It's funny: I've always had the analogy of a snow globe, that Hollywood is a snow globe. No, it's true. If you shake it up, you can look at it and really enjoy it. But don't ever go in. Don't ever buy into it and be like, 'I deserve all of this!' because it can go away at any time, so just have a lot of fun.
Being funny is one of my greatest strengths. I can make girls smile when they're down, and when they're having a good time, I can carry on the joke.
I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. And I'm really sensitive, so I take even small mistakes as huge ones.
We can appear to be tough as nails, but guys have a level of insecurity and vulnerability that's exponentially bigger than you think. With the primal urge to be alpha comes extreme heartbreak. The harder we fight, the harder we fall.
Boston is actually the capital of the world. You didn't know that? We breed smart-ass, quippy, funny people. Not that I'm one of them. I just sorta sneaked in under the radar.
Guys have a level of insecurity and vulnerability that's exponentially bigger than you think. With the primal urge to be alpha comes extreme heartbreak. The harder we fight, the harder we fall.
Most of the people I know who work out seriously do so because they have such an amazing outlook on life. To be who I want to be, I'm going to work out to be more positive, more active. It's proactive.
I taught English in Costa Rica before I went to college. I'm not an especially outdoorsy guy, but sometimes I would spot wildlife while whitewater rafting or walking in the rainforest at 5 A.M.
Trophies and medals have never meant much to me. I've had amazing experiences, which let you feel like you've accomplished something.
There's the push and pull you put on yourself and the push and pull the world puts on you. Most of the time, the world's going to win out, because it's just logical that you should be more successful and more motivated. You can always be more.
The real drawback when you write with a partner is that where you want it to go and where they want it to go is similar, but not exactly lined up, and that's where it's going to lead you into trouble.
Being from Boston, I think we have to get the 'Good Will Hunting' poster tattooed on our backs when we're like 16 or 17; it's just a rite of passage. That movie is so, so, so huge.
I was born in Newton, MA. Graduated from Brown University in 2001 with honors in English as a playwright. I attended the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Center in Waterford, CT just after Brown. I moved to NYC in 2002 and was a professional... waiter, for 3 years.
I definitely had fun being a waiter. I can't say for sure that I was a good waiter. I think that I made people have a good time.
I wanted to be an English teacher. I wanted to do it for the corduroy jackets with patches on the side. When I got to college, as I was walking across campus one day, I ripped off a little flyer for this sketch-comedy group. It ended up being one of the greatest things I've ever done.
It looks like I've been smart about it, but truly, I've been incredibly lucky to have the right people notice me and want to work with me.
I'm a huge classics fan. I love Ernest Hemingway and J. D. Salinger. I'm that guy who rereads a book before I read newer stuff, which is probably not all that progressive, and it's not really going to make me a better reader.
I'm a huge classics fan. I love Ernest Hemingway and J.D. Salinger. I'm that guy who rereads a book before I read newer stuff, which is probably not all that progressive, and it's not really going to make me a better reader. I'm like, 'Oh, my God, you should read To Kill a Mockingbird.'
I got fired from being a lunch-shift bartender because I had a reading of a play.
Luckily, I have two of the coolest parents around. They're so open about having any and all experiences, so they never hindered us in any way by categorizing or judging anything.
Hearing anyone think that I'm any form of sexy or handsome is incredibly flattering.
My favorite water cooler topic is fantasy football. I used to make fun of friends for doing it and now I'm obsessed.
For me, 'Arrested Development' is the cornerstone of recent television comedy. It's so incredibly flawless and perfect.
I'm really not feeling one way or the other with comedy or drama, I'm just sort of doing projects that I've been finding really fun to be a part of.
I think that whether you're married or not, in any relationship, there's always the terror that you're going to screw something up.
I was a waiter before 'The Office,' so to me, this was a winning lottery ticket. Everything about my life has changed.
I want to start a Dunkin' Donuts in Los Angeles. I already have the perfect location picked out. It would be the old Tower Records buildings on Sunset.
My main focus is to always try to be myself first, and then, hey, if I wear a cool jacket, that's a bonus.
I remember when I saw 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,' I wanted to go out and direct a movie right there on the streets of Manhattan. Unfortunately, you can't without permits.
I think one of the coolest things about the job is the level of trust we have for each other. The actors fully trust that the writers will write amazing episodes, and the writers trust that the actors will follow their instincts with the characters.
David Foster Wallace, in my opinion, is one of the greatest writers we've ever had, certainly in the last twenty years. His obvious dominance of the English language is partnered with honest moments and the most beautifully dark sensibility.
I wanted to be an English teacher. I wanted to do it for the corduroy jackets with patches on the side.
I don't go out - ever. I'm lucky enough to have awesome friends, and we always end up at someone's house. We're big house-party guys.
By being a waiter 100 percent, I think I was a lot like any other actor in New York. I had credits because I'd work lunches during the week, and then on a Wednesday would go be lucky enough to be in a movie like 'Kinsey.'
I learned that the best way to work is to allow the scene to live on its own before making major adjustments, whether in rehearsal or on film.
People aren't throwing themselves at me, but I also don't go out very much. Like, when I do go out, it's for breakfast, so it's a little hard to throw yourself at me during breakfast.
I've fallen in love with shows like 'Homeland' and 'The Wire.' And I think 'The Office' is in a category like that.
I went to Dave Eggers with this idea of doing a movie about a guy going through some sort of Frank Capra-esque journey.
Always trying new things is always more fun, and it can be scary, but it's always more fun in the end.
