John Krasinski Is PEOPLE's 2024 Sexiest Man Alive: 'I Think It's Going to Make Me Do More Household Chores,' He Jokes

John Krasinski was caught off guard when he learned he was PEOPLE’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive.

“Honestly, my mind went blank,” he shares in this week’s cover story. “I thought it might be a prank. Waking up to be named Sexiest Man Alive isn't something I ever expected.”

Though fans adore him as a charming paper salesman, a tough former Marine turned CIA agent, or a devoted family man making ultimate sacrifices, Krasinski, 45, finds joy in simpler roles: being a husband and father. He enjoys binge-watching Netflix documentaries and cherishing bedtime stories with his children.

John Krasinski. 

Julian Ungano

Now living in Brooklyn with his wife of 14 years, actress Emily Blunt, 41, and their daughters Hazel, 10, and Violet, 8, Krasinski says Blunt was “very excited” when she heard the big news: “There was a lot of joy involved in me telling her.”

The actress has even joked that she would wallpaper their house with the cover if her husband received the crown. "Do we have that on camera? Because that’s like a binding contract, I think," he says. "My children will love that, it won’t be weird at all."

Beloved for his nine-year run as Jim Halpert on the hit series The Office, he co-wrote, directed, and starred alongside Blunt in the 2018 thriller A Quiet Place. Its massive success spawned two sequels, while Krasinski, who got ripped for Michael Bay’s 13 Hours, stayed in fighting shape to play the titular Jack Ryan for four seasons on the popular Prime Video series, now set to become a film.

John Krasinski. 

Julian Ungano

With this year’s movie IF, which he also starred in, wrote, produced, and directed, the actor solidified his status as one of Hollywood’s top filmmakers. Still, the transition took a little finessing. “I had to pitch the studio like 54 times [for AQP] before they said yes,” jokes Krasinski, who next stars with Natalie Portman in the action heist film Fountain of Youth. “I’m pretty sure someone said, ‘Sorry, is Jim from The Office going to direct this?’ And I went, ‘Oh, it’s John, but we’ll get there.’ ” 

John Krasinski. 

Julian Ungano

These days Krasinski is calling his own shots and appreciates the life he’s built together with Blunt. “It’s that beautiful thing where when you’re married to someone, you’re constantly learning and changing and evolving,” he says. “And I’m so lucky to go through all that with her.”

Not that his new title will change anything: “I think it's going to make me do more household chores,” he jokes. “After this comes out, she’ll be like, ‘All right, that means you’re going to really earn it here at home.’ ”