JOHN KRASINSK IS THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE!

After a crushworthy role on The Office, the devoted family man is now one of Hollywood's hottest directors

- JULIE JORDAN

John Krasinski has always tried to keep it real. Sure, fans might know him as a date-worthy paper salesman, or a former Marine turned CIA agent, or a devoted family man sacrificing himself for love, but the actor, 45, prefers just being a husband and father who binges documentaries and relishes bedtime stories with his kids. Krasinski, who lives in Brooklyn with his wife of 14 years, actress Emily Blunt, 41, and their daughters Hazel, 10, and Violet, 8, recalls a moment a few years ago when he was walking his older daughter to school. "This guy went, 'John? From The Office? Oh my God, it's so good to see you!' And he walked away," says the actor. "And Hazel said, 'So you work with that guy?' I said, 'No.' And she said, 'Why are you lying to me? He said he knows you from the office.' Admitting it was a bit of a challenge trying to explain the truth, the actor "just thought, 'Wow, what an unbelievable head trip that is.'"

Krasinski might have a little more explaining to do now that he's been named People's Sexiest Man Alive. Beloved for his nine-year run as Jim Halpert on the hit series The Office, he cowrote, directed and starred alongside Blunt in the 2018 thriller A Quiet Place. Its massive success spawned two sequels, while Krasinski also beefed up to portray the titular Jack Ryan for four seasons on the popular Prime Video series, now set to become a film. With this year's movie IF, which he starred in, wrote, produced and directed, the actor solidified his status as one of Hollywood's top filmmakers. Still, the transition took a little finessing. "I had to pitch the studio 54 times [for AQP] before they said yes," allows Krasinski, who next stars with Natalie Portman in the heist film Fountain of Youth. "I'm pretty sure someone said, 'Sorry, is Jim from The Office going to direct this?' And I went, 'Oh, it's John, but we'll get there."