John Krasinski on Clooney, crying, and Emily Blunt

on Larry King now John Krasinski you've had an interesting career you go from the office to Michael Bay action movie just like that do you strategize your career I'm a realist you know when people say is it is it frustrating that you'll always be known as Jim from the office I said not at all in fact it's a huge compliment I think that's one of the greatest honors all have in my career people have asked me before what's your what's your biggest influence comedic Lee and I said without a doubt it's Conan O'Brien he's so incredibly smart he's so incredibly self-deprecating but he's allowed to be silly and on top of it as we discussed earlier he is one of the greatest human beings you'll ever meet we're gonna do a movie and break it into ten parts every season oh yeah there's a great part for you it's a sleeping for love plate yes absolutely Ford tax I mean it's time for it's time for a real professional plus oh you're married to a famous person Emily Blunt I married up and that's what you wanted to say and that's fine I shook her hand and to be honest I knew I knew right then and there that I felt everything I needed to feel for it all next on Larry King now welcome to Larry King now our guest is actor writer director John Krasinski once best known as the lovable Jim Albert on the office John has gone on to prove his range in roles in movies like it's complicated 13 hours and promised land and now John's back in the director's chair at the helm of the hollers in which he also stars the hollers is in theaters August 26 I hear it was very difficult getting this made it was yeah actually I signed on about six or seven years ago as an actor and I don't know if I've signed on to a script quicker because I have seen a lot of family movies I'm sure you have too and they're not always great for me because I feel a little bit manipulated into the idea family and this was the most real specific and honest take on family I had read in a while so I jumped on as an actor and then four years later the financier at the time called me and said I can't get this movie made as happens with these smaller movies and would you like to buy the script outright for me and make it on your own and I said I think he made the wrong call I'm not George Clooney and then after thinking about it for a while I decided I had to do it because this story was so specific and I'm a big family guy and I thought you buy it cheap at least not so cheap the idea was if I could make it if I could change and do it very quickly I'm not a guy who has things sitting around on the shelf if I'm involved in something I want to do it so I think two days after buying the script I called Margo Martindale cuz my whole idea was if I'm gonna do this I'm gonna directing it the best cast I can and you're also gonna be in it and directed it wasn't that before I have done it before but not to this level I was a you know being the the lead in the movie was a much bigger challenge but weirdly for this movie acting and directing at the same time was not only easy but it was very imperative and the reason why is because I think the key to this movie is making this family feel organic and real and the only way I could do that was by not being the guy behind the camera that's yelling cut and giving people notes it would ruin this sort of special vibe that the cast started to have on set so being the guy in the scenes we would just not let the camera cut we would talk very quietly amongst ourselves and basically when we thought we had the scene done they didn't even know the cameras rolling it almost felt like a play who are you I'm playing John Haller so I'm a guy who is living in New York trying to be an artist and gets the call that his mother has a brain tumor and goes home to take care of her and in doing so I think opens up the channels of communication and love that have long since been dormant in this family and it's about getting back to your family that that you may or may not have a great relationship with but at least you have to try is he married he's not yet married he's he's got a girlfriend who's pregnant on the way with twins and he's having a hard time understanding that level of responsibility and also deciding whether or not he's the right man for his girlfriend so it's a very it's a very modern sort of a modern take on a relationship comedy as well absolutely yeah it's mostly you know it's it's a comedy in that these characters are absolutely special and and funny in a way but the the terms that they all get together are are very dramatic it's very real you would think that an actor would make a good director because he understands acting I hope so I I think that's what the the cast has been very nice to say that I think that you understand directing one of the best parts about being an actor and there are many one of the best parts about being an actor is you get to watch all these great directors work and I think the name of the game there is just steel everything so I've stolen ideas and thoughts and moves from the directors that I've worked with certainly George Clooney taught me so much one of the things I always remember he told me was you can make a badge you can make a bad movie out of a good script we can never make a good movie out of a bad script so always choose wisely and then the other thing he always told me was you know the best idea has to end up on screen doesn't matter who said it one of your actors or the guy who's shutting down the studio at night if it if it's gonna make the movie better it has to go on screen it's a team sport he's a terrific guy he's an amazing guy yeah it really is which is so people wouldn't believe it but he is you've had an interesting career you go from the office to Michael Bay action movie just like that do you strategize