20 Things You Didn’t Know about John Krasinski
John Krasinski is an American actor that is best known for his role in The Office. He also works as a director, screenwriter and producer. He started his acting career in the theater before moving into TV work. Here are twenty things that you may not know about John Krasinski.
1. He Was At School With B. J. Novak
He attended Newton South High School in Boston with B. J. Novak and they were both in the same graduating class. The two men would go on to star in The Office together. As the characters in the show they have a complicated relationship that switches between friendship and rivalry on a frequent basis. At school they got on much better and starred in a number of school productions together. Novak has been quoted as saying that the success of The Office was made even more surreal by the fact that his high school friend was also starring in it.
2. He Attended Brown University
After he finished high school he took a year out to teach English in Costa Rica. He then went on to study theatre arts at Brown University. The course that he was taking was taught by Lowry Marshall and John Emigh. He graduated as a playwright in 2001. There was a sketch comedy group called Out Of Bounds at the time he was at Brown and he John was a part of this group. He also coached a youth basketball team in Rhode Island during his time at university.
3. He Has Studied Acting At A Number Of Institutions
He studied at the National Theater Institute in Connecticut while still at university. This was an intense fourteen week course that covers all aspects of working in a theater including acting, directing and writing. He also spent some time studying at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon as well as The Actors Center in New York City. At all of these institutions he would have learnt more about the world of theatre than just acting and this would serve him well in his future career.
4. He Moved To New York City To Pursue His Acting Career
After he graduated from university he moved permanently to New York City to get started with his acting career. He had to find work as a waiter to support himself but during this period he starred in commercials, guest roles in television shows and off Broadway plays. At least one of these plays were written and directed by people who he was at university with. He also interned as a script writer on Late Night With Conan O’Brien and this gave him some valuable experience away from acting.
5. He Starred In Every Episode Of The Office
The Office was Krasinski’s breakthrough role and he went on to star in every episode through the whole nine season run. He played salesperson Jim Halpert and this continues to be the role that he is most well known for. His relationship with the character played by Jenna Fischer was the central love story throughout the whole series and the two characters eventually get married and start a family. The role was based on Tim Canterbury played by Martin Freeman in the original British version of the series. He also directed a number of episodes.
6. The Footage For The Opening Credits Of The Office Was Shot By Kransinski
The Office is set in a paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. When he first got the role John visited Scranton and met with people who actually work in the paper supply industry. He wanted to try and get some idea every what it was like to live in the city and work there. While he was there he filmed some of the sights in Scranton and this footage was used for the opening credits. Carrying out research in this way is something that he likes to do for all his roles.
7. His Career In Films Really Got Started In 2007
Although he had starred in several films before this date, 2007 was the year in which his film career really took off. His first role of this year was in Smiley Face, an independent film that was directed by Gregg Araki. Reaction to this film was positive from both critics and audiences. He also played the lead role in Licensed To Wed alongside Robin Williams and Mandy Moore and although this film was not very well received by the critics it was a commercial success. After these two films he began acting in more films while still continuing to star in The Office.
8. His Directorial Film Debut Was Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
The film was based on a collection of short stories by the same name which was written by David Foster Wallace. As well as directing the film, he also co-produced it and had a small acting role. The movie was filmed entirely in New York City. Studios in Brooklyn were used for all of the interior shots and external shots were filmed at Columbia University and Brooklyn College. The film was selected for the US Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009.
9. He Is A Democrat
John is a long time supporter of the Democrat party and he has publicly backed the party on a number of occasions. He supported Bernie Sanders in his bid to become the presidential candidate for the party at the last election. He also held a fundraiser for Elizabeth Warren alongside Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to support her bid to get elected to the Senate.
10. Matt Damon Has Called Him The Next George Clooney
In an interview with David Letterman Matt Damon referred to John as the next George Clooney. He compared his role in The Office to George Clooney acting in ER. This is the role that everyone knows them for but there is so much more to them than just acting. This may not be something that is immediately obvious to everyone at the time but in the future it will be seen just how talented they are. This is what happened with George Clooney and Matt Damon strongly believes that the same thing will happen with John.
