How John Krasinski went from starring on 'The Office' to becoming a Hollywood A-lister
Jessica Booth
- John Krasinski got his big break as Jim Halpert on "The Office" and his career has not slowed down since.
- Over the past few years, he's been in a ton of movies and he even founded a production company.
- Krasinski starred in, directed, and co-wrote the 2018 hit "A Quiet Place," which he has already filmed a sequel for.
John Krasinski is at the top of his game right now as an actor, director, and producer, and he's been getting all sorts of attention from the media, critics, and fans alike.
And although you may know the 41-year-old as Jim Halper from "The Office," Krasinski has done so much more over the past few years, securing his place as a bonafide star.
Here's how Krasinski went from sitcom star to a leading man with major on-screen and behind-the-scenes parts in Hollywood:
Before "The Office," Krasinski studied acting and took on small jobs in show business.
Krasinski studied theatre arts at Brown University and the National Theater Institute, as well as at the Royal Shakespeare Company in England and the Actors Center in New York City, according to The New York Times.
After school, he went to New York City, where he played in some minor roles, like commercials, movies, and off-Broadway plays.
He also interned as a scriptwriter on the show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in 2000.
In 2004, he got his big break when he was cast as Jim Halpert on "The Office."
Playing Jim on "The Office" was Krasinski's first major role, and he did it from 2005 until 2013.
Krasinski's role as Halpert was beloved by fans and critics alike. In 2006 and 2007, the cast won Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.
During his time on the show, Krasinski did more than just act.
He once shared that he had shot the Scranton footage you see during the show's opening credits when he was researching the area before they started filming.
He also directed several episodes of the show, including "The Boat," "Lotto," and "Sabre."
Krasinski began showing up in smaller roles in various movies.
Around the time he was cast as Halpert, Krasinski had minor roles in "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," and "American Dad!"
In 2005 and 2006, he appeared in films like "Jarhead" and "A New Wave." He had small roles in movies such as "For Your Consideration" and "The Holiday."
In 2007, he starred in the romantic comedy "License to Wed" with Mandy Moore and Robin Williams. In 2008, he had a role in "Leatherheads," directed by George Clooney.
He made his directorial debut in 2009.
Back in 2009, a writer's strike halted production of "The Office." Instead of taking a vacation, Krasinski got to work to resume post-production work on his directorial debut, an adaptation of David Foster Wallace's "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men."
It was a film he had been trying to make for more than five years.
At the time, Krasinski told The New York Times, "It was just something that I wanted to do, and it seemed like the only way to get it done was to do it myself."
The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival and got OK reviews, with most critics agreeing that while it didn't quite make the mark, it was obvious that Krasinski deserved an A for effort.
A review on NPR stated, "As much potential as Krasinski shows in these brief flashes, the balance of the film is as dull and colorless as the gray-brick backdrop in Sara's interview room. His reverence for the source material is obvious and admirable, but it also prevents him from developing his own original ideas."
He began getting roles in bigger movies with impressive casts.
The same year of his directorial debut, Krasinski starred in "Away We Go" with Maya Rudolph.
He had a role in "It's Complicated" alongside Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin, a part that scored him a National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Awards for best ensemble cast.
In 2011, he also starred in "Something Borrowed" and "The Muppets." By this time, he had pretty much solidified his role as a movie actor instead of a sitcom actor.
In 2012, Krasinski worked with Matt Damon to release the film "Promised Land."
Krasinski starred in, coproduced, and cowrote the screenplay for the drama with Damon.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Krasinski came up with the idea for the script and then developed it with author Dave Eggers.
He then pitched the idea to Damon for the two of them to write and star in it, and Damon agreed.
After "The Office" ended, Krasinski founded the production company Sunday Night Productions, which eventually led to "Lip Sync Battle."
Krasinski started the company with Allyson Seeger, and over the next few years, produced a few small shows that never really panned out.
But in 2015, his idea for "Lip Sync Battle" became a reality and then a hit television show.
The idea came when Krasinski, his wife Emily Blunt, and Stephen Merchant were brainstorming ideas for Krasinski's appearance on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." Jimmy Fallon ended up developing it into a recurring segment on his show.
That segment eventually became a full-fledged TV series Spike hosted by LL Cool J with commentator Chrissy Teigen and became wildly popular pretty much immediately.
The premiere was the highest-rated non-scripted premiere in Spike's history. In 2016, the show received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the outstanding structured reality program category.
2016 was a huge year for him, as Krasinski attached his name to several impressive projects.
First, there was the fact that he was an executive producer on the drama "Manchester by the sea," a film that went on to receive six nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, including best picture.
Although Krasinski didn't write or direct the film, he has stated that it was his "original idea."
Then Krasinski starred in Michael Bay's film "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi."
On top of that, he directed and starred in the comedy-drama film "The Hollars," which was the first feature film produced under his Sunday Night company.
The indie film premiered at Sundance Film Festival, and reviews were good — Rolling Stone said he tackled "the most cliched genre in the movie business — the dysfunctional family dramedy" and "pull[ed] it off with uncommon humor and compassion."
He even went back to the television world when he announced he would be starring in the Amazon series "Jack Ryan."
After a little bit of a break from Hollywood, Krasinski returned in 2018 with his biggest move yet: "A Quiet Place."
Krasinski directed and co-wrote the horror film, and co-starred in it with Blunt.
It was released on April 6, 2018, and immediately became a movie everyone was talking about and it was lauded by critics and viewers.
A review in Variety summed it up pretty well, stating, "Krasinski, whose personality in the features he has directed ('The Hollars,' 'Brief Interviews with Hideous Men') has always been a bit fuzzy, now brings himself into focus with the genre brinksmanship of 'A Quiet Place.'"
The film cemented Krasinski's place as a Hollywood A-lister.
In 2018, Krasinski landed a spot on Time’s Most Influential People list.
In July 2018, Deadline reported that Damon is in the early stages of starring in "The King of Oil," a film that would be under Krasinski's Sunday Night Productions. Sources say that Krasinski might direct the film, but that hasn't been confirmed.
Time also named him one of the Most Influential People of the Year for 2018.
In 2019, Krasinski has still not slowed down.
In 2019, the star wrapped up filming for a sequel for "A Quiet Place," which is set to debut in 2021.
The actor is also set to direct, write, produce and star in a new high-concept comedy called "Imaginary Friends," per The Hollywood Reporter. Per reports, the movie is set to be picked up by Paramount and he will be starring in the movie alongside actor Ryan Reynolds.
In March 2020, the actor also hosted the feel-good web show "Some Good News" on YouTube.
The show was later purchased by ViacomCBS, and Krasinski will reportedly continue to be the executive producer,though not the host.
Read More:
- John Krasinski shared his idea for a reboot of 'The Office' — and fans totally love it
- John Krasinski and Emily Blunt have been married for 9 years — here's a timeline of their adorable relationship
- 8 relationship lessons you can learn from 'The Office,' according to a therapist
- THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'The Office'
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