The Untold Truth Of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
John Krasinski famously told Variety that Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is America's James Bond without all of the hanky-panky. While he might not be shaking and stirring like 007 between the sheets, there's no disputing the everyday action man quality of Ryan, who once and for all proves that not all heroes wear capes. Some only require their brains — okay, maybe a little brawn helps too.
By signing up for "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" on Prime Video, Krasinski joined an elite list of actors, such as Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Alec Baldwin, who have portrayed the character on screen. Considering he had four seasons in the role and the series holds a generally positive sentiment among critics and fans, it isn't a stretch to call Krasinski the definitive version of the character — at least for a generation. Yet he wasn't alone in bringing the latest installment in the Ryanverse to life, as the likes of Wendell Pierce's James Greer and Michael Kelly's Mike November all played their respective parts in enhancing the show.
Now is as good a time as any to revisit the top-secret history of the show and find out how this action-packed series came to be. From its long production journey to the controversial selection of a beloved sitcom star as the series lead, let's uncover the untold story of "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan."
John Krasinski has a favorite Jack Ryan actor
There's one advantage that John Krasinski has over every other Jack Ryan actor before him: He has had four seasons to portray and develop his version. The number of episodes has allowed him to fully form a three-dimensional character with subtle nuances and pivotal moments of growth that might not have always been possible in a two-hour film. Also, let's be real here for a second: Some of those movies were duds and did no favors for Mr. Ryan.
Nonetheless, comparisons will inevitably be drawn to the other actors who have portrayed Ryan before Krasinski — especially since they are powerhouse names in Hollywood. Krasinski revealed that he is a major fan of the movies and had watched all of them in the past. However, he decided against watching them again in preparation for his role, choosing to do something new and not imitate anyone else's interpretation of the character.
That being said, Krasinski does have a favorite Jack Ryan actor. "My favorite would be Alec Baldwin," he said, "because you always remember your first. I just thought '[The] Hunt for Red October' was ... I remember that being a shift and a change in a different kind of movie." Krasinski also found the time to praise Harrison Ford's portrayal of Ryan.
The co-creator says The Office actually helped shape this Jack Ryan
Actors are paid to play pretend and to make the audience believe they are certain characters. However, there are cases where they are so good at their jobs that the audience refuses to see them as anyone else. John Krasinski ran the risk of being seen as Jim Halpert from "The Office" for the rest of his career. For nine seasons, Krasinski portrayed the lovable Jim, who wouldn't hurt a fly and was more likely to foil his co-worker Dwight Schrute's plans than that of a terrorist.
According to "Jack Ryan" series co-creator Carlton Cuse, every actor has done something different with the role. Acknowledging that Krasinski is best known as Jim, Cuse said the star also brought a bit of the same personality as well as something more to the part of Ryan.
"John, for instance, is a funny guy," Cuse told The Workprint. "[There's] a little more humor and charm to his performance, but I also think it is fun for the audience to see another side of John Krasinski. He's a guy who we associate with Jim on 'The Office,' but he's very physically capable in this."
It took four years to launch the first season of Jack Ryan
In 2014, the Kenneth Branagh-directed "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," starring Chris Pine as the titular hero, was released. The film made $135.5 million against a $60 million budget, receiving a 55% critical rating and 53% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It wasn't a total disaster by any means, but as the then-latest reboot in the film series, it failed to grab the level of attention that the filmmakers and studio may have envisioned.
According to John Krasinski, a decision was made to pivot from film to television as there was a realization that there was a lot to cover about the character. Yet the path to "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" wasn't as simple as receiving the green light and heading into production.
Series co-creator Carlton Cuse told the Hollywood Reporter that it took four years to make the first season of the show. One of the reasons had to do with the merry-go-round of changing positions at corporate senior level, involving the people actually signing the checks for the show. The other was the sheer scale of the episodes. "It was logistically challenging to work on all eight episodes that we're shooting on three continents with four different directors and often two — and sometimes three — crews shooting at once," Cuse explained.
