings up questions of mortality,” he mused.

Rainn Wilson appeared in 188 episodes of The Office from 2005-2013

Luckily for Wilson, the success of The Office largely takes the stress of making money off his plate as he ages into his golden years.

“We get ok residuals,” he said. “Residuals for streaming services are very, very minimal. Which sucks. It’s a union contract thing. But when they replay episodes on cable TV and international sales we get money. So yeah, I get a nice chunk of change every year. It’s pretty sweet.”

Wilson likes to use his extra time to pursue answers of spirituality, meaning, and service.

“I will say that looking for the meaning of life is something that’s very important to me,” he said. “It’s something I’ve written a lot about and explored a lot. I’m writing a book about spirituality that’s coming out next year. I think that life’s biggest questions like, ‘why are we here?’ and ‘what’s the purpose?’ can make our lives richer and better.

“For me, it is connecting with people. It’s figuring out ways to be of service to others. Going on adventures, trying to fill my life with gratitude and saying yes to what life offers me. And I’ve been blessed in a number of different ways to be able to do that.”

Regardless of what the future holds, Wilson admits that his third act will challenge him in unknown, exciting ways.

“So yes, there are some big questions in this next chapter.”