Dwight-Angela, Jim-Pam, Michael-Holly; The Office has many iconic and adorable ships that make us fall in love with love. However, the best pairing on the show is inarguably that of Jim and Dwight. Played by John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson, the duo’s bond aged like fine wine through the seasons, and by the time we reached the series finale, Jim and Dwight became THE power couple of the show.
And while both John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson have nothing but love for one another, things weren’t always this way. In fact, there was a time during the audition when Rainn Wilson frustrated John Krasinski to the point where the actor actually wanted to punch his future co-star. If this does not scream Jim & Dwight, we don’t know what does.
John Krasinski Wanted to Punch Rainn Wilson
Anyone who has ever watched USA’s version of The Office can vouch for the fact that the role of Dwight Schrute was made to be played by Rainn Wilson. The actor was simply perfect for the job and there’s no one else who could’ve achieved that level of perfection. Even Wilson knew that the role was his to take as he stated on the An Oral History of The Office podcast, “It was one of those rare times where I was like ‘this part is mine. No one can do this better.” And boy was he right!
In fact, Wilson’s audition with John Krasinski simply proved his point further when his performance as Dwight frustrated both Krasinski and Jim. In an interview with the SAG-AFTRA foundation, the A Quiet Place actor stated,
“Once we went to the test, I auditioned with everybody. I remember Rainn, it was one of those things where you know it sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. When you look at the moments, I remember the second I auditioned with Rainn. We started doing this improv and as soon as we started doing it, I legitimately was not only frustrated as Jim in the scene, but I was super frustrated as John Krasinski for Rainn Wilson screwing up this scene for me. By the end of it, I legitimately was like, ‘I’m going to punch you in the face.’”
In the said improvised scene, Krasinki’s character asked Dwight to cover his phone for him as he needed to go to the bathroom. To his request, Wilson mimicked the closing of bathroom doors implying that Jim’s request has been denied. The cat-dog relationship between Jim and Dwight was only made better by the bromance between Krasinski and Wilson and that’s a fact no one can deny!
John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson Take a Trip Down Memory Lane
On Wilson’s podcast, Hey There, Human, Krasinski opened up about how he believes The Office is the best work he has done in his career and will remain the best in the future as well. In fact, the actor is totally okay with people knowing him as only Jim for the rest of his life.
“Personally, I think it’s the best thing I’ll ever do in my career. Everybody always says, ‘At the end of the day, what if you’re only known for Jim Halpert?’ And I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? That would be the greatest thing ever.’”
He also recalled the epiphany Steve Carell, who played the World’s Best Boss Michael Scott, had.
“I remember, Steve, one day he was like, ‘You guys know that no matter what we do – we could go to space – and this will always be the thing we’re known for,’ and how lucky we are that that’s the case.”
Adding to Krasinski’s thought, Wilson stated that Carell knew what the future looked like right from the beginning.
“[Carell] said that in the first season when we went out to lunch. And that always stuck in my head…He had that premonition, this could be the thing that defines us.”
What a thing to be defined by! Clearly, Krasinski has no problem identifying as Jim Halpert for the rest of his life. Even for the fans, Wilson and Krasinski will always be Dwight and Jim, no matter what they do. Carell sure knew what he was talking about.
The Office is available to stream on Peacock Premium.
Source: An Oral History of The Office
