Not a lot of people in Hollywood can boast of being the star of a hugely popular Amazon streaming drama while simultaneously being the director, writer and star of a burgeoning horror film franchise. That's just everyday life for John Krasinski, the Jack Ryan star who's currently promoting his upcoming PG-13 fright fest A Quiet Place Part II. But don't go thinking his overarching success will ever make him forget his roots as The Office's camera-mugging sweetheart Jim Halpert.
John Krasinski recently sat down with the trio behind CinemaBlend's podcast ReelBlend to stoke fans' excitement for A Quiet Place Part II – that particular episode will be dropping the week the horror sequel premieres – and the conversation naturally swung around to The Office, which will likely continue amassing millions of fans through TV repeats and streaming platforms. Krasinski was asked if he thought that there would always be a pocket of his fandom that mainly knew him as "Jim from The Office," regardless of his career successes elsewhere. Here's the appreciative way the actor answered:
I hope so. I mean, I really feel that way. Here's the truth. I was a waiter when I got The Office. The Office is unequivocally the thing that gave me every single opportunity. I would not be sitting here with you. I would not be talking about a show. It has given me absolutely everything. And because of the success of that show, I was allowed to be brave enough to take shots at trying to write and direct and all these things, because not only was I financially solvent enough to try that and risk failure, but also because I had the confidence enough and basically went to film school.
More than just a career stepping stone, The Office was an entire rock quarry for John Krasinski, who famously won the role of Jim Halpert over a slew of other actors who auditioned for the role. (Such as Adam Scott and John Cho, among others.) By all means, there were no guarantees that the U.S. remake of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's UK hit comedy would be a success, with Krasinski playing the role type that was initially taken by future Sherlock and MCU star Martin Freeman. But succeed it did for nine (mostly) glorious seasons, thanks in part to Krasinski's winning chemistry with co-star Jenna Fischer.
Nine seasons is obviously a long time for any TV show to be on the air, and John Krasinski seemingly made the best use of his time during that span. He continued building on the idea of The Office being a version of film school for him.
The Office, when you weren't shooting, you would go to the writer's room and see what writing was really all about. And you would see the best minds that we had telling each other, ‘Every idea was perfect until it wasn't.’ And that was really enthusiastic and positive, and then you'd go to the editing bay and learn about editing and it was the most fun I've ever had. So I think it's going to be an inevitable truth, and one of the greatest honors of my life, to be known as that character.
Now, had John Krasinski's work on The Office landed him a permanent position as a paper salesman, he might have had a slightly different outlook on everything. (Unless he really enjoys selling paper, of course.) Instead, his post-Office years saw him delving deeper into the creative side of filmmaking beyond acting, serving as an executive producer on Manchester By the Sea and directing his second feature film, The Hollars. Not to mention co-creating and EPing for Lip Sync Battle.
That all led up to the year 2018, when John Krasinski made his global debut as the latest iteration of Tom Clancy's classic analyst and field office, Jack Ryan, for a show that has been a boon for Amazon. (To the point where it was renewed for a third season eight months before Season 2 premiered.) That was also the year when the highly acclaimed horror A Quiet Place – which he directed, produced, co-wrote and co-starred in with real-life wife Emily Blunt – managed to take in over $340 million worldwide. And few have any doubts that the horror sequel will be any less popular, so 2020 will likely be just as big of a year for Krasinski as 2018 was.
While you won't be able to listen to John Krasinski's episode of ReelBlend until next week when A Quiet Place Part II is set to premiere, fans can definitely check out the episodes that have already gone live, such as this latest effort with director Gavin O'Conner, who talks Ben Affleck's latest effort, the acclaimed drama The Way Back.
For those who want to see more from John Krasinski, you can find him currently streaming on Amazon with Jack Ryan, and on Netflix with The Office. You can also catch him on the big screen when A Quiet Place Part II releases in theaters on Friday, March 20.