your career I think you you know strategy I think is a scary thing because it can get you in trouble I think you can have hopes you can have aspirations I certainly I'm a realist so I understand that you know when people say is it is it frustrating that you'll always be known as Jim from the office I said not at all in fact it's a huge compliment I think one of the greatest honors I'll have in my career that show is everything to me I was a waiter before I got that job so I'm living a lottery ticket life I mean I really am and so I almost feel like I don't deserve to have gotten that opportunity so I'm trying to deserve the idea of staying here in this in the opportunity that I did you ever watch the British version of the all the time yeah all the time and hilariously that got me in trouble because in my audition I was auditioning for the role in New York and I was the last person to go in and just before I went in they took a lunch break which was unfortunate and so I watched a hundred people leave the office and come back with sandwiches and salads and one guy sat across from me and said are you nervous and I said no you either get these things or you don't it's not a big deal what I am nervous about is you know the US has a tendency to just kill these amazing British shows they take the idea and they make it worse and he said I'm Greg Daniels I'm the executive producer and I almost threw up on issues now you're gonna be Jack Ryan you're gonna be Jack Ryan yes it is yes so Paramount Pictures has books left to do you have no books that's right so we're gonna do pulled from the headlines we're taking the ideas and the character of Jack Ryan and we're going to do a series but it's funny because the pitch to me was Carlton Cuse the showrunner who's incredible and he's done he was one of the first guys at lost he basically said we're not doing a television series and I thought yeah that's a good battle of semantics and he said no the truth is a two-hour format for Jack Ryan may not be the best format for the character because Tom Clancy's books are so detailed and rich and the character superpower if he has one is his intelligence so he has to you know draw things out and problem-solve so this 10-part thing we're gonna do a movie and break it into ten parts every season Wow yeah there's a great part for you so it's actually people that played yes absolutely some Ford Alec Baldwin hacks I mean let's be honest it's time for it's time for a real profession that's why our guest is John Krasinski up next John on his industry groups and managing Fame stay with us the backward John Krasinski the hollers will open the August 26th he's of course so well known from so many great roles naturally the office began at all you went to Brown University I did indeed is that school Ivy League school equal to its reputation for me it far surpassed its reputation to me you know one of the things that Brown has is it doesn't have a core curriculum so it from the moment you walk through the gates your destination in your your career there is your own responsibility meaning no one's gonna make you take math and science and English you actually get to decide what classes you want to take from day one so they try to develop free thinkers and certainly there's a way to manipulate that system and and basically and you can make it a little easier on yourself or you can make it harder their whole point in doing that they also have pass/fail classes you can take classes for a grade or pass/fail their intention there is that you take things that are out of your comfort zone which I I did and thank God it was pass/fail because I actually got out of my comfort made you and anything I did I majored in English and graduated with honors and creative writing Wow thank you if i impress Larry King I'm doing something right and you were you were an intern for Coleman I was an intern for Conan O'Brien my junior year of college summer for a summer and I was his script intern and I can be very honest people have asked me before what's your what's your biggest influence comedic Lee and I said without a doubt it's Conan O'Brien I've always been a fan of comedy but every single night and this is true I probably shouldn't be saying this cuz my parents will watch this I spent every single night watching Conan O'Brien in my entire college career to me there was something very different fresh and so smart about what he did he's so incredibly smart he's so incredibly self-deprecating but he's allowed to be silly there are very few people who can do what they do and on top of it as we discussed earlier he's one of the greatest human beings you'll ever meet he is so kind and so genuine a great writer he's an amazing one his show I was I've been on his show I was just on his show last night but it's funny that you mentioned that the the one of the most surreal moments of my entire life has been the first night I went on that show so I was his intern so I knew his whole crew his whole operation and as I'm walking down the hallway I'm seeing all these people who used to be my boss now clapping and saying welcome and congratulations and I get to the blue curtain back on the 12:30 slot let me see and they pulled the curtain and I blacked out that is not an exaggeration I totally blacked out don't remember anything until Conan was shaking my hand and pushed me into the couch and said everything's gonna be fine and when he said that I woke up and I realized that I was the nerd who when I was an intern would after hours sit on the couch and pretend to be interviewed by nobody so now I was being interviewed by Conan O'Brien and it was it was pretty unbelievable and then at the end if you go back and watch the interview which everybody can do thanks to the internet you can see that I actually end up tearing up because at the end he