1. John Krasinski and Office co-star B.J. Novak first met while playing little league together as kids. The two remained friends and B.J. later convinced John to become an actor when B.J. cast John in his high school play.
2. Krasinski went to Brown University and graduated as an honors playwright with a B.A. in English. He originally wanted to become an English teacher.
3. He had a costumed audition to become Captain America. He realized the role wasn't for him when he saw a ripped Chris Hemsworth dressed as Thor.
4. He was not a fan of horror movies prior to directing and starring in A Quiet Place. He told the Guardian that he is "kind of a scaredy cat."
5. He and wife Emily Blunt met through a mutual friend at a restaurant and he took her to a gun range for their first date. One of the first things he said to her was "I just want to get it out of the way — I’m a huge fan of yours."
6. Krasinski was originally told to read for Dwight Schrute on The Office, but he insisted that he was a better fit for Jim. When this was relayed to the casting people, they told his manager he could “shove it up his ass” because “this dude’s done nothing, he’s lucky to be coming in.”
7. During the audition process for The Office, Krasinski whispered into Jenna Fischer's ear, "You’re my favorite Pam. I hope you get it." When Fischer was told that she was cast as Pam, she asked if John had been cast as Jim and then cried tears of joy when she was told that he was.
8. He almost ruined his chances of even being cast. When a man in the audition waiting room asked Krasinski if he was nervous, Krasinski told him, “I love the British show so much and Americans have a tendency to just really screw these opportunities up. I don't know how I'll live with myself if they ruin it for me.” The man then revealed himself to be Greg Daniels, the show's creator.
9. Three weeks before landing the role as Jim, Krasinski was ready to give up on acting. His mom had given him a 2-3 year deadline on the whole acting thing, and when the 2.5 year mark hit, he called his mom to tell her that he was throwing in the towel. She encouraged him to continue on for the next few months, and then The Office came along.
10. His first ever on-screen kiss was with Jenna Fischer on The Office during the "Casino Night" episode. It was her first on-screen kiss as well.
11. Before hitting it big, Krasinski was a script intern on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
12. He also previously held a job as a bartender, and got fired from nine bartending jobs.
13. He shot the footage of Scranton for the opening credits of The Office shortly after getting cast.
14. Despite being 6' 3", he is the shortest sibling in his family. His two brothers are a whopping 6' 8" and 6' 9".
15. He said A Quiet Place is a love letter to his children and that he didn't take it on for the scares, but because of its message about family.
16. A young Krasinski once starred in a Marshall's commercial alongside actor Margo Martindale. During the shoot, she turned to him and said, "I don't have any money, but if I did, I would bet it all on you." Roughly 17 years after she said that, Krasinski unquestioningly cast her as the matriarch in a film he starred in and directed named The Hollars.
17. Emily Blunt told Ellen DeGeneres that John is the one who found the name for their firstborn, Hazel, and stuck with it because they "both really like old lady names."
18. Robin Williams once pulled Krasinski aside and gave him advice that he takes to heart daily. Williams said, "I think you're going to be in this business for a while. Don't ever forget the responsibility you have to be the better person than anyone else on this set." Meaning, "You have a responsibility to be a leader, and to care about this movie and these people for everybody.'"
19. He has a "not-so-secret" crush on Vanna White, from Wheel of Fortune.
20. He told Time Magazine that despite always being compared to his Office character, he believes he is more ambitious and less content than Jim ever was.
21. And finally, when it comes to being known for his work on The Office, he says that only being known as Jim "would be the biggest honor for [him], period.'"
