Fans of The Office were ‘shipping Jenna Fischer’s Pam and John Krasinski’s Jim before they became an on-screen couple (and the fan videos live on, thanks to YouTube). The chemistry between the two actors had a lot to do with why the world fell in love with them (and why I cried like a baby when Jim finally popped the question to Pam on the show’s fifth season). Jenna, out promoting her new NBC series NBC’s You, Me and the Apocalypse co-starring Rob Lowe and Megan Mullally, popped into Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live and talked about what made Jim and Pam such a convincing (and adorable) couple.
When asked by a caller if the relationship was believable just because of “good acting”, Jenna replied, “John and I have real chemistry. There’s like a real part of me that is Pam and a real part of him that’s Jim and those parts of us were genuinely in love with one another. But in real life we aren’t totally Pam and totally Jim, so in real life we’re not the perfect match…he was like a type of spouse that I had for a long time, he was my partner and we will always be close because of it.” She added, “But in real life, we aren’t totally Pam and totally Jim, so in real life, we’re not the perfect match.” Hey, it can’t always be like Brad and Angelina in Mr. & Mrs. Smith now, can it? You can watch the clip here.
Don’t be sad though, the actors are happily married, Jenna to screenwriter Lee Kirk and John to actress Emily Blunt. Fun fact: John is currently starring on the big screen in 13 Hours and one of his co-stars is David Denman, whom you may as Pam’s ex-fiance Roy from The Office.
Is anyone surprised to hear this news? Jenna is a doll and how could you not have chemistry with John Krasinski? I’ve worked in a lot of offices and never had a co-worker as attractive as him. It is good to hear that they got along so well off-screen, it makes the Pam and Jim romance even sweeter, if you ask me. Oh, and side note, I need to get on WWHL, Jenna got cupcakes!
Jenna and John are shown in the header image in 2006. Other photos of Jenna and John are from 2009 (The Office wedding) and 2011 (event photos). Jenna is shown in 2016 and 2015. Photo credit: WENN.com
Jim and Pam forever!! 🙂
Loved that show and that couple.
@ TATE-
Love Jim & Pam, but the couple that made me squeal, laugh, cry and totally worship them were Michael & Holly. Talk about every pot needing their own lid! From the very beginning they were soul mates who completely GOT each other. Because of Holly s acceptance, love and humor, Michael G Scott FINALLY grew up and became the man he was always meant to be. Michael proposing to Holly has to be my favorite scene of all time. When she kneels down with him, awwwwww. When Michael propsed in Yoda speak, she answers back in kind. AND when the fire sprinklers went off because of all of the lit candles…they just laughed and laughed. Sigh. 💕
I love The Office, I rewatch is start to finish at least once or twice a year. Certain episodes never fail to make me cry. Jim and Pam getting engaged and married are right up there in my favorites. I adore both of them.
Jim’s speech at the wedding about waiting for Pam KILLS me. OMG the tears.
Getting goosies just thinking about it. I love that scene.
Don’t talk about it 😭
Pam and Jim are one of the best screen couples.
I love that show, one of my favorite comedies of all time. I had such a crush on Jim Halpert, especially in the beginning, and John and Jenna really did a wonderful job with their characters.
I hope Jenna’s new show does well, I am going to check it out because I like her so much.
Their wedding episode was one of my favorites.
They’re great but I could never get used to this Jim and Pam.
Love love love the Office and Jim and Pam! Funny how a comedy can still make you cry. My husband and I’s love story is very similar to them, so they are extra special. We are still co-workers and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
It took me three separate viewings to like Parks & Recreation.
The first two times I watched Episode 101 I found it quite boring and unconvincing, but for reason, I was stubborn enough to watch it a third time and suddenly, I was hooked. Damn, it was so hilarious!
It quickly became my favourite tv show and I couldn’t get enough of it.
I guess it’s the same with The Office. I want to like it so badly, but I watched the first episode twice and both times I feel asleep halfway in. I shall not give up!
You definitely have to get beyond the first episode! That was a remake of the British version, but then after that, they found their own way. Very much like P&R (which I love too), it has a short, uneven first season, and then gets great in season 2. Also like P&R, it’s character driven – you get to know and love the characters, and that’s what makes the story lines funny.
Oh, do keep watching it. Don’t worry about the first one, just watch a couple more and you’ll be hooked.
I had the exact same experience with Parks and Rec! I watched the first episode, thought it was a bad ripoff of The Office and didn’t give it another try for 5 years.
I’m kind of glad I didn’t know what I was missing because then I could binge watch it on Netflix.
Thank you guys! I will definitely give it a third chance.
If it’s anywhere as good as P&R, I’ll love it!
P&R was actually a bad rip off of The Office to start, since it was actually supposed to be the follow up (not quite a spin off since it didn’t feature the same people). Considering how bad The Office was when they tried to directly translate the original, it’s funny to think about. Luckily they both ended up being fantastic shows when they found their own DNA!
I loved them together. I don’t usually get that wrapped up in on screen couples, but I would have been so disappointed had they not gotten together.
basically what she’s saying is that neither is a very good actor, which is accurate.
Sorry, what?
just my opinion, they’re not every good actors, and the fact she’s saying their chemistry was kind of real life thing too proves my point.
