John Krasinski is one of those multi-talented actors that has been able to transcend from roles in hit television comedies to a leading man on the big screen with a certain knack for directing. And while most people might be familiar with Krasinski from his time as Jim Halpert on The Office or for his upcoming A Quiet Place II, the Boston, Massachusetts native has been busy for decades now.
Over the course of his personal and professional life, Krasinski has done everything from worked as a script intern on a late night comedy show, lent his voice to a project from a prolific Japanese animation studio, and even ended up with some pretty interesting family members. With all that being said, John Krasinski's life is far more interesting than any of us would have guessed. Here are just seven cool things you should know about the star and director of A Quiet Place II.
He Was Considered For Steve Rogers In Captain America: The First Avenger
It is no secret that John Krasinski was considered for the role of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, in Cap's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Captain America: The First Avenger. The actor, who has been attached to another certain Marvel superhero, even got as far as the costume audition before he had a change of heart and took himself out of contention.
During a 2016 appearance on Conan, Krasinski shared the real reason he pulled his name out of the hat. The star of The Office told Conan O'Brien that upon seeing Chris Hemsworth walk by in his Thor costume, he knew he was in over his head, saying:
I went, 'I'm good. This is stupid. That's okay, I'm not Captain America.'
He Worked As A Script Intern On Late Night With Conan O'Brien
Long before he would return to Conan O'Brien's show to explain why he pulled out of consideration for the role of Captain America, the writer/director actually worked for the late night host back in his college days.
During a 2005 appearance on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, in which Krasinski was promoting the first season of The Office as well as his appearance in Jarhead, the former intern revealed to the audience that during his time at the show he would help go over revisions to the script, more specifically, the monologue jokes. Krasinski even spoke about that first appearance, for a Washington Post profile on the late night host years later, telling a reporter that he was flooded with emotion when O'Brien shook his hand and welcomed him to the couch after all those years.
He Provided His Voice For The English Dub Of A Studio Ghibli Animated Film
In 2013, John Krasinski was given the opportunity to provide his voice for the English dub of The Wind Rises, the most recent film from visionary director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki. In the film, Krasinski voiced famed Japanese aircraft designer Kiro Honjo, but even before he knew who he would be playing, the actor had always wanted to be in a Miyazaki animation.
During a 2014 interview with Movie Clips about the Studio Ghibli picture, he had this to say about the project and the imaginative filmmaker responsible for it, saying:
Animation now is such an incredible medium and there's so much going on, but there's no one doing animation quite like [Miyazaki]. It's more like a moving Renoir painting or something. So to me, he's been so inspiring and his films have been so inspiring that to me it's one of those things as soon as they called me about this and before they finished the title of the movie, I was like 'Yes.'
He Became A Director Long Before His Work On A Quiet Place
No one would hold it against you if you thought that A Quiet Place was John Krasinski's directorial debut. In terms of his efforts behind the camera, the 2018 monster movie is Krasinski's most notable release, but it was brought to theaters nearly 10 years after he released his first directed picture, Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, which was about a graduate student conducting interviews with different men as she tries to cope with a breakup. The film, which was also written by Krasinski, was based on a collection of short stories by the late David Foster Wallace.
Upon the release of his first movie, John Krasinski would go on to direct several episodes of The Office between 2010 and 2012. Four years later, Krasinski directed and starred in The Hollars, a 2016 dramatic comedy about a man returning to his hometown after learning that his mother is about to undergo surgery. Two years later, Krasinski would go on to co-write, direct, and star in A Quiet Place. The followup, A Quiet Place II, is slated to be released on March 20, 2020.
He Co-Wrote Promised Land With Co-Star Matt Damon
John Krasinski and Matt Damon co-starred in Gus Van Sant's environmental drama about an oilman (Damon) trying to win over the residents of a small town in an attempt to win drilling rights and the environmentalist advocate (Krasinski) trying to stop him. Despite not performing well at the box office (failed to make back it's budget), Promised Land wasn't the worst movie ever made and was even co-written by its two stars.
John Krasinski and Matt Damon, who both produced the film, based the script off a story by David Eggers on the negative effects of fracking practices. Damon was even attached as the director up until the film entered pre-production, at which time he contacted Gus Van Sant, who directed Good Will Hunting, which was based on a screenplay co-written by Damon.
John Krasinski and Stanley Tucci Are Brothers-In-Law
They say everyone knows everyone in Hollywood, and for John Krasinski and actor Stanley Tucci, the old saying is true. For those who don't know, John Krasinski is married to his A Quiet Place II co-star Emily Blunt, who starred alongside Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada.
Several years after Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci were featured in the memorable comedy, Blunt invited the actor to her wedding to John Krasinski where she introduced him to her older sister, Felicity Blunt. The elder Blunt would go on to marry Tucci in the summer of 2012, making John Krasinski and Stanley Tucci officially brothers-in-law. Holidays and other family get-togethers must be a star-studded event for these Hollywood giants.
B.J. Novak Convinced Him To Start Acting
Long before John Krasinski and B. J. Novak became known for their hilarious antics on The Office, the two co-stars were longtime friends dating back to their upbringings in Newtown, Massachusetts. In fact, if it weren't for Novak pushing his friend to join the cast of the senior play, Krasinski's life might have ended up a lot differently.
In a Boston Globe profile on the two actors, BJ Novak told a reporter that he was the one who wanted to cast John Krasinski for the school play their senior year, which Krasinski confirmed shortly after in the very same profile. People might give BJ Novak's character, Ryan Howard a lot of grief for being a temp so long he became the CEO of a company of his own, but if it weren't for the man behind the character, we probably would never gotten the Jim Halpert we all know today.
Those are some of the coolest things everyone should know about John Krasinski. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.
