John Krasinski always tried to keep it real.

Sure, fans may know him as a prank-loving, crush-worthy paper salesman, or an intense ex-Marine turned CIA agent, or a devoted family man sacrificing himself for love, but the 45-year-old actor simply prefers to be a husband and father. , who binges on documentaries and enjoys bedtime stories with her children.

Krasinski, who lives in Brooklyn with his wife of 14 years, actress Emily Blunt, 41, and their daughters Hazel, 10, and Violet, 8, remembers a time a few years ago when he accompanied her eldest daughter at school. “This guy said, ‘John? From The office? Oh my God, it’s so good to see you!’ And he left,” the actor says. “And Hazel said, ‘So you work with this guy?’ I said, “No.” And she said, “Why are you lying to me?”

Admitting that it was a bit of a challenge trying to explain the truth, the actor “just thought, ‘Wow, what an incredible head trip that is.’ And she hadn’t seen the show. I think I was an accountant in her eyes,” he adds with a laugh. “It’s a pretty crazy thing for them to deal with.”

Krasinski may have a little more explaining to do now that he’s been named PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive. Beloved for his role as Jim Halpert on the hit series for nine years The officehe co-wrote, directed and starred alongside Blunt in the 2018 thriller A quiet place. Its huge success spawned two sequels, while Krasinski also beefed up Michael Bay’s film. 1 p.m. and stayed in shape to play the titular Jack Ryan for four seasons on the popular Prime Video series, now about to become a movie.

With this year’s film IFin which he starred, wrote, produced and directed as a sort of love story for his daughters, the actor cemented his status as one of Hollywood’s best filmmakers. Still, the transition took a bit of tweaking.

“I must have pitched the studio about 54 times (for A quiet place) before they say yes,” jokes Krasinski, who will next star with Natalie Portman in the action film. Fountain of Youth. “I’m pretty sure someone said, ‘Sorry, did Jim just The office Are you going to direct this? And I said, ‘Oh, it’s John, but we’ll get there.’ It’s good. ”

Raised in a Boston suburb with his two brothers, Krasinski got his start as an actor playing Daddy Warbucks in a sixth-grade production of Annie. But it wasn’t until he enrolled at the National Theater Institute while studying at Brown University that he discovered his true passion.

“You know, I had so much fun, but it was never something I thought I would do professionally,” said the actor, who originally planned to become a teacher after being “blown away” by Robin Williams in Society of Dead Poets. “I went to drama school mainly out of laziness because I had to make up a semester. And it was one of the most transformative 14 weeks of my life,” he adds. and moved to New York to become an actor.

These days, Krasinski makes his own decisions and appreciates the support system and life he’s built with Blunt. “It’s this beautiful thing where when you’re married to someone, you’re constantly learning and changing and evolving,” he says. “And I’m so lucky to experience all of this with her.” Not that his new title changes anything: “I think it’ll make me do more household chores,” he jokes. “After that comes out, she’ll say, ‘All right, that means you’re really going to win it here at home.’ »

What were your first thoughts when you found out you were going to receive the crown?
Just an immediate power outage. Zero thought. Except maybe I’m punk. This isn’t how I usually wake up thinking, “Is this the day I get asked to be the sexiest man alive?” And yet, this is the day you did it. You really raised the bar for me.

I know you didn’t tell anyone, but assuming Emily knew, how did she react?
Am I not supposed to tell anyone? Oh my God, things are bad right now. I told Emily and she was very excited. There was a lot of joy in what I told him.

She once said if you had the blanket, she would wallpaper it all over the house.
Did she say that? Do we have this on camera? Because it’s like a binding contract, I think. My kids will love this; It won’t be weird at all.

Who do you think will give you the most trouble?
I think my brothers will probably wonder how this is possible in years to come. Luckily, we’ll be going straight to Thanksgiving, so we can jump in and talk about it right away.

How did you grow up?
I guess I was quite an imaginative child. I’ve always lived in some sort of world, whether it’s pirates or some crazy adventure. Usually Indiana Jones, anything involving Steven Spielberg. I was friends with ET and got the (Raiders of the Lost Ark) idol and things like that, basically between 4 and 45 years old.

And in high school?
I played sports, I was in a band, I played the trumpet. I think I was just trying to be a guy having fun. I had friends in lots of different groups.

Were you popular with the ladies?
No, I mean, if you look at my high school yearbook, I think a lot of people wrote things like “Thank you for helping me through my breakup” or “You’re a great shoulder to cry on.” I was really there for moral support, not so much in a romantic way.

When did you regain confidence in yourself?
Probably college. I mean, it was the most rewarding experience of my life. No medication is needed. I was fortunate to go to a great school and receive an excellent education. But for me, education was really about finding those life markers of the people who brought me into the world of art and theater and music.

You first met Emily in 2008. When did you know she was the one?
The second I met her? I don’t know what happened, but I remember someone introduced us, and it was across a room in a restaurant, and I walked up to her to shake his hand. And as soon as I did, I knew.

What do you love most about being a daughter dad?
Oh man, how much you learn. You just have these incredible wells of curiosity and emotion and questions coming from someone of the opposite sex. When they ask me for a guy’s perspective, it’s kind of funny because I’m actually the only guy in our family, including our dog.

Is there anything you can do that still embarrasses them?
Dance. I’m horrible at this. I remember my phone turned on one day in the street, and it was the Spoon song “I Turn My Camera On” and I started dancing. And Hazel said, “Oh my God, Dad, there are people in the street.”

What does a typical day off mean to you?
I usually drop the kids off at school, do a quick workout, then try to find something exciting to do around town. I went to MoMA a few days ago, then to a French bistro. I’m just trying to experience everything this city has to offer.

Is there a hobby you would like to have?
I wish I could play the piano or the guitar. I wish I had one in the bag. Not only to be a great party trick, but also for myself.

Do you have any stupid human tricks?
Other than the weird voices I make for my kids as stuffed animals, I don’t think so. I do an Elmo voice for them. And no, I won’t do it on camera.

What is your worst habit?
I’m probably jogging on my leg. I’m like a guy who, if I’m at a table (he moves his knee up and down). And it’s fun, right? It doesn’t make you nervous. Emily told me I do this a lot, and it still doesn’t stop.

You talked about Chris Evans’ victory Captain America on you. Do you have any regrets about the roles you left behind?
You know, I’ve never had that. And it’s Chris Evans – look at the guy. Oddly enough, I’ve never had that jealousy thing, because I think in many ways my life has been like winning a giant radio contest. You just have to take it as it comes. And I truly believe that every role is meant for someone – that if it’s meant for you, it’s coming for you, and if it’s not, it’s meant for someone else.

What do you think of Jim and Pam from The office would you do now? Probably about to go to bed and read some stories. I feel like they are very good parents. But am I losing the thread? Are these kids around 80 years old now?

How would you describe your own life?
Beautiful. It really is. It’s a phenomenal thing to be able to be a part of this family and to be a dad. It completely changed my life.