John Krasinski: Sorry ‘Office’ Fans, Jenna Fischer and I Were Not ‘Genuinely in Love’

Television fans spend years with their favorite characters. They have been afforded a front row seat to their highest of highs and lowest of lows. They become invested in these fictional personalities, hanging on every big moment. And if these characters are deeply in love, well, some fans will wish the real-life actors playing them were, too.

One of the most celebrated TV couples is Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) of NBC’s The Office. What began as furtive glances gave way to a casino night kiss, hiatus, reconciliation, marriage, two children, and a move to Austin, Texas.

So, Fischer’s recent appearance on Bravo’s boozy gabfest Watch What Happens Live made Office fans lose it. “John and I have real chemistry,” she told a caller. “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.”

Whether this was fan service, having a go, or the genuine article is anyone’s guess. But the tabloids, as is their wont, grabbed the “genuinely in love” line and ran with it. Fischer’s towering, handsome co-star, however, claims this was not the case.

“I think that was wildly misquoted or taken out of context,” Krasinski tells The Daily Beast. “I’m sure she was trying to say something nice about how genuine the acting relationship was, of bringing a relationship that became that popular onscreen—and I think we both feel it’s such an honor to be a part of that relationship. As far as how she was quoted about saying we were ‘genuinely in love,’ I think that was taken wildly out of context and I feel bad for her.”

Fischer is married to screenwriter Lee Kirk and the couple have two children, while Krasinski is married to actress Emily Blunt. The two have a daughter, Hazel.

In a recent interview with The Daily Beast, Krasinski discussed his deep, abiding love for his wife, whom he met back in 2008.

“I’ll be really honest with you, I was never the coolest kid on the block, so I never had the ‘good ol’ days’ of a playboy type of lifestyle,” said Krasinski. “My good ol’ days were entirely different. So for me, the best days of my life started when I met my wife—that’s the truth, it’s not just me saying it because it sounds nice on a card. She’s one of the coolest people, she’s so talented, she’s beautiful, and she’s certainly out of my league. And so all of a sudden all of the things I loved, I got to find someone who loved that about me. There was a lot of my life that she hadn’t experienced and a lot of her life that I hadn’t experienced, so all of a sudden we got to start doing things that we liked.” He added, “When you’re lucky enough to meet your one person then life takes a turn for the best. It can’t get better than that.”