The Office: The Artist Formerly Known as Rainn Wilson Changes Name

Rainn Wilson, best known as Dwight Schrute in the NBC comedy The Office and most recently as Dr. Demento in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, is trying to raise awareness about the environmental crisis and rapid warming of the Arctic by changing his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Weather Winter Wilson, which I imagine fits well on his SAG card.  The actor made the change to support a campaign run by climate change awareness organization Arctic Basecamp, of which he is a board member, to coincide with the United Nation’s COP 27 meeting, which is currently taking place in Egypt.

Statement from The Office Star

“With the help of my scientist friends at Arctic Basecamp, I’ve changed my name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson. This is not a joke, I’m as serious as the melting Arctic, which amplifies global risks, including extreme weather events around the globe,” Wilson said in a video address posted on the social networks by Arctic Basecamp. “I’m hoping this name change brings attention to this growing… er, melting issue. We need world leaders at COP27 to take notice and take action. The Arctic is melting at millions of litres per second, yet this problem can’t seem to make a name for itself, so it’s up to us to make a name for it.”

Wilson encouraged others also to modify their name to bring attention to the issue, using the Arctic Basecamp “name-changer” on ArcticRiskName.org and changing their social media profile with the result. “If enough of us do this, then maybe COP27 will be where our world leaders sit up and notice Arctic risks and introduce a solution,” he said. For more, including a statement from Professor Gail Whiteman, founder of Arctic Basecamp and Professor of Sustainability at the University of Exeter Business School, you can check out the Deadline Hollywood report here.