John Krasinski is the reason two co-stars signed up for the show
When it comes to the internet's sweetheart, it's a toss-up between Keanu Reeves and Brendan Fraser. Even the biggest detractor would need to search high and low to find someone who speaks ill of them. Perhaps John Krasinski's name should be added to this conversation as well, since he appears to be a beloved individual among both fans and peers.
In fact, he is cited as the reason for two actors joining "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" in the first place. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Michael Kelly and Noomi Rapace both confirmed that it was the appeal of working with Krasinski that made them sign up for Season 2 of the show. Kelly explained how he had met Krasinski years earlier after he had worked with Emily Blunt — Krasinski's wife — and they all hit it off over a game of darts. When the opportunity to work with Krasinski came up, Kelly said yes.
Rapace revealed how she had watched "A Quiet Place" before getting the opportunity to meet Krasinski, stating, "It was like, 'John is in London, he wants to meet you for "Jack Ryan" Season 2,' and I was like, 'Okay!' It was like we just connected straight away ... I'd do anything with him."
The one stunt that frightened John Krasinski
"Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" isn't short of action. As the lead of the show, John Krasinski is often in the eye of the storm. Of course, there are talented stunt performers on set who are trained to execute the most dangerous of sequences; however, there was one stunt that Krasinski ended up doing and channeling his inner Tom Cruise — even if he wasn't game in the first place.
Krasinski revealed to Collider that he actually jumped out of a Black Hawk helicopter on the show. "Two stunt guys had gone through, each, five or six takes of that," he said, "and then as we were flying out to the next scene in that Black Hawk, one of the Navy SEALs said, 'It would've been way cooler if you did it.' And I said, 'Well, how would that look?' And he said, 'It would look like me unbuckling your seatbelt right now, and throwing you out of this helicopter,' and he did."
Krasinski added that the fear is evident on his face and can be seen in the actual episode footage.
The novel that was meant to be adapted for Jack Ryan
Even though "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" concluded after four seasons, there's enough source material for further continuations or revivals. In fact, there are over 20 novels featuring this intriguing character. Author and creator Tom Clancy passed away in 2013, but the legend of Jack Ryan has lived on through other authors.
Initially, the plan for the first season of "Jack Ryan" was to adapt a specific Clancy novel that had already been turned into a film in 1994. "We started working on an adaptation on 'Clear and Present Danger' and then decided it just felt dated," series co-creator Carlton Cuse said at a Television Critics Association panel in 2016. "It really led to this revelation that the thing that defined Tom Clancy was that his thrillers were very much geopolitical thrillers of the moment. They really tapped into something that was going on in the world, so we're doing an ISIS/ISIL type story."
Season 3 of "Jack Ryan" felt even timelier, as it mimicked the real-life conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Yet, here's the clincher: The season was written and shot before the events of the war in 2022. Even John Krasinski addressed the surrealism of how it all unfolded, telling TheWrap, "It seems like an alternate universe that we're even talking about it."
John Krasinksi was surprised when he met real-life CIA operatives
In preparation for "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan," John Krasinski spent time with the CIA to find out more about how it operates and to get accurate insight. It wasn't his first time meeting the agency either, as he had visited the CIA when he starred in Michael Bay's "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi."
Speaking to Fox News, Krasinski said he was surprised on both occasions by the dedication and bravery of these individuals. Krasinski explained how he had a preconceived notion of how secretive it would all be, fearing he would learn nothing from his time there, but the experience transformed into something else.
"I went in there wanting to meet spies and wanting to meet officers," he said, "and instead I met incredibly dedicated people and very honorable people and people who are putting their lives [on] the line in a whole different way." Krasinski added how grateful he was to have the opportunity to represent these types of individuals on screen.
Jack Ryan Season 4 was completed long before it aired
The pandemic was a strange time for everyone. Being locked up and isolated at home, people did weird things like learn how to bake banana bread and develop an obsession with trash television shows. It was equally tough for filmmakers as they had to hit a hard pause on all their productions — effectively leaving everything in limbo and not knowing when they would be allowed to get back to work.
"Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" was also affected by this real-world health crisis, hence the reason there was more than a three-year gap between Seasons 2 and 3 of the show. Wendell Pierce discussed with TV Insider how the team put the pedal to the metal when the opportunity opened up for them to shoot again.
"[When] we found a way to go into production in the midst of the pandemic, we went full throttle," he said. "So Season 4 was shot back to back with Season 3, so it's already in the can. We did two seasons back to back to make sure that once we got started, you know, that we're able to finish." Surprisingly, in the age of internet leaks, Season 4's episodes were kept closely under wraps.
Dina Shihabi has an interesting audition story
In Season 1 of "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan," Dina Shihabi had a memorable part as Hanin Ali. It proved to be a breakthrough for the actor, who went on to have major roles in "Archive 81" and Season 2 of "Altered Carbon." Speaking to BUILD, Shihabi revealed how the opportunity came around when she was actually auditioning for something else.
The actor explained how she had moved to Los Angeles and been there for six months when she found out about a play that interested her. She caught a flight to New York to audition for a part, and on the way there, she received the script for "Jack Ryan" and became intrigued with the part of Hanin. When she landed, she filmed her audition for the series with her childhood friend and sent it through. However, she never heard back — and she didn't get the role in the play either.
Months later, her agent called her and said the producers wanted to screen test her. The rest is history.
Wendell Pierce has a sneaky reason for loving Jack Ryan
Wendell Pierce is no stranger to starring in big shows. He has lit up the screen in celebrated series such as "The Wire," "Suits," and "Chicago P.D." Therefore, a key role like Ryan's boss, James Greer, in "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" is a walk in the park for someone of Pierce's caliber and pedigree. For some, this might have been the biggest part of their career and a nerve-wracking time to be around so many stars. For him, it was just another week at work.
That being said, the actor revealed to AARP that there are two main reasons he enjoyed doing the show. "I love the espionage, and I love to travel," he said. "We did nine countries [in Season 3], [including] Prague, the Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; Budapest, Hungary; Slovakia; Athens, Greece; and Washington, D.C. It was really wonderful to see all the different countries."
John Krasinski wrote one-liners for his co-star
Watch any of John Krasinski's interviews and it's clear that there's a little bit of Jim Halpert in him. He is quick, witty, and a naturally funny guy. This also comes across in his performances on screen, including "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan," where he brings his likable nature and levity to his character — as well as others.
In an interview with ET Canada, co-star Michael Kelly credited Krasinski for helping to bring out the funny side of his character, Mike November. "John will write a lot of those one-liners for me on the day and I'm so grateful I get to have the humor," he said. "To get to play something a little closer to myself was such a treat."
Anyone who has followed Krasinski's career will be well aware that he has worn many hats across various productions. From actor to director to writer, it's no surprise to hear that he would be involved in helping to craft nuggets of dialogue for his co-stars on a show that he serves as an executive producer on as well.
Wendell Pierce only read the books after he got the role
There's no disputing that a franchise like "Jack Ryan" is a big deal. It received a significant investment from Amazon and it's the type of show that can attract millions of viewers. As a result, it isn't difficult to imagine a scramble for the limited parts on offer. Actors, agents, talent managers, and everyone else in the running must have been studying every piece of lore in preparation for auditions and conversations — everyone, that is, except for Wendell Pierce.
Chatting to Bossip, Pierce explained how he was already a fan of the films but only picked up the novels when it seemed like he would have an actual shot at the role of James Greer. "As I was being considered for the role, I started reading the books," he said, "which was really great as it gave more insight into the character and was also the blueprint to start as I wanted to expand the character even more and the writers wanted to expand the character even more."
Honestly, who can blame Pierce for his approach to "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" here? Who has the time to read all those novels in a short period of time for a "maybe"? Time is money, people.