Before John Krasinski was cast as Jim Halpert on The Office, a handful of other actors auditioned for the role. Krasinski played the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company employee for the duration of the NBC sitcom's nine-season run. The series debuted in the spring of 2005, but auditions were well underway by late 2003.
Jim was a mild-mannered sales representative at Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch when The Office first began. He did well at his job but he was often distracted, getting into prank wars with his coworker, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), or chatting up the receptionist, Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer). The trio, along with the manager, Michael Scott (Steve Carell), and temp, Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak), served as the show's central characters in the early seasons. As time went on, Jim remained as a primary figure, as was his budding romantic relationship with Pam. Jim also traveled up the ranks with various promotions before taking on a personal business endeavor outside of Dunder Mifflin.
When the ensemble cast of characters was being auditioned in the early stages of The Office's production, Krasinski was not one of the first actors to try out for Jim. The show's developer, Greg Daniels, and the producers had a clear vision in mind for what they were looking for, since the character was based on Tim Canterbury in the original UK version of The Office. Before Krasinski threw his hat in the ring, Adam Scott and Hamish Linklater auditioned for the role. John Cho was another actor rumored to have auditioned, but he ultimately didn't make the cut, which was also the case with Scott and Linklater.
Why John Krasinski Was Cast As Jim In The Office
In the later stages of the audition process, actors vying for the roles of Jim and Pam were paired together as a way for the producers to test the chemistry between the characters. Krasinski and Fischer had instant chemistry which would later be seen onscreen for years to come. The producers couldn't argue that they worked well off of each other which helped both professionals get their respective roles. It also so happened that Krasinski was childhood friends with Novak since the duo went to school together in Massachusetts. Novak, who was cast after Daniels saw one of his comedy shows, served as a writer of the sitcom and his involvement made for an amusing reunion with Krasinski.
Once Krasinski accepted the offer of Jim in The Office, the rest was history but that decision didn't hurt the futures of the other actors who were considered for the role. Scott continued working on TV shows and movies before acquiring major roles in Party Down and Parks and Recreation. Linklater similarily found a lead role on The New Adventures of Old Christine. Last but not least, Cho found a mainstream following through his portrayal as Harold Lee in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. All three actors continue appearing in projects but it's difficult to imagine any of them as Jim in The Office since Krasinski will forever be envisioned in that role.