takes a moment in the segment to say how proud he is of me and I'll never forget it we're good friends and he's yes and they were like I know he loves you I love him oh you're married to a famous person Emily Blunt I married up is that's what you wanted to say and that's fun how did you meet her I met her at a restaurant just I was sitting at a table with a friend and we were talking about different things and then a friend two tables over said oh there's my friend John came over and said you should meet Emily and I looked over and it was Emily Blunt and I was incredibly nervous because I was a big fan and probably too big a fan of The Devil Wears Prada so I tried to contain my excitement when I met her so how did it work out if you come by as a sheepish nerd I was I was I tried to hide the sheepish nerd and come across more masculine I don't know if it worked or not but no I check her hand and to be honest I knew I knew right down in there that I felt everything I needed to feel for and then marriage in suit and know how many children two kids I have two little girls I'm now surrounded by women and I'm that's okay that's perfect my 15 year old self always wanted to be surrounded by women so perfect here it is so you got it what are their names hazel and violet Hazel's two and a half and violets now eight weeks old well congratulate you very own ones named hazel anymore I know we really like old lady hazel a the television show is it oh yeah I know about a maid that's right and there was also the cartoon which which I'll refrain from telling my daughter about but okay after 13 hours the secret soldiers of Benghazi came out and you criticize politicians who use that film to attack Hillary you know he's interesting I was actually grossly Mis quoted at the time but what it was is what I was what I was frustrated about was not only that the politicians I everyone's allowed to talk about any issue however they want that's their right the thing that I was so frustrated about is that in the larger conversation of politics which is gonna happen and it's absolutely something that we intended was gonna happen with the movie no one was talking about the the very specific thing which is these men were heroes this I did the movie to celebrate the courageous act and the honor that it takes to be a man or woman on the frontlines and I thought this would be such a great opportunity 13 hours would be such a great opportunity to to reinvigorate this country's love and belief and understanding of what it means to say you support your troops so I was frustrated that that conversation was being lost in the political arena are you a Democrat I take it as it comes I'm actually an independent I vote I when I grew up I sort of took every issue in every Canada as it comes I feel like there's something for me that feels like I appreciate the idea of a candidate having to earn my vote where do you stand in this election right now I mean you know this has been probably one of the most wilds political times ever and I just think that this is a very important election so my whole thing is I I the the most important thing for me when I'm watching all these things is that people vote I hope people understand what a big time this is for us politically and so I hope that we does we do have a little reversal don't we the Democratic Party looks like the party of patriotism okay it's true and I think that I I feel the lines blurring very much in this election I feel that I do feel that there's been a very obvious outcry for people who want their country back and I think that's fantastic I think people who are frustrated should be voicing their opinion it's where all the greatness and our country's come from before and I hope it's where the greatness comes this time coming up we're talking fatherhood role models guilty pleasures with John Krasinski his new movie is the hollers sin theatres August 26 with the right John Krasinski's our guess in the old days they'd have asked you to change your name right oh you think so oh Clark Gable Rod Taylor come on I am very proud of the idea that I never changed my name now I think to be honest when you're I think I started when I was 21 or 20 or something like that I didn't even think about it I didn't think that there would be an idea of changing your name because my dad's my hero and so to be to change my name I think that I don't know how he'd feel about it but I couldn't look him in the eye after I did so my father had passed away my name was Zeiger oh really made me change it in 1957 really who ethnic Wow did you ever talk to your dad about that he had died oh he died before the Holland's are you now you've told us about the two children how have you reacted to fatherhood it's you know all the clichés are true it's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me I remember actually Steve Carell before I had kids before I got married I asked him and I still think to this day he's described it perfectly I said what's it like before and after kids and he said there's no way to combine the two it's like you have a favorite book that you read over and over and over and over and then one day you put that book down and you started a new book that's your new favorite book and you can't stop reading it and I thought that's the perfect way to describe the the life before and after kids I loved it it's totally different it is totally different it was for the first time in your life someone is totally needy of you oh absolutely and I'm a crier I have no no hard time saying that and I cry at everything and this is before my daughter's even presented me with a pasta necklace so I don't know what's gonna happen on that day you said that before becoming a father you now change the way you made the hollers mm-hmm well if I had made the movie five months before it would've