Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney Husband and wife John Krasinski and Emily Blunt attend the World Premiere of Blunt’s film "Mary Poppins Returns."
Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt is no stranger to awards show attention. She’s been nominated for six total Golden Globes (winning one in 2007 for Gideon’s Daughter), three BAFTA’s, and three SAG awards—two of which remain pending this year—among countless other nods since her career took off in 2001.
In 2010, Blunt married actor John Krasinski, whose post-apocalyptic horror film A Quiet Place made tons of waves—and tons of money—at the box office last year. While the film only snagged one Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score, Oscar nominations still loom, so here’s to hoping it can snag a little more industry love this awards season.
Here’s everything you need to know about actor/director John Krasinski:
1. Krasinski Made A Name for Himself Playing Jim Halpert on NBC’s The Office
For nine seasons, Krasinski played Jim Halpert, a salesman and later co-manager known for his dry wit and pranks on oddball co-worker Dwight Schrute. The cast was consistently nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where it won in 2007 and 2008.
Although Krasinski was in the business previously, The Office was certainly his breakthrough role. His character’s will-they-won’t-they relationship with receptionist Pam Beesly kept viewers on the hook for years before the two officially started dating and eventually got married.
While Halpert quickly became a fan-favorite on the series, Krasinski steered his attention toward directing, helming three episodes of the series in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
2. Krasinski Has Directed A Total of Three Movies
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What many don’t know is that A Quiet Place wasn’t his directorial debut.
Krasinski directed his first film in 2009 during his stint on The Office. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men followed a graduate student who copes with a recent breakup by conducting interviews with various men. Adapted from David Wallace Foster’s short story collection of the same name, the movie co-starred Will Arnett, Chris Messina, Timothy Hutton, Will Forte, and Rashida Jones.
His second film, 2016’s The Hollars, told the story about a man returning to his small hometown after learning his mother has fallen ill and is about to have surgery. Like its predecessor, the movie boasted huge star power with Margo Martindale, Richard Jenkins, Krasinski, and Anna Kendrick taking on major roles.
3. A Quiet Place Was a Critical and Commercial Success…and It Co-Starred His Wife
Last year’s ambitious and expertly executed A Quiet Place co-starred his wife, Blunt. Though the two actors have been together for about a decade, they had never worked together until this project came along.
The movie follows a family running from sound-seeking monsters in a post-apocalyptic world. Krasinski and Blunt play the parents of three children as they try to evade the alien beings and keep their family safe. The New York Times called it “an out-of-the-gate hit,” while its Rotten Tomatoes score remains at an impressive 95% Fresh.
With its focus on sound throughout, it’s a safe bet to say that the movie should get Oscar attention in the two sound categories at the very least. Krasinski recently explained the difference between the two categories: “There’s sound mixing and editing. The editing is getting all the sounds in place, putting this sound next to that sound. Sound mixing is making sure they all come together to sound real. If crickets were as loud as the music, it would be insane: You have to diminish the crickets to whatever it’s supposed to be to feel real,” he told the Times. “It’s nice to have the pressure off and have this be a celebration than for it to be an angsty, scary time,” he continued.
The movie banked north of $340 million worldwide, quickly greenlighting a sequel that will turn the project into an official franchise. Krasinski confirmed to Deadline last month that he’s already hard at work writing the next installment.
4. Krasinski Can Currently Be Seen on Amazon’s Jack Ryan Series
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On Amazon’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Krasinski stars as the titular CIA analyst who’s stripped from the security of his desk job and thrown into the field after discovering a string of shady bank transfers being carried out by a rising Islamic terrorist named Suleiman.
The show is based on the work of author Tom Clancy (unofficially known as the “Ryanverse”). Krasinski is the fifth actor to portray Ryan behind Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine from the film series.
The streaming service renewed the show for a second season before its first had even aired. Season 2 will follow Ryan as he confronts “the forces in power in a dangerous, declining democratic regime in South America.”
5. Krasinski and Blunt Have Two Daughters
Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesBlunt and Krasinski attend the premiere for “A Quiet Place” in New York City.
The couple shares two daughters: Violet, 21 months, and Hazel, 4. Though the couple tries to protect their family’s privacy, Krasinski opened up to People saying that “the scariest thing about being a father” is the lack of control over the course of any given day.
“Even when [we] drop our 4-year-old daughter off at school, you don’t know what she’s gonna do that day. You don’t know if other kids are gonna be nice to her or if she [will get] in trouble for something,” he said. “You just want to protect them at all costs.”
When the family was split up due to Krasinski’s Jack Ryan shooting schedule and Blunt’s London-based Mary Poppins gig, Krasinski flew back and forth between Montreal and London every single weekend.
“Family for me, it’s a non-negotiable thing,” said Krasinski. “Emily was shooting a little indie movie called Mary Poppins,” Krasinski joked. “So they were with her, and we always set up a base, and I always want the base to be with their mom, and I’ll do the flight time.”