Playing the annoying, gossipy and overly emotional Kelly on “The Office” (NBC, 2004- ), Mindy Kaling established herself as a strong comic actress, even though she was originally hired as a writer on the show. But her transition from writer to onscreen talent was par for the course on the series. Producer Greg Daniels had clauses in the writers’ contracts to cover whatever acting duties arose – his penchant for improvisation often led to dragging the writers on set, rather than stuffing them into a dark, windowless room to pound away at a keyboard. For Kaling, who was already well-versed in
