Jenna Fischer gets 'A Little Help'

Jenna Fischer is a dental patient's worst nightmare. In her new film, "A Little Help," she plays Laura, a Long Island dental hygienist who, in the first scene, is clearly distracted . . . stressed out . . . but still wielding those pointy instruments.

The indie film, co-starring Chris O'Donnell and written and directed by L.I. native Michael J. Weithorn, is due July 22. Set in Port Washington and filmed in the area, the dramatic comedy explores Laura's fractured marriage and her efforts to connect with her son -- even after he tells one whopper of a lie. About his family. And 9/11.

Laura's a mess. But Fischer, 37, is riding high. She married director Lee Kirk last year and the couple is expecting their first child. Fischer's role, Pam, on NBC's "The Office" continues to grow (Pam, too, is now a wife and mom), and the new season starts taping this month -- with James Spader essentially replacing Steve Carell.

Fischer recently chatted with Newsday contributor Joseph V. Amodio about pregnancy, tornadoes and "Office" life.

"A Little Help" shows off your comic and dramatic sides.

In a lot of scripts, female leads usually work at a glitzy ad agency . . . ambitious women, putting career ahead of love. Till they fall in love with a scoundrel -- and that changes everything. [She chuckles.] I've never experienced that. This movie spoke to me more, because it's about a woman who's struggling, coming-of-age late. In her mid-30s. I liked that.

You shot on Long Island -- ever been here before?

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No. It's beautiful. So lovely and homey and . . . it reminded me of my childhood. Except the homes were much bigger than where I grew up in St. Louis. But just having yards that were connected, the neighborhoods with kids running around . . .

You'll soon have a kid of your own. Congrats.

Thanks. Y'know what's crazy -- I've always been cold, and I heard when you get pregnant you're hot all the time. So I couldn't wait. But for the first six months, I was still chilly. Still wearing sweaters. NOW, I'm finally sweating bullets. But it's the middle of summer. I just can't win. Next time, I'm gonna time my pregnancy for the dead of winter.

I heard you've been helping with tornado relief in Missouri.

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I was in St. Louis over Easter and a tornado actually touched down by the airport. I was driving home with my sister, her husband and child and we heard the sirens go off. . . . I was trying to remember what to do, and was like, "In that movie 'Places in the Heart,' with Sally Field, the people who stayed in their car died. We have to get out of the car and go into a building." [She chuckles.] So thank you "Places in the Heart," for telling me what to do.

That must've been scary.

It was. Later tornadoes hit Joplin, and people were killed. They had an auction, to raise money, and asked if I could send over a signed DVD from "The Office," but I wanted to help more. So I called my producers and NBC, and they approved a visit to the set. It went for about $6,000.

Awesome. Of course, it's a whole new "Office" -- no more Steve Carell.

I know -- it's gonna be different. I keep thinking about when we go back the first day -- it's like back to school, and I realized I'm not gonna get to ask Steve what he did on his summer vacation. We always used to get our hair and makeup done at the same time, and chat. It makes me sad to think he won't be there. But creatively, for the show, I'm excited. This will breathe new life into the show.

So you'll be pregnant this season.

I'm due in the fall, so I'll be working for a while. But I don't know if Pam will be pregnant or not. They said it's an option. I guess we'll see.

And then there's "The Giant Mechanical Man," out next year. You co-star, with Chris Messina and Topher Grace . . . and produce?

That's how I met my husband. I was looking to produce a film. When Lee pitched me his idea, he said, "I'm fascinated by those guys who are so committed to their street art they paint themselves silver every day and stand outside." And I said, "Well, I'm fascinated by any woman who'd date that man." And he said, "That's our movie." [She laughs.] It's a quirky love story. Over the time it took to get the project off the ground, we fell in love. That's how hard it is to make a movie in Hollywood -- you can find your true love, get married and have a child before your movie gets released.