MAN
74 ELLE AUSTRALIA
Words: Mickey Rapkin. Photography: Getty ImagesJOHNNY
BE GOOD
As an actor, producer, writer
and director, John Krasinski
has become a Hollywood
all-rounder. And he does it all
with a wink and a smileJ
ohn Krasinski was once our
goofy Office crush. Then, in
2010, he married Emily Blunt
(at George Clooney’s house
on Lake Como, no less) and
became half of Hollywood’s nicest
power couple – and no doubt the
world’s most fun parents when
they welcomed daughter Hazel,
now two, and newborn Violet.
Krasinski, 37, comes by his
relatable appeal honestly.
Raised in the suburbs outside
Boston, the son of a doctor and
a nurse, he went on to study
playwriting, finding a home in
sketch comedy. But he’s since
proven he can do more than pull
faces: he made his directorial
debut in 2009 with Brief Interviews
With Hideous Men, co-wrote the
screenplay for 2012’s Promised Land,
starring Matt Damon, and made his New
York stage debut this year in Dry Powder. His
latest film release is The Hollars – a Sundance hit he also
directed and produced – about a guy confronting his
mother’s mortality just as he’s about to become a parent.
Bravo, John, but allow us to let you catch your breath...ELLE: Do you get underestimated for being so nice?
JOHN KRASINSKI: I’m sure there have been times. I have
no problem with people seeing me as the nice guy.
I hope they don’t see me as just the nice guy.
ELLE: The Office was on for nine years, yet we know so
little about you. Were you secretly going wild at night?
JK: I have a dedicated group of friends, and we love just
being together – usually enclosed in a house. That’s not
to say I’m a hermit. At the spur of the moment I’ve
definitely got a car to take us to Las Vegas.
ELLE: Did you ever throw your TV fame around?
JK: When I first got the show, I was at a bar and there
was a line. I cut in front of 50 people. I was terrified. My
friends were like, “Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine.”
I went up to the bouncer and nervously said, “Hi, I’m
on a show called The Office,” and he goes, “I don’t care.”
I went right to the back of the line and, like, threw up.
ELLE: You grew up outside Boston. Did your boys back
home give you shit for getting married on Lake Como?
JK: Absolutely. I grew up with the Boston vibe and the
Catholic vibe. I don’t want to put anybody out. Georgesaid, “I have this place – feel free
to use it.” Only on the fourth ask
did I say yes. The first three times
I thought, “There’s no way he is
serious.” But I started to see his
feelings get hurt. I actually hurt
George Clooney’s feelings.
ELLE: What was scarier: doing your
first play or losing your virginity?
JK: They’re on par. I think the
reason both are equally scary is
the anticipation. One of the best
lessons I got is to anticipate
nothing because it’s always
worse in your head. I went into
losing my virginity terrified.
Going on stage, I could only
have imagined the worst possible
outcomes. Then it went fine.
ELLE: Really? Your wife has said
you went on stage with your jacket
accidentally tucked into your pants...
JK: That happens to me a lot. I’ll be scared
of something – and all I’m hoping to do is make
it perfect – then there’ll be something like [that]. But in
a small way, it gives you the freedom to know the
worst has happened and now you can go on.
ELLE: Did Emily say she was going to tell that story?
JK: She did not. But she gets to tell any story she wants.
ELLE: What will you teach your daughters about men?
JK: Respect and understanding are everything. I’d love
to pretend I’m going to be the man with a bat waiting
for guys when they visit. But if I do that, I’ll lose [their]
respect. I’m not going to pretend bad things don’t
happen. I just hope when they do, [they] give me a call.
ELLE: Is there a romantic comedy you love?
JK: [Even] before I met Emily it was The Devil Wears Prada.
Everyone looks like they’re having a blast. Everybody’s
wearing great clothes. When we started dating, I didn’t
know she was coming over and I was watching it. She
was like, “Oh, what are you watching?” and I quickly
changed the channel to something dude-like.
ELLE: You put on more than 11kg of muscle to play
a former navy SEAL in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of
Benghazi. How did Emily feel about your new body?
JK: She really is that person who’d like me any way. But
I don’t think she’ll kick the eight-pack abs out of bed.
ELLE: Is sex different now that you’re ripped?
JK: Absolutely. You feel confident and you see yourself
as this much more sexual person, which is really fun. q