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3 Famous Actors Who Auditioned for the Role of Jim Halpert in 'The Office'

By Natalie Zamora

Three famous actors auditioned for the role of Jim Halpert in 'The Office' before John Krasinski scooped up the part.
Three famous actors auditioned for the role of Jim Halpert in 'The Office' before John Krasinski scooped up the part. / Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

As dedicated as fans of The Office are, there are bound to be elements of the Dunder Mifflin comedy that people can't help but disagree on. Discussing what season is the best, which boss of the office is the worst, and who characters should end up with, for instance, almost always leads to a heated debate. But there are a few things—or people—from the show that are pretty much universally loved, and the character of Jim Halpert certainly is one of them.

The always-lovable Jim won over audiences' hearts in the first season of The Office, and of course, so did John Krasinski in turn. The heartthrob actor quickly became a household name, and fans can't imagine the charming paper salesman played by anyone else. But before he scooped up the role, three other familiar faces had their shot. Here's who else auditioned for the part of Jim Halpert.

1. Adam Scott

Adam Scott auditioned for the part of Jim Halpert.
Adam Scott auditioned for the part of Jim Halpert. / Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Fans of The Office will likely know Adam Scott for his famous role as Ben Wyatt in Parks and Recreation. He's also appeared in the comedy Step Brothers, along with fan-favorite TV shows The Good Place and Big Little Lies. In 2013, Rainn Wilson (who played Dwight Schrute) posted an audition call log for the workplace comedy, which revealed that Scott had tried out for the part of Jim Halpert. You can even watch part of his audition here.

2. Hamish Linklater

Hamish Linklater auditioned for the part of Jim Halpert.
Hamish Linklater auditioned for the part of Jim Halpert. / Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Wilson's post also showed that Hamish Linklater was another celeb who auditioned for the role of Jim Halpert. Although the actor is a bit less famous than Scott, you might recognize him for his roles in movies like The Big Short and Fantastic Four. He's also appeared in the popular TV series Legion, Fargo, and Newsroom.

3. John Cho

John Cho auditioned for the part of Jim Halpert.
John Cho auditioned for the part of Jim Halpert. / Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

As seen in The Office audition tapes, which you can watch here, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle alum John Cho also tried out for the part of Jim Halpert. The actor is known for a handful of roles, such as in the rebooted Star Trek movie series, Fox's The Exorcist show, and American Dad!. He spoke about his experience auditioning for the NBC sitcom, recalling to Entertainment Weekly in 2017, "It was, like, me and Seth Rogen and I can’t remember who else. But yeah, I didn’t know what it was, and I auditioned to be Jim." He also joked, "Boy, did they make an error with that Krasinski fellow."