My name was originally John Collins, but I just didn't think it had the flair I needed. I found out the poet laureate of Poland was named Krasinski and so it seemed like a shoe-in for show business.
I'm not looking to do 'Half Nelson' next, but to play anything that's a little more complex is really fun.
If there was ever someone to look up to, it's Tom Hanks.
Bizarrely, on movie sets, they don't really dig it when you look in the camera, which is a bizarre fact.
I've never been someone who dates all that much - I'm more of a serial monogamist.
Sadly, I'm one of those people who emotionally puts things off and then gets caught very blindsided at the end.
You can never perfect a relationship, and you can never perfect yourself to be in a relationship. You're always going to be changing, and you hope it's for the better.
'The Office' is not one of those things you move away from. I don't want it to go away.
I love feeling strong. You pick up your daughter with ease while everyone else makes a little grunt when they pick up their kids.
When I got to college, as I was walking across campus one day, I ripped off a little flyer for this sketch-comedy group. It ended up being one of the greatest things I've ever done.
I admire him so much; if I was ever going to have a dude-crush, it would be on George Clooney. I mean, I don't think you can avoid it. It's like a superpower - he just sucks anybody in around him.
The things we always disengage with are one-sided stories or one-sided characters. They're very boring. When you feel like you're being hit over the head, you disengage.
I credit NTI, truthfully, with everything as far as where my head is and what my goals are and dreams are. I would say it was probably one of the most influential moments of my life, being there.
I've always loved where my dad came from and the ideals that he instilled in me.
If you did go to high school and then college, there's definitely a solidarity with someone that is from your hometown and knows your mom and all that stuff.
All relationships are a learning experience, even ones you continue to be in. If you don't see them as that, then that's a problem.
I was one of those kids who had never seen an indie film before I got to college. If it wasn't a big, huge tentpole movie, or if it wasn't on the radio, I hadn't experienced it.
The way the British 'Office' got away with being so dark was that it only had 13 episodes. There are realistic elements that people obviously enjoy, but they don't necessarily want to relive the trials and tribulations of their average work day.
My parents and my brothers and their wives are incredible and formed me as a person long before I got to Hollywood.
To me, it seems like both 'Brief Interviews' and 'The Office' deal with characters that see themselves differently than the world sees them.
I think we all get into situations where we don't know how to proceed, and those are really the scariest moments that we have, but that's also what makes us 'grow up' and learn a lot about each other.
The first acting thing I ever did was my senior year I decided not to play a sport in the Spring and, in that Spring B.J. Novak who went to school with me, asked if I'd be in this show that was a parody of all the teachers in the school, 'sure!' That was the first acting thing I did.
It's definitely particular to each situation, but whether it is a long history or someone that you're intimidated by or someone that you didn't think you ever had a shot at, at the end of the day, I think we're all living through high school, every day.
I know I'm guilty of and I think a lot of people are guilty of sort of getting starry-eyed with love and sort of looking over the bad things and keep going and you don't really prepare for how much work marriage really is.
I know I'll never be put in the position of making the adulterous mistake, but there are mistakes along the way that are as complicated, that get blown out of proportion because you're not willing to admit that you've made them.
I'm not trying to be the triple threat guy. I'm still working on this one threat; acting.
No matter what a guy says, if he shows up at all the places you're at, he's hooked.
There are always roles that seem enticing that you can't do because of scheduling.
I used to make fun of my friends who had BlackBerries. And I know that the expression CrackBerry has been going around, but now I fully understand it. I'm actually addicted to a piece of machinery, and that's really embarrassing.
You can't do anything to be funny. That's cringeworthy. If your humor comes out of a place of love every time, you don't make the joke bigger than you. The funniest comedians are in touch with their emotional level.
Each cast member brings their own vibe and antics to the set. You're constantly surrounded by fun loving people who can make you laugh in their own way.
I'm that sort of weird guy who will watch a movie almost every day if I can.
There's a large oak tree in the Newton Centre park playground that is legendary because only a few humans have hit it with a baseball from home plate, and B.J. Novak is among them. And I was there that day.
This is the time for me to step out and show that I don't just want to play the nice guy roles, and I think I'll find out what my limits are.
Probably the biggest challenge for me as a director was to not show how scared I was. I was surrounded by some of the most talented people in the industry, and I had to pretend I knew what I was doing.
Growing up, I remember the 'Cheers' finale and 'M*A*S*H' and all these amazing finales, and I remember them being very, very important.
A good part's a good part. You can play serious and funny moments with a well-written role.
Directing was a great experience, but it's terrifying to have the responsibility of carving up the other actors' performances.
I think we all have a responsibility to tell good stories.
I held down as many jobs as I could find, from being a waiter to working at a yoga studio and as a ticket-taker at a small theater company - anything that would allow me to go out and do auditions.
I've always loved those movies where somebody really wants something, and then the thing they want is right in front of them.
When people ask if I'm going to be sad that 'The Office' is over, they don't even understand the depth of that question for me. It's an era of my life. No one would have known my name if it wasn't for the show.
I had never taken acting at Brown to be the beginnings of a career. I always did it just for fun.
I had done one failed pilot. I remember, when it failed, I was like, 'Oh my God, how does someone survive this? That's it - that's the end of my career; it's over.'
I always stay with my parents. When you come home, you gotta do that. It's weird to be like, 'Hey, I'm at a hotel. Drive 20 minutes to see me, and we'll have dinner.'
For me, there are worse things than being pigeonholed as the nice guy.
It's tough to live in New York and be in the business.
I planned on being an English teacher, but I don't know where that went.