Gay.com Column: John Krasinski from "The Office": the Everyman Star

Is it me, or has John Krasinski suddenly become a star? And I'm not just talking about playing Mandy Moore's boyfriend: the guy now shares top billing with the Clooney and Miss Zellweger (the latter of whom, by the way, looks like a midget next to him).

And if that's not proof enough, in New York you can't walk ten blocks without seeing the shaggy-haired actor. Between the gigantic Gap posters and AMC stand-ups for "Leatherheads", he's definitely no longer just That Guy from "The Office".

Which got me thinking: this has been a very good year for the Krasinski-type Everyman. Just look at the new guys on primetime this past season: what do Ned from "Pushing Daisies", "Chuck", and Sam from "Reaper" have in common? One bakes pies, another's a tech geek, and the last is Bret freaking "Grounded For Life" Harrison. I think that's about all one needs to say.

Reality television doesn't seem much different either: between any guy from this season of "The Amazing Race", Todd Herzog from "Survivor", and Brad Womack from "The Bachelor" - who looks vaguely neutered - I think John McClane would run away screaming and tearing his eyes out.

So what is it about Krasinski and these Everymen? Why are our primetime guys these days more likely to say "aw, shucks" than "yippie-kay-yay, motherfucker", more likely to be Plain Johns than the Brad Pitts of the world?

Part of it, I think, is a compromise between the John McClane Action Hero and the Ryan Seacrest Metrosexual. After leaping from the manly men of the early 1990s (think Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, etc.) to the Queer Eye revolution of the early 2000s, perhaps we're just now moving to a middle ground, where guys don't have to tote bazookas or slather on moisturizer.

Another reason for the Everyman's appeal might be his average-ness, especially in a real world that's increasingly messy and complicated. TV trends usually reflect cultural needs - see the rise of reality television with blogs, podcasts, and other Me-technology - so Krasinski's attractiveness may be his reassuring Average American-ness. I mean, look at him: there's no better embodiment of the 'white picket fence, two kids, and a suburban home' deal.

Last, but certainly not least, maybe the Everyman is simply unavoidable because it's television. Movies are only two hours long, but television series usually run for twenty-two hours or more: can you imagine watching Stallone do his schtick for twenty-two one-hour episodes? I got tired of watching Jack Shephard's Alpha-Male obsession in less than half of that.

So, because of all these reasons, perhaps it's not so surprising that Krasinski is raking in the attention. And I think that's a good thing: God knows we could use a few more not-so-unattainable (in every sense of the word) role models.