Actor Rainn Wilson opens up on the beautiful and difficult road to contentment, from "The Office" and beyond

Actor Rainn Wilson, best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the acclaimed comedy series "The Office," has built a career out of entertaining people. But on this week's episode of "Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios," Wilson says that his public persona has not always aligned with his private one—and he's now seeking to use the lessons he learned from his life experiences, including his Baháʼí faith, and his to pay it forward to others.

"I went through a really hard time in my 20s," the actor begins on the fifth episode of Kyrgios' video podcast series. "I dealt with a lot of anxiety, depression, addiction issues, and the only thing I knew how to do was explore spiritual solutions. I dove into reading a lot of the great spiritual books of the great faith traditions, and it helped me a lot. It helped me a great deal.

"People know me as a sitcom actor, and playing an annoying doofus, and I am an annoying doofus ... but I have this other side, I have this secret kind of inner Oprah going on."

Over the course of 28 minutes on the couch with Kyrgios, Wilson explores that dichotomy, and bonds with the 2022 Wimbledon finalist about how perceptions of his own personalities, too, are sometimes at odds with each other.

"I feel like I'm two different people. When I'm on the court, I feel like I'm crazy, volatile, and everyone I meet, they're like, 'You're so different off the court,'" Kyrgios said.

"You and I have some similarities with that. Everyone's expecting you to be the person you were in front of the cameras, and not embracing who you are as a person."

Wilson takes time in the interview to reflect on his time on "The Office," when he was nominated for an Emmy Award three times. It was a long way from his early days in New York as a struggling theater actor "making $700 a week," Wilson said. On the surface, the opportunity was one for a lifetime.

But living it, Wilson sometimes found it was anything but.

"'The Office' was, "the greatest job you could ever ask for," Wilson said. "Tons of money, great attention, the best cast and writers you can ask for, an amazing character. It's beyond my wildest dreams, but when I look back on it now, I spent a chunk of my time on 'The Office' pretty f---ing miserable. ... It was off and on for a few years. I didn't appreciate it the way that I should have, I didn't just savor it, like, 'This is as good as it gets. Enjoy that.'"

"I spent some time in envy of other actors. ... I wanted more. Here I am in this incredible opportunity, and really struggling. 'I wanna have bigger movies,' 'I wanna have more accolades,'" he continued. "It took me a long time, a lot of therapy, to unravel that and not tie my external happiness with any externals."

Mental health in comedians, in particular, has been a high-profile topic of conversation in the entertainment industry in recent years, and the importance of nuturing mental health is not lost on Wilson.

But now, he says, he's "living the career he always wanted." Some of that has come from embracing social connection with others, he said, and finding multiple ways to engage in philanthropy. At the root of his faith, for example, is the idea that there is fundemental unity in all regions, and that all humas are created equal.

Those teachings, Wilson says, have been among what's spurred him on in philantrophic efforts, and he says they are concepts that can guide anyone towards making impactful change.

"You don't have to be a celebrity to make a positive impact," Wilson said. "That's really important for people to know. You influence your sphere. You positively impact your little arena. It can be your family, your cul-de-sac, your church, your school, your place of work. It's grassroots, where that change really happens. More and more, that's starting to spread as people are realizing that.

"I think everyone has some kind of responsibility to give back. ... I have been encouraged to share my own struggles because a lot of times, young people especially, when they're struggling, they feel all alone. They're not alone. And it's so important to know we all have our struggles, especially folks who are 'successful.' It's really important to share that, and it helps people a lot."

Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios airs on select Wednesdays on T2 (available on Amazon Freevee, Fubo, Hulu, Roku and Samsung TV Plus).