In a video from a recent Jack Ryan Q&A session, John Krasinski gave praise to the Central Intelligence Agency, and the internet was quick to put him on blast for it.
In the video, posted by user @dewybleach, Krasinski can be seen answering questions about his show Jack Ryan. The Q&A took place at a United Service Organizations event in Alconbury, England, ahead of the season 2 premiere. The Amazon Prime original, based on a series of books by Tom Clancy, focuses on Jack Ryan as an "up-and-coming CIA analyst," according to IMBd, who frequently finds himself in the middle of dangerous field operations.
The clips were originally compiled by Tom Secker, a journalist who covers government influence in Hollywood.
https://twitter.com/spyculture/status/1196377375522656256
https://twitter.com/dewybleach/status/1196626567591579648?s=21
Krasinski explains in the video that he comes from a "big military family" and that doing a show with a connection to the military was very important for him. He goes on to explain that he visited the CIA headquarters to get a better understanding of "how they would like their character to be perceived."
Two additional videos followed where Krasinski can be heard giving praise to the CIA and saying that "the CIA is something that we should all not only cherish but be saying 'thank you' for every single day."
https://twitter.com/dewybleach/status/1196628293103079424
The video was flooded with comments calling Krasinski a "bootlicker" and stating that Jack Ryan is CIA propaganda.
"I've lost any/all respect for him as he gives a tongue-bath to people who have facilitated such much death, chaos, and destruction throughout history & all over the world," user @PricipledProg1 wrote.
The CIA's history of surveillance and secret government operations make it a wellspring of conspiracy theories and distrust in the internet age.
Dude is proof the Intelligence agencies are joined at the hip with Hollywood & Corporate America.
— Speaking_Tree (@PrincipledProg1) November 19, 2019
I've lost any/all respect for him as he gives a tongue-bath to people who have facilitated such much death, chaos, and destruction throughout history & all over the world.
Shame!
"Love admitting that I went out of my way to make explicit propaganda for the CIA," user @cazurinova wrote.
https://twitter.com/cazurinova/status/1196820115960012807
Other users said they felt it would be hard for them to watch any of Krasinski's other work, mainly the wildly popular sitcom The Office.
"It's going to be difficult for me to rewatch The Office now," user @strife_knot wrote.
https://twitter.com/strife_knot/status/1196656949753982977
https://twitter.com/Clarknt67/status/1196809028137037824
And others seemed completely unbothered by it.
"This show is awesome and I love it. Can’t wait for season 3," user @djeremyw wrote.
https://twitter.com/djeremyw/status/1196836561976877057
https://twitter.com/ObsrvyryxShadow/status/1196754540474728448
Krasinski hasn't responded to the backlash.
This story has been updated to credit Secker for originally compiling the clips of Krasinski.
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