Georgia Humphreys
HAPLESS sitcom character, romcom star, horror film director... John Krasinski has never been one to pigeonhole himself.
Next up he takes on an action hero – novelist Tom Clancy’s legendary creation, Jack Ryan. And while the 38-year-old may be “nervous” about tackling a role previously played by Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine, it’s pretty much a dream come true.
“I know it sounds corny, but he doesn’t have a cape, he doesn’t fly, he’s actually a real person – so I think probably as a kid, I even said the words, ‘Maybe I could be Jack Ryan one day’,” says the Massachusetts-born actor. In new eight-part Amazon Prime series, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, the titular hero – a CIA analyst – is thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time. John – best known for playing Jim Halpert in the US version of The Office – felt at ease playing the iconic character. “I felt like I got a free pass,” he says, “because not only is my take going to be different, but the whole reinvention of the character and how we’re telling the story is different.”
John’s co-stars include The Wire’s Wendell Pierce, as deputy director of intelligence James Greer, while Three Billboards star Abbie Cornish plays Ryan’s love interest, Cathy Mueller.
Ali Suliman portrays a charismatic Islamic activist, while Dina Shihabi is his wife, an independent Muslim woman desperate to protect her children.
For John, it was important to explore the issue of terrorism in a different way.
“I think the whole ‘white hat, black hat’ way of storytelling is a bit boring, a little outdated – the idea of just a good guy and a bad guy,” he elaborates. “In the real world, it’s all very complicated.”
The star also points out that the series doesn’t “humanise a terrorist”. However, you do get to “see where he’s coming from and what led to the decisions he makes. What we do really well is show the collateral damage of family, friends and communities that are affected by these people who do evil things,” he continues.
John is married to British actress Emily Blunt, whose credits include The Devil Wears Prada and The Girl On The Train. They have two daughters (Hazel, four, and two-year-old Violet), and John admits it was difficult balancing filming with family life.
“Emily was away shooting Mary Poppins here in England, I was in Montreal a lot,” he says. “I had to fly back to see the kids every week .... that’s non-negotiable.”
The couple recently worked together for the first time, when they took on lead roles in near-silent thriller A Quiet Place, released earlier this year, which John also directed. The movie became a critically acclaimed box-office hit.
“It was a special and unique experience on every level, certainly doing it with my wife and having it be that personal to me,” he recalls of making the film.
Right now though, John is relishing every moment of bringing Jack Ryan to life.
“I hope everybody likes to know that there’s a good guy represented out there, a guy who’s very moral and trying to do the right thing,” he says. “That’s awesome, especially in today’s world, to know that’s the person who’s on the front line for you.”
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan launches on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, August 31.