Did The Office’s Kate Flannery Really Do That Bat Stunt Herself?

One of the most memorable occasions to plague the staff is in Season 3, Episode 16 (“Business School”) – one of the best episodes of “The Office” — in which the workers find a live bat in their office. While they manage to trap the bat in an office until animal control arrives, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) takes it upon himself to capture the flying mammal. With the animal cornered in a separate room, Dwight rushes in with a full arsenal of tools, including a black garbage bag, hoping to nab it. As the hunt begins, Meredith (Kate Flannery) stumbles into the room terrified, with the bat landing on her hair. Dwight places the bag on Meredith’s head and finally captures it after a chuckle-worthy struggle that leaves Flannery’s character in a disheveled state.

While speaking with the “Office Ladies” podcast, producer Kent Zbornak discussed how real bats were used on set, in addition to mechanical and computer-generated creations. When audiences see a bat flying on screen, it’s a CG creation. When it came to Flannery’s scene, no CG was involved. A motorized bat was used and while a stunt double was on set, Flannery was the one under the bag. 

“I did all of it. The motorized thing on the head. It was like, sort of like this fluttery thing, something like a headband with a motor,” Flannery revealed on the podcast. “And yes, I could breathe with a bag over my head. We figured it out. It was fine … It was one of the most fun scenes I got to do with Rainn.”