been a completely different movie I think the my daughter is four and a half months old when I started shooting and for me like I said every cliche is true so yes I understood the lead characters dilemma of being hits his dilemma I was excited but the idea of being a man at the doorstep of having a baby but for me what really influenced the movie going forward was a much more weighty existential strains that I went through which is I come from an amazing tight-knit loving family and yet this family is very dysfunctional but I could see something about my family in there because I think that the movie is about opening the lines of communication and love that are always there there's an existential poll that your family has on you that no one else in the world will ever have not even your wife not even your kids there's something that they have on you they know you better and I think that returning to that is very important okay John we're gonna play a little game of if you only knew okay who was your childhood celebrity crush my childhood celebrity crush was probably Molly Ringwald or Vanna White she'll be here in a minute I know trust me it was very awkward for me I think I think I pulled it off I think I was poised enough but when she walked in the room it was a little weird for me I'm not gonna lie secret talent my secret talent boy I don't know if it was a talent but I played trumpet for nine years well that's a pretty good talent man dream role my dream role I've been lucky enough to have a famous play you'd like to do yes I've always wanted to do I mean there's a there's a bunch but anything any O'Neill play long day's journey and tonight would be pretty fast it's the oldest son yes the older son you know I also see is the oldest son in Death of a Salesman oh thank you thank you dream co-star dream co-star probably my wife I'm looking forward to working with her they're gonna do something yeah we would love to do something together guilty pleasure guilty pleasure any sort of reality show we are a big bachelor and bachelorette fan in those yeah it turns on you really what is this don't ever stop it's kind of that deal with that last time you cry when you cry all the time you might have cried out seeing Vanna White I think I did cry scene that's why I said it was awkward we tried to take a picture and I was weeping characteristic you value most in others honesty I think for me it's just a waste of time to dance around subjects just never have to remember anything yeah exactly last time you were starstruck last time I was starstruck this is produced I gotta say I've been a big fan for a while of you you're kidding no I'm serious and by the way the only thing I wanted in this interview is if I could keep this cup you keep as a clutch thank you do you have a role model don't say it's me though who do you have in acting right well my second role model is my role model has always been my parents but my dad and specific as far as who to be a man I genuinely mean that if I can be able to order the guy he's a he just retired he was a doctor general practitioner and he was one of the I think the last great doctors that he was sort of that team the town doctor that almost felt like a Frank Capra movie at most close that's right yeah wet city newton massachusetts TV show you're embarrassed to say you watch you or discuss that The Bachelor who would you trade places enough um Rivera survives that but okay who would you trade places with for a day who would I trade places with for a day wow that is an amazing question honestly I think there are days where I'd love to trade places with my daughter there's something about how incredibly excited she is every single day no my two and a half year old we walk through the park the other day and she she looked like she was having the time of her life great when I see Birds oh my god yeah and then they ask you what kind of bird that is and you say I don't know let's go to the Internet biggest misconception about Hollywood the biggest misconception for me at least coming from a place that had no Hollywood connections whatsoever Boston wasn't a big Hollywood town was that that people are hardened they're not very good people that once you get famous you're kind of destined to be a jackass and that's not true I've met the most unbelievably dedicated people I remember Clooney actually said Hollywood magnifies who you are if you come in as a good person you can be a great person if you come in kind of as a jerk you're you become a different word can you do any impressions I can do some impressions I don't know if they're good or not what can you do I don't know who do you want to hear know who do you know that you don't I don't know I do it usually with a couple drinks Larry so is there anything in here you do George Clooney no no nobody can do it no he can't do Julie yeah you have to have like a glimmer in your eye and that's surgical if you weren't an actor what would you be if I wasn't an actor I'd be an English teacher that's what you majored in that's what I majored and that's what I wanted to be weirdly because of Dead Poets Society I thought I can make kids stand on desks what a movie yeah it was a great movie something you long to believe you long believed to be true and realize wasn't in the best way possible that your parents are superheroes I remember the day that you realize that your parents are real and I've been thinking about this a lot with the hollers but that wasn't it that was an amazing day and that's not a negative day it's just such a I actually bonded so much closer to my parents when you realize they're real they make mistakes and they're they're trying to be great people every day - what's something people don't know about you I don't know you've gotten a lot out of me today that I didn't want to talk about I don't