Such a Pam/mom response. So cute, you can tell she’s a mom.
In 2007, that Jenna quote would have set the internet on fire. It wasn’t that long ago, but it’s hard to remember how invested everyone was in that onscreen relationship. The producers hit gold when they cast those two.
Glad Jenna’s career is moving on and her life is good.
I am just thinking the same thing, I remember when some people were convinced they were having an affair (fun fact her first husband was James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy director) because at one of the Emmys they walked the red carpet together.
I loved Jim and Pam and I love John and Jenna. They had such a real and believable chemistry between the two of them. I would love to see them team up for a project again.
Another fun story from Jenna was when they were casting and they had decided on a Jim, she said she was saying “Please be John Krasinski!” And how thrilled she was that it turned out to be him.
And if you have not, I highly recommend 13 Hours. Such a good movie: a restrained affair from Michael Bay and terrific acting all around-especially John Krasinski and David Denham does a very good job in a supporting role as well.
Thanks, I will take a look for it. I actually love David Denham.
I remember Jenna saying David was really a nice guy but such was the emotion surrounding Pam and Jim that he was getting hate email. I guess they really hit lightening in a bottle with all the casting, even beyond the leads.
That is a shame that he got a lot of hate mail. David seems like a really nice guy. I liked how the show, in the end, had Roy get his act together and actually showed that Roy grew up and was not that bad of a guy.
I agree with you, the casting for The Office was really spot on for all the roles.
Of course at the time he was James Gunn, director of Slither.
He’s cute in a real guy way. It was refreshing.
I thought he was perfectly cast in The Office — he might not be conventionally hot but in an office environment where everyone else has quirks and personalities that drive people crazy, he becomes super attractive as the most “normal” guy in the place.
The casting for both the British and the US Office was so very good. Neither would have worked with other actors. And so many of them went on to become stars (Martin Freeman and of course Steve Carell especially). But the casting of the couples was just as key as Gervais and Carell.
They are one of the great TV couples, and I love how they support each other in real life. I am not crazy about Emily Blunt. She seems very cold, but if John loves her, and he really seems to love her, she must have something special. But Jenna just seems like such a warm, fun, down to earth person. She gives a good interview too. She onetime said something along the lines of, “I would be happy to do The Office for the rest of my life. It is a great show, the money is good, and I really don’t want to have to hustle too much for my career.” That is very much paraphrasing, but I appreciated her honesty that her career is only one small part of her. I have wondered before if perhaps she lost roles to Amy Adams. They are very similar in their looks, and their mannerisms. I thought it was great how Amy guest starred as one of Jim’s girlfriends on The Office, but it seemed like the writers were bringing real life competitors, and that Amy and Jenna were in on the joke.
Emily and John are perfect for each other. What is ‘cold’ in your eyes? Somebody who isn’t mumsy like Jenna?
I’m the opposite. I like Emily, but don’t like John. The whole down to earth humble guy persona seems kinda fake.
Emily Blunt is great in The Five Year Engagement. I think that is such a sweet, well made, underrated film, and she should be in more films like that one. But when she did that stupid Tom Cruise film, got called out for having bashed on Tom Cruise, tried to lie about it, I lost interest. She can really be a piece of wood in movies and in interviews.
Oh for Heaven’s sake. We’re allowed to have opinions and thinking someone comes off cold doesn’t mean they have to be like Jenna in order to not come off cold. I think Emily Blunt is overrated – just saw Sicario where she played the lead and was the worst actor/actress in the cast. She is pretentious in interviews and as a guest on talk shows. I’d chalk it up to her being British, but all Brits are not uptight. It’s just her. Jenna isn’t “mumsy”. I dont’ even know what that’s suppose to mean. She is simply down to Earth, easy to talk to and very relatable. Emily is not. It’s hard to imagine John K. with Emily because he is very down to Earth and easy going. I think his sense of humor must be wasted on Emily. I don’t see them as a good match, but it seems to be working, so maybe in real life she’s not such a bore.
Love love LOVE them as a couple and they were one of the things I loved most about The Office.
Remember when Roy got maced by Dwight? I loved that. “Who’s laughing now?”
Roy is in 13 hours?? That cracks me up, the thought of him being onscreen with “Jim”.
I LOVED Jim and Pam, like Mulder and Scully they had so much chemistry I kind of wished they were a real-life couple.
I can’t beleive you just mentioned the X Files. I was just thinking there are very shows I’ve been addicted to and the few I have been were: The X-Files, The Office, and The Sopranos.
Can you please put quotes in little pretty grey boxes like everyone else 🙁 so much better to read from if you’re just skimming, IMO.
I loved jim and pam and kinda lost interest around proposal time. The show started getting worse around that time too. I dint even watch a lot of final seasons. Maybe i’ll give it a try. But the 2-5 seasons were brilliant though.
I always felt John would be never interested in a girl like Jenna in real life. She is too down to earth and frumpy for him. He is the kinda guy who would go for someone like Emily blunt. He seriously traded up. He seem kinda fake, pseudo intellectual type. Just my opinion.
I love Emily blunt’s acting. She is luminous on screen.
lost all respect for him after participating in 13 Hours propaganda fiasco
Their spouses must feel very odd reading this stuff.