11. He Married Emily Blunt At George Clooney’s House
He became friends with George Clooney when they starred in Leatherheads together. This was a film that Clooney also directed as well as acted in. When John married Emily Blunt in 2010 the ceremony took place at Clooney’s house in Lake Como. The ceremony was private with just family and friends in attendance and no press. Details of the dress and the rings were released after the wedding had taken place but there are no photographs of the day to protect the couples privacy.
12. He Cooks For Emily Once A Week
He is the first to admit that Emily does most of the cooking in their house. He did once attempt to cook a roast chicken as a surprise on Mother’s Day and it actually turned out a lot better than he expected. The couple made a bet about how old Leonardo Di Caprio was which John lost and the outcome of this was that he had to cook a meal at least once a week. He kept his end of the bargain and Sunday is the usual day for this although it is not known whether he still does roast chicken every week.
13. The Devil Wears Prada Is One Of His Favorite Films
Years before he had even met Emily Blunt he became a fan of her film The Devil Wears Prada. He went to the movies with his friend to see an action film but there were no tickets left. They had heard good reviews about the film and so decided to go and see that instead. John really enjoyed the film and has estimated that he has watched it at least a hundred times. He still watches the film to this day.
14. He Has No Preference Over Comedy Or Drama Roles
The Office is primarily a comedy show and this is one of the reasons why John is sometimes thought of as a comedy actor. However, he has shown time and time again that he is also very good in a more dramatic role. John has said that he has no preference when it comes to the type of roles that he accepts. He looks for a character that he can connect to and scripts that are well written regardless of the type of role that it is.
15. He Is The Fifth Actor To Play Jack Ryan
John plays the lead role in the Amazon Prime show Jack Ryan and this is the first time that the character has been portrayed in a TV show rather than a movie. He is the fifth different person to play the character after Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine. The series has done very well on Amazon and was picked up for a second season before the first one had even finished. The series shows Ryan in the early days of his career when he is working as an analyst for the CIA. The information that he uncovers takes him away from his desk job and right into the heart of the action of field work.
16. He Is The Shortest Of His Brothers
Even though John is well over 6 ft tall himself he is actually the shortest of his brothers. His tallest brother is actually 6ft 10 which is really tall by anyone’s standards. John and his two brothers were raised by their parents in the Brighton area of Boston and they had a fairly strict Catholic upbringing. John is the youngest sibling as well as being the shortest.
17. He Is A Fan Of The Boston Red Sox
John grew up in Boston and so it is no big surprise that he is a fan of the Red Sox. Even though he is no longer living in Boston he still follows how the team are doing. He starred alongside Alec Baldwin in an ad campaign for New Era and MLB in 2011. Baldwin is a fan of the New York Yankees and the ad was based on the good natured rivalry between the two teams.
18. He Co-Starred In A Quiet Place With Emily Blunt
A Quiet Place is the first time that he has starred in a film alongside his wife. He also directed the film and wrote the screenplay. The plot is based around a family who are trying to survive in a world that is inhabited by creatures that are completely blind but have an incredible sense of hearing. The film has done very well at the box office and grossed over $300 million during the time it was in theaters. Emily Blunt has also received a nomination at the SAG Awards for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.
19. He Was Named One Of The Most Influential People In The World By Time Magazine
In 2018 he was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. This coincided with the release of A Quiet Place which has made a lot of people sit up and take notice of both his acting and directing. The write up in the magazine detailing his achievements was written by his friend the actor Chris Pratt. In his piece he predicts that there is still much more to come from John in terms of his directing.
20. Emily Blunt Wishes Their Children Spoke With English Accents
John and his family live in the United States and so his two daughters are growing up with American accents. However, Emily Blunt is hoping that this may change when the children see her in her latest role as Mary Poppins. There is only the tiniest bit of hope though as everyday the children are interacting with people who are American, not least their father. She has also said that is going to have to explain to her daughters that she cannot really fly when they see the film for the first time.
