Before anyone had ever heard of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company’s resident funnyman Jim Halpert, New York waiter John Krasinski was planning his foray into directing with the screen adaptation of “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.”

Seven years later, the actor, best known for his role as on NBC’s The Office, has finally brought his brainchild to the big screen.

The film is based on the book of the same name, written in 1999 by the late David Foster Wallace. It contains fictional interviews and short stories in which the male subjects reveal their repulsive characteristics, fantasies and behaviors. 

Krasinski, who adapted the screenplay, also directed and acted in the film. Krasinski said his decision to make the film was twofold. First, to draw further attention to Wallace’s work, and secondly to create a conversation about the provocative topics discussed in the film.Krasinski said one of the highlights of his career was actually getting to elicit story feedback from Wallace prior to when filming began.”[Wallace] said he was trying to write a book about a character that you never see or hear from, but through all the guys around her, you get to understand what she’s all about,” Krasinski said.When adapting for a visual medium, Krasinski made the choice to create a narrative and further develop the female lead.The story follows Sara Quinn, a recently dumped graduate student doing her dissertation on male sexuality. Quinn assembles a lineup, all of whom reveal themselves to be sexually deranged, misguided men suffering from a wide range of fears and inferiority complexes.The film has a largely nonlinear, experimental style, and reveals more about each character with the story’s progression.As part of the ensemble cast, Krasinski plays the role of Sara’s ex-boyfriend. However, this was not part of the original plan.”I actually was planning on not being in it at all,” Krasinski said. “In the end, the reason why I was in the movie at all, was because an actor dropped out about two weeks before we were shooting.”Krasinski and the producers felt that since the movie was such a unique project, someone wouldn’t have time to learn the lines, let alone grasp their concept in only two weeks time.”I think the only thing on my resume that allowed me to do that part, was the fact that I had read the book 150 times,” he said. “And, I will say it was the most terrifying performance I’ve ever done.”The film, which brings up many heavy subjects, will leave movie-goers thinking.”I really hope that people leave the theater and can’t decide what they think of the movie for a few minutes until they talk about it, so that was my big goal,” Krasinski said.To read our complete interview with Krasinski, see the related Q &A.