John Krasinski Wore A Wig For An Entire Season Of The Office And No One Noticed
John Krasinski’s portrayal of Jim Halpert in The Office was arguably one of the most iconic performances of his career. Jim, a witty and mischievous character, skillfully bridged the gap between the show’s eccentric setting and our own reality. However, one of the lesser-known facts about the comedy is that Krasinski wore a wig for most of season three.
John Krasinski’s real hair was only revealed in The Office season three finale. The episode, titled “The Job,” focuses on a vacant position within the Dunder Mifflin corporate office which Jim, Karen (Rashida Jones), and Michael (Steve Carell) all interview for. After the opening, Jim enters the office with a new haircut.
John Krasinski wore a wig for season 3 of The Office because he had cut his hair short for another role.
His work colleagues immediately notice the change, with Kevin asking, “What’s different about you? You look worse.” Meredith is more positive, describing Jim’s new hair as “sexy” and “hot.”
Andy then states that Jim’s nickname is now Big Haircut as opposed to Big Tuna. In a talking head interview, Jim explains that Karen suggested he change and tidy up his hair for the interview.
The story behind John Krasinski’s haircut in The Office was discussed during a November 2020 episode of the Office Ladies podcast. Hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey discussed the change, saying that the actor’s hair had to be written into the series. “It was in the script, but it had to be in the script because John got a haircut,” Fischer said via Cheat Sheet.
Kinsey then explained how John Krasinski was working on the movie Leatherheads while still holding down his role on The Office. “[The movie] was set in a different time, so he had shorter hair,” she told listeners.
“But it worked out perfect for the story because I think it’s great that Karen’s like, ‘you need a haircut, you’re going to interview for corporate,’ and Jim did kind of have the shaggy hair.”
Fischer confirmed that when John Krasinski came back to The Office, he had to wear a wig for a while his hair grew out. However, when it was time to film the season three finale, the creative team decided his hair had grown out enough to be written into the show. “It [eventually] looked like a more modern-day haircut. This is John’s real hair, folks,” Fischer added.
Why did John Krasinski wear the wig?
John Krasinski’s hair change in The Office was also addressed in the book, The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s. It detailed how excited the actor was to secure a leading role in Leatherheads. However, a problem arose when Greg Daniels, the creator, and showrunner of The Office, disapproved of Krasinski cutting his hair.
The show’s hairstylist, Kim Ferry, revealed that Daniels firmly believed that viewers would easily notice if Krasinski wore a wig. Since actors are contractually obligated to maintain their series hairstyle unless they get producer approval, the actor was in a bind. So he took a massive risk and asked the show’s hairstylist Kim Ferry to make a wig in secret.
John Krasinski wore the wig while shooting a scene for The Office without telling anyone.
John Krasinski wore it while shooting a scene for The Office without telling anyone. Originally, Krasinski planned to tell the producers that he was wearing a wig without anyone noticing. But the plan changed. Instead, the actor carried on an entire conversation with Greg Daniels while wearing the wig to prove it could realistically work.
When John Krasinski took off the wig mid-conversation, Daniels gave him permission to cut his hair. The fact that fans have been able to notice Jim’s wig over the years serves as evidence that the transition wasn’t completely flawless. However, the character’s season three haircut reveal did give Jim a chance to update his look.
