“Those are the greatest compliments in the world.”

Rob Reiner reflected on Spinal Tap’s influence on The Office in final EW interview: ‘It’s very satisfying’

"Those are the greatest compliments in the world."

By Mike Miller

Mike Miller

Mike Miller is the executive editor on the movies team at . He previously worked as a writer-reporter for PEOPLE and TMZ.

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December 15, 2025 8:00 p.m. ET

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Rob Reiner in 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues'. Credit:

Bleecker Street

Before his untimely death, Rob Reiner enjoyed the rare satisfaction of knowing his work had inspired artists he deeply admired.

Back in July, in what would become his final interview with **, Reiner reflected on his legacy while promoting *Spinal Tap II: The End Continues*, the sequel to 1984's massively influential comedy, *This Is Spinal Tap*, which is widely credited with popularizing the mockumentary genre.

Reiner, who, along with his wife, Michele, was found dead on Sunday in an apparent double homicide, reunited with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer to direct and star in the film,* *which was released in September.

"I had a conversation the other day with Ricky Gervais, and he was saying that *The Office*, the original *Office* that he did, and then the American version, was inspired by *Spinal Tap*," he told EW.

Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner.

Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

"And so that, to me, those are the greatest compliments in the world. When you see this kind of documentary style being used as a way of telling stories, it's very satisfying. Especially somebody you respect, like Ricky. I mean, he's brilliant," Reiner added. "And Ben Stiller, I had a conversation with him, and he said the same thing. So that's pretty cool. That's pretty cool."

Still, the director admitted he felt apprehensive about making a sequel to the beloved classic over 40 years after its release — especially after repeatedly turning down the idea.

Asked if he was concerned that the follow-up wouldn't live up to the original, he said, "Listen, you hit on exactly our trepidation. It's a high bar, and I'm not here to say that we surpassed that. I mean, there's a reason why *Timeout Magazine* rated [the original] as the No. 1 comedy of all time. So you can't go better than that. But this one works; it satisfies it, and it works."

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A satire on the world of rock & roll and the pretensions of rock documentaries, *This Is Spinal Tap *followed the titular fictional band on a tour filled with embarrassing mishaps and misadventures. But after the film was released, McKean, Shearer, and Guest continued performing as the band, playing songs from the film in real, live concerts.

"The film comes out, but it took a while for people to catch on, and people thought it was a real band at the beginning. They didn't know it was a comedy," Reiner said. "And all of a sudden, it becomes this thing that sort of folds into the real world. It's like a Möbius strip that folds into itself. And they booked tours, they play Royal Albert Hall, they play Glastonbury, they play Wembley. And so now you've got this weird kind of hybrid thing where they're now in the real world."

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Rob Reiner and David Kaff on the set of 'This Is Spinal Tap'.

Speaking about the film's legacy in the music industry, Reiner said, "The real world of rockers loves the movie. They've come to embrace it. I can't tell you how many times I've been approached by rockers who said, 'It's a staple on the tour bus. We watch it over and over again.' The first time I met Sting, he said, 'I've watched this thing so many times. Every time I watch it, I don't know whether to laugh or cry because it's so close to the reality of their lives.'"

The sequel featured cameos from numerous rock stars like Garth Brooks, Questlove, Trisha Yearwood, Paul McCartney, Lars Ulrich, and Chad Smith. Asked if there were any other musicians on his bucket list to work with, Reiner took the opportunity to remind EW that very phrase is also a little-known part of his immense legacy.

"So, this is fascinating: It never existed until I made the film *Bucket List*," he said, referring to his 2007 film with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. "I'm not kidding. It was created for the film, the idea of a bucket list. People think that term has been around for a million years."**

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