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.

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.

I think we all have a responsibility to tell good stories.

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.

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 don't think I'll ever be comfortable being considered a sex symbol, especially after you work with someone like George Clooney.

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.'

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 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'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.

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.

For me, 'Arrested Development' is the cornerstone of recent television comedy. It's so incredibly flawless and perfect.

There are always roles that seem enticing that you can't do because of scheduling.

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 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.

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.

The perfect gadget would somehow allow me to fly. Isn't that what everybody wants? It would also cook a damn good microwave pizza. So while in flight you had something to eat - an in-flight meal. Where would I go? Well, nowadays, it would probably just take me to work a lot quicker.

I'm that sort of weird guy who will watch a movie almost every day if I can.

I'm not looking to do 'Half Nelson' next, but to play anything that's a little more complex is really fun.

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 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.

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.

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've never been someone who dates all that much - I'm more of a serial monogamist.

Directing was a great experience, but it's terrifying to have the responsibility of carving up the other actors' performances.

If there was ever someone to look up to, it's Tom Hanks.

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 fallen in love with shows like 'Homeland' and 'The Wire.' And I think 'The Office' is in a category like that.

For me, there are worse things than being pigeonholed as the nice guy.

Trophies and medals have never meant much to me. I've had amazing experiences, which let you feel like you've accomplished something.

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.

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 went to Dave Eggers with this idea of doing a movie about a guy going through some sort of Frank Capra-esque journey.

I got fired from being a lunch-shift bartender because I had a reading of a play.

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.

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.

Hearing anyone think that I'm any form of sexy or handsome is incredibly flattering.

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 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.

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.

No matter what a guy says, if he shows up at all the places you're at, he's hooked.

Sadly, I'm one of those people who emotionally puts things off and then gets caught very blindsided at the end.

'The Office' is not one of those things you move away from. I don't want it to go away.

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.

Bizarrely, on movie sets, they don't really dig it when you look in the camera, which is a bizarre fact.

I had never taken acting at Brown to be the beginnings of a career. I always did it just for fun.

I planned on being an English teacher, but I don't know where that went.

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.

To me, it seems like both 'Brief Interviews' and 'The Office' deal with characters that see themselves differently than the world sees them.