Josh Radnor is best known for his role as Ted Mosby on the hit CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother, and fans are still streaming the heck out of it with a Hulu subscription. However, in an alternate timeline, Radnor could have landed the role of Jim Halpert on The Office, as he actually auditioned for the role in the NBC sitcom that ultimately went to John Krasinski. So what went wrong?
Both The Office and How I Met Your Mother premiered in 2005 and went on to become huge successes. Even years later, the two remain favorites among fans, and it’s hard to imagine the characters being played by anyone else. However, obviously, other actors auditioned, and when it came to Jim, Josh Radnor tried out before HIMYM came along. The Ted actor told the story behind it, too, on the podcast How We Made Your Mother, when The Office's Jenna Fisher asked about it. Recalling how it went and why it didn't go the best, he said:
I didn't quite understand if he was smart or not smart. I was a little confused about whether he was part of the smart gang or not smart gang, and I remember I had a good audition, but my improvs were a little bit... I think made him too dim was kind of what I realized.
He went on to explain that while casting director Alison Jones brought him on and he met with The Office's creator Greg Daniels, Radnor ultimately didn’t get a testing deal and did not move forward with the second round of auditions. He also made sure to note that it wasn’t a terrible audition; he just couldn’t land the right tone for Jim, as he said:
I just think I didn't quite understand the tone exactly. But I think we all landed in the right place anyway.
It’s interesting to imagine how different things would have been on both The Office and How I Met Your Mother had things played out differently for Josh Radnor. Overall, it also proves that John Krasinski was the perfect person to play Jim. Plus, Radnor’s portrayal of good guy Ted on How I Met Your Mother was pretty perfect, even if his actions in the series finale are still questionable after all these years.
It is always entertaining finding out what roles actors tried out for, especially since some things could have gone very differently had they gotten the role. The How I Met Your Mother cast was pretty fitting, as was The Office cast, and, as the actor said, everything worked out, and they all landed in the right places. It’s also hard to imagine him as Jim Halpert. Frankly, I don’t think anyone other than John Krasinski would be able to nail that role, just like I think Radnor is the only guy who could have played Ted.
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