Since making his name as Jim Halpert on “The Office”, John Krasinski has become one of Hollywood’s most influential stars. How much did he make for his time on the show?
John Krasinski is reported to have made $100,000 per episode for his role as Jim Halpert on “The Office” from Season 3 onwards. He was making approximately $25,000 per episode in Seasons 1 and 2. This would mean that he made at least $15 million in total across the show’s 188 episodes.
For more on John Krasinski and his time on “The Office”, read on.
Before Fame
John Krasinski trained extensively as an actor in his youth, performing in numerous school plays as a child and teenager. In his senior year at Newton South High School in Massachusetts, Krasinski acted in a play written by B. J. Novak, who he would later work alongside on “The Office”.
Between high school and college, Krasinski traveled to Costa Rica to teach English as a foreign language. After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Brown University, graduating as an English major in 2001, specializing in playwriting.
While at Brown, Krasinski acted in a sketch comedy in a group called Out of Bonds, as well as coaching youth basketball. He interned at “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, working as a scriptwriter.
After graduation, he moved on to the National Theater Institute in Connecticut, also traveling to England in order to study with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Krasinski relocated to New York in order to pursue an acting career, appearing in commercials and TV guest spots. He worked as a waiter while auditioning for off-Broadway plays.
The Office
In 2004, Krasinski auditioned for a role in the US remake of the British comedy series “The Office”, winning the role of Jim Halpert. Jim is a quietly intelligent sales representative and love interest of office receptionist Pam Beesly, played by Jenna Fischer.
Krasinki went above and beyond to prepare for the role, visiting Scranton, Pennsylvania, in order to familiarise himself with the setting of the show. He also visited real paper companies in order to speak with employees to get a better sense of what their working life entailed.
Krasinski appeared in every episode of the show’s nine seasons and also made his directorial debut, overseeing the making of several episodes. He was nominated for numerous awards, winning two Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2007 and 2008.
The show ran between 2005 and 2013 totaling 188 episodes. It isn’t clear exactly how much money Krasinski made from the “The Office” but during the third season, it was reported that he made approximately $100,000 per episode, which was said to have been four times more than in the first two seasons.
If we assume that this figure stayed consistent throughout the rest of the show’s run, Krasinski likely earned in excess of $15 million over the course of his time on the show.
Further Roles and Directing
Krasinski’s role on “The Office” made him a household name, allowing him to appear in a number of movies and TV shows.
His profile rose when he appeared in George Clooney’s “Leatherheads” in 2008. He then made his film directing debut, adapting David Foster Wallace’s short stories into “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men”.
His movie roles continued to grow, especially with the greater freedom afforded by “The Office” ending in 2013.
His most significant post-Office success came in 2018 when he directed “A Quiet Place”, which he starred in alongside his wife Emily Blunt. The film was positively received by critics and significant commercial success, costing $17 million and grossing $340 million worldwide.
The success of the film led to Paramount greenlighting a sequel, originally intended to release in March 2020 but delayed until April 2021 at the earliest due to the COVID-19 pandemic.