After playing the intense, nerdy and power-hungry oddball Dwight Schrute on the American version of The Office for over seven years, actor and writer Rainn Wilson is eager to confound expectations. He’s achieving this through his writing work, humanitarian efforts, and the thought-provoking website Soul Pancake, which he co-founded to ask big questions and foster creativity. But first, he has to catch a giant pre-historic shark.

Wilson features in The Meg, the sci-fi action horror flick directed by Jon Turtletaub and also starring Jason Statham. Based on the 1997 novel Meg: A Novel Of Deep Terror by Steve Alten, the film sees a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark - called a Megalodon - rise from the depths of the ocean and attack a research submersible. While Statham plays the hero, Wilson plays Jack Morris, a wealthy businessman who funded the research - but soon spots a more profitable, if dangerous, money-making venture.

“I thought it was a fun, rip-roaring adventure,” enthuses Wilson about The Meg. “I love big summer popcorn movies, I always have - it’s been a secret weakness of mine! So I was thrilled to be a part of it. I was really drawn to the character of Morris, because for a film like this, he’s surprisingly complex. He’s kind of villainous, but he’s also the comic relief. And he’s the practical one, who’s looking at the business aspects of the discovery of this giant killer shark. So there’s a lot of different facets to play with; he’s not just ‘The Goofy Guy’ or ‘The Bad Guy’.”