know we didn't bring up communism that's true that that you know I'm a raging kind of know I don't know what people don't know but you said don't ask about the don't ask about the commie stuff yeah totally so then I call it commie just cuz we know everything about you I think so all right we'll find out more Chris John is gonna answer your social media questions and romantic proposals Don our final segment stay with us John Krasinski's our guest the hollers will be in theaters on August 26 before we get into social media questions you said of 13 hours I think we tell a lot of superhero stories it's nice to tell a story about real heroes mm-hmm I come from a big military family yeah a lot of aunts and uncles and cousins who have served and are currently serving so for me I've always wanted to be in a movie that I could be anywhere close to telling their story and this one came along and I felt that this was such a perfect example of that I think that you know if you see the movie and certainly meeting the guys who are certain to who were actually involved I don't know that I've ever met truer heroes in my life that's that's a different level of commitment and to the rest of us you can say that you're a patriot but I think that they live something very very superhuman every single day is there a superhero you'd like to play well you're gonna play Jack Ryan who's a pretty good superhero right I mean I guess he can't like see through walls or anything but if I had to play a superhero if there's anything left in the Marvel Universe I'll do it I love those movies like those I love those movies yeah some social media questions had always implied tweets how much has being from New England influenced you oh great question I hope a lot I am so proud to be from New England I actually just moved back to the East Coast because of that I think that I loved being here in California but there was thing about ceaseless no yeah we just moved back to New York so I missed the cut the leaves changing to be really honest you and colon have that we do we have that time we're kind of like a gang sahi Akali oh via Facebook you hear a lot about actors resenting the show a role that made them famous have you ever felt that way about the office not at all in fact every single day I am thankful for it like I said I live a lottery ticket life and not only that but we were on a show that I think was really sort of in that at the beginning of this transition of television and film having a blurred line the reason why is a lot of people can say they're thankful to their fans but we actually our fans literally saved our show meaning our show was gonna be cancelled on NBC for the first two seasons and it was only when people started buying the show on iTunes they were paying for something that was being offered for free I think it blew the minds of the network and realized they had to keep it so our fans legitimately are the reason why we're here was it hard to do comedy with no audience it it wasn't because it felt like a play I felt like the the the writing was so good we didn't know we were trying to live in real life funny I the characters didn't think he was funny no not at all Maria bossy on Facebook wants to know when you knew Emily was the one from the second I shook her hand that's the truth I think that I my goal after that was just to make sure she knew that I was the one for her which took a little more finesse but I knew right away that nice on Emily tweets ask him if he'll go on a date with me and he can bring the other Emily along yes let's do that threesomes or that's the other thing he didn't admit to any way at dtw will you be headed back to sitcom comedy at all I don't know again for me it's always about the story if you can you got the right role absolutely it's just fun to do it's just fun to first of all it's fun to be an actor and it's a it's just so lucky to be doing it so if there's something that I can get get attached to and do that I think I'm the right guy for it absolutely any more directing in the future would love to absolutely again it's one of those things like Clooney said you got to find the right role that feels like you're the for the only guy who can tell it there's a lot of great directors out there so you have to have it take it's different than everybody else don't direct just a direct are you looking for a role with your wife absolutely I would love to work with my wife the truth is we've been talking about working together forever it was very hard a lot of films and TV shows have people about men and women yes he still got it guys he's still got it no I think the problem is finding a story that's powerful enough that won't be superseded by the idea of the headlines being that were married so when the movie comes out we don't want to have minds just to be that we were married it we want it to be about the film so you even take a part let's say where she has a lover all right just combo come down okay all right where do you see yourself in five years where do I mean Krasinski is where I think I'm at a parent-teacher conference and I just hope that nothing undoable has been done by my daughter your daughter you don't want to hear that exactly yeah thanks thank you so much this is real pleasure thanks a keeper covered thanks to my guest John Krasinski the hollers is in theaters August 26th as always you can find me on Twitter at Kings things see you next time you

Channel: Larry King

Views: 219,787

Rating: 4.9186296 out of 5

Keywords: larrykingcid, john krasinski wife, john krasinski 13 hours, john krasinski new movie, the hollars, john krasinski, jack ryan, emily, emily blunt, the office, blunt, conan o’brien, crying, krasinski, clooney, john, george clooney

Id: 6xwQprfn0F4

Length: 26min 25sec (1585 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 05 2017