Ryan from The Office has accidentally become the face of many products worldwide

If you're familiar with BJ Novak's work it's probably because you know him as Ryan from The Office, and he's probably cropped up in a few other things you've seen.

However, his most famous role is actually that of a stock photo model for a whole load of products which are sold worldwide, and it all happened because of an accident.

He's managed to become the public face of face paint in Uruguay, Chinese hair clippers, Swedish perfumes and a whole load of other things you'll find on shelves like shaving razors and ponchos.

The actor himself has cleared up exactly why his face has become a worldwide phenomenon with a staggeringly huge range of products bearing it on their packaging.

Novak explained that someone once created a public domain website and accidentally stuck a picture of him on it, meaning his image is out there in the public domain and anyone can use it free of charge.

Given the chance to have a celebrity's face on their packaging, plenty of places took advantage and plastered Novak's image all over their products.

He might be Ryan from The Office, but he's pretty much the world's most famous stock photo model at this point too.

Instagram/@bjnovak

If he really wanted to, Novak could probably do something about this, getting the public domain image taken down and challenging all of the businesses which have used his face to sell their stuff.

However, the actor admitted on Instagram that he was 'too amused to do anything about it' and instead seemingly quite likes posting pictures of the various products he's found with his face plastered over their packaging.

The trick everyone's done is take his public domain picture and apply a clever spot of photoshopping to transform the actor into anything they want.

He could be the face of your stylish cologne or the head peering out at you from a poncho.

People who've spotted Novak's face out in the wild adorning all sorts of tat on shop shelves agree with Novak that it's really funny.

Instagram/@bjnovak

One person said it was 'awesome' that this happy accident had made the actor the face of so many brands, while another said it was 'the best move ever' for his career.

Someone else joked it was actually 'Ryan trying different careers after getting fired from Dunder Mifflin', a reference to his character's downfall in The Office.

Another reckoned he should cash in on his famous face and the companies using Novak's likeness should 'give this man his deserved paycheck'.