Sexiest Man Alive John Krasinski on His 'Beautiful' Life – and Wallpapering His House with His Sizzling PEOPLE Cover

John Krasinski has always tried to keep it real.

Sure, fans might know him as a prank-loving, crush-worthy paper salesman, or an intense former Marine turned CIA agent, or a devoted family man sacrificing himself for love, but the actor, 45, prefers just being a husband and father, who binges documentaries and relishes bedtime stories with his kids.

Krasinski, who lives in Brooklyn with his wife of 14 years, actress Emily Blunt, 41, and their daughters Hazel, 10, and Violet, 8, recalls a moment a few years ago when he was walking his older daughter to school. “This guy went, ‘John? From The Office? Oh my God, it’s so good to see you!’ And he walked away,” says the actor. “And Hazel said, ‘So you work with that guy?’ I said, ‘No.’ And she said, ‘Why are you lying to me? He said he knows you from the office.’ ”

Admitting it was a bit of a challenge trying to explain the truth, the actor “just thought, ‘Wow, what an unbelievable head trip that is.’ And she hadn’t seen the show. I think I was an accountant in her eyes,” he adds, laughing. “It’s a pretty wild thing for them to process.”

Krasinski might have a little more explaining to do now that he’s been named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive. Beloved for his nine-year run as Jim Halpert on the hit series The Office, he cowrote, directed and starred alongside Blunt in the 2018 thriller A Quiet Place. Its massive success spawned two sequels, while Krasinski, who beefed up for Michael Bay's 13 Hours, stayed in fighting shape to portray the titular Jack Ryan for four seasons on the popular Prime Video series, now set to become a film.

With this year’s movie IF, which he starred in, wrote, produced and directed as a love story of sorts to his girls, the actor solidified his status as one of Hollywood’s top filmmakers. Still, the transition took a little finessing.

“I had to pitch the studio like 54 times [for A Quiet Place] before they said yes,” jokes Krasinski, who next stars with Natalie Portman in the action heist film Fountain of Youth. “I’m pretty sure someone said, ‘Sorry, is Jim from The Office going to direct this?’ And I went, ‘Oh, it’s John, but we’ll get there. It's fine.' "  

Raised in a Boston suburb with his two brothers, Krasinski took his first stab at acting playing Daddy Warbucks in a sixth grade production of Annie. But it wasn’t until he enrolled in the National Theater Institute while attending Brown University that he discovered his true passion.

“You know, I had so much fun, but it never was anything I thought I would do professionally,” says the actor, who initially planned to be a teacher after being “blown away” by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. "I went to theater school mostly out of laziness because I had to make up a semester. And it was one of the most transformative 14 weeks of my life,” he adds. “It grabbed my heart and my soul, and I jumped right in and moved to New York to be an actor."

These days Krasinski is calling his own shots and appreciates the support system and life he’s built together with Blunt. “It’s that beautiful thing where when you’re married to someone, you’re constantly learning and changing and you're evolving,” he says. “And I’m so lucky to go through all that with her.” Not that his new title will change anything: ““I think it's going to make me do more household chores,” he jokes. “After this comes out, she’ll be like, ‘All right, that means you’re going to really earn it here at home.’ ”

What were your first thoughts when you heard you were getting the crown?
Just immediate blackout. Zero thoughts. Other than maybe I’m being punked. That’s not how I wake up usually, thinking, “Is this the day that I’ll be asked to be Sexiest Man Alive?” And yet it was the day you guys did it. You really raised the bar for me.

I know you haven’t told anyone, but assuming Emily knows, how did she respond?
I’m not supposed to tell anyone? Oh my God, this is going poorly right away. I did tell Emily, and she was very excited. There was a lot of joy involved in me telling her.

She once said if you got the cover, she’d wallpaper it throughout the house.
Did she say that? Do we have that on camera? Because that’s like a binding contract, I think. My children will love that; it won’t be weird at all.

Who do you think will give you the hardest time?
I think probably my brothers will wonder how this is possible for years to come. Luckily we’ll go right into Thanksgiving, so we can jump in and talk about it right away.

What were you like growing up?
I guess I was a pretty imaginative kid. I was always living in some kind of world, whether it was pirates or some crazy adventure. Usually Indiana Jones, anything Steven Spielberg. I was friends with E.T. and picking up the [Raiders of the Lost Ark] idol and things like that basically from the ages of 4 to 45.

How about in high school? 
I played sports, I was in band, I played the trumpet. I think I was trying to just be a guy who was having fun. I had friends in a lot of different groups.

Were you popular with the ladies?
No, I mean, if you look back at my high school yearbook, I think a lot of people wrote things like “Thanks for helping me get through my breakup” or “You’re a great shoulder to cry on.” I was really there for moral support, not so much in a romantic way.

When did you find your self-confidence?
Probably college. I mean, that was the most mind-expanding experience of my life. No drugs necessary. I was lucky enough to go to a great school and get a great education. But the education for me really was finding these life markers of people who brought me into the world of art, theater and music.

You first met Emily in 2008. When did you know she was the one?
The second I met her? I don’t know what happened, but I remember someone introduced us, and it was across a room in a restaurant, and I walked over to her to shake her hand. And as soon as I did, I just knew. 

What do you love most about being a girl dad?
Oh man, how much you learn. You just have these unbelievable wells of curiosity, emotion and questions coming from someone from the opposite sex. When they ask me [for] the dude perspective, it’s pretty fun because I am actually the only dude in our family, including our dog. 

Is there something you can do that always embarrasses them?
Dance. I’m terrible at it. I remember my phone turned on one day on the street, and it was Spoon’s song “I Turn My Camera On,” and I started dancing. And Hazel went, “Oh my God, Daddy, there’s people on the street.”

What does a typical day off entail for you?
I usually drop the kids off at school, do a quick workout and then try to find something exciting in the city to do. I just went to MoMA a couple days ago and then some French bistro after. Just trying to experience all this city has to offer.

Is there a hobby you wish you had?
I wish I could play the piano or the guitar. I wish I had one of those in the bag. Not only to just be a great party trick but also for myself.

Do you have any stupid human tricks?
Other than weird voices that I do for my kids as their stuffed animals, I don’t think so. I do, like, an Elmo-esque voice for them. And no, I will not be doing it on camera.

What’s your worst habit?
Probably jogging my leg. I’m like a guy that if I’m at a table [he jogs his knee up and down]. And this is fun, right? This doesn’t make you nervous. Emily’s told me that I do that a lot, and it still hasn’t stopped. 

You’ve talked about Chris Evans winning Captain America over you. Do you have any regret over roles you passed on?
You know, I’ve never had that. And it’s Chris Evans — look at the guy. I’ve weirdly never had that jealousy thing, because I think in a lot of ways my life has been like winning a giant radio contest. You got to just take it as it comes. And I really do believe that every role is meant for someone —that if it’s meant for you, it’s coming for you, and if it’s not, it’s for somebody else.

What do you think Jim and Pam from The Office would be doing now? Probably about to do bedtime and read stories. I feel like they’re very good parents. Although, am I losing track? Are those kids, like, 80 now?

How would you describe your own life?
Beautiful. It really is. It’s a phenomenal thing to get to be in this family and be a dad. It’s changed my life entirely.