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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 31 OctOber 2018
Awards buzz is icing for John Krasinski and 'A Quiet Place'

By LINDSEY BAHR you so lit up like this, I've
AP Film Writer never seen you so passion-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — John ate about something,'" Kra-
Krasinski is still pinching him- sinski recalled. "And it's true,
self over the critical and she knew that it was a very
financial success of his ex- personal story. I was basi-
perimental thriller "A Quiet cally writing a love letter to
Place," but the Cinderella my kids."
year is not over yet. With And to his shock, execu-
awards season heating up, tives at Paramount and
"A Quiet Place," has found Platinum Dunes were be-
its own spot in the conver- hind him.
sation. Krasinski who co- Blunt also was the driving
wrote, directed and starred force behind her own in-
in the film opposite his wife, volvement. Krasinski was
Emily Blunt, is only humbled. too scared to even let her
"It's nothing short of over- read the script while he was
whelming," Krasinski said working on it, let alone ask
by phone recently. "Emily her to be in it. She went so
and I really are still digest- far as to suggest a friend for
ing the fact that we made the role of Evelyn. But then
this small little special mov- on one cross country flight,
ie that some people really she finally read it, and de-
connected to. This was lit- cided to speak up.
erally a meditation on par- "She legitimately looked
enting!" sick at the end of it. I
"A Quiet Place" is a most- This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Noah Jupe, from left, Millicent Simmonds and thought she was plane
ly silent horror film about John Krasinski in a scene from "A Quiet Place." sick, so I reached for a barf
a family (Krasinski, Blunt, Associated Press bag at the same time she
Noah Jupe and Millicent said, 'You can't let anyone
Simmonds) trying to live in worldwide ticket sales cept thrills, too, and while "It's not about a shark, it's do this movie.' And I said,
among creatures that at- off a production budget many have offered their about these characters try- 'What?' And it was like a
tack and kill at the smallest of only $17 million. It is now praise, a certain phone call ing to overcome fears that romantic comedy where
sound. It became a surprise available on home video stands out for Krasinski — they're running away from she was proposing to me,"
box-office phenomenon and streaming, and a se- the one he got from his fa- and at some point those Krasinski recalled. "She said,
when it was released in quel is already in the works. vorite director, and friend, fears are going to manifest 'You have to let me do this
April, grossing $338.6 million Critics loved its high con- Paul Thomas Anderson. themselves in the most bi- part, you HAVE to let me do
"It was probably 30 minutes zarre ways." it.' I think I screamed 'YES'
long about how much he In that same way, "A Quiet on a flight from New York
loved the movie and how Place," to him, is about par- to LA."
much it meant to him and enting. He had been sent a The film has been in the
how much he wished mov- script to look at and had an Oscar conversation since
ies like this happened every idea to re-write and refo- it came out and has con-
Friday. I genuinely blacked cus around those anxieties. tinued to pop up on prog-
out on that phone call," "I was actually holding my nosticator lists in Hollywood
Krasinski said. "He said, 'I'll three-week-old daughter. trades like Variety and
tell you the best compli- We had just had our sec- awards columns in Vulture
ment I can give you: As I ond daughter," he said. and Gold Derby, with spe-
was walking back to my "Reading a story about cial mentions of Blunt's per-
car I thought, OK, I need to parents doing whatever formance, the effects and
get back to work.'" it took to protect their kids the screenplay.
Anderson actually provid- was exactly what I was liv- Krasinski is currently writ-
ed some inspiration for "A ing through." ing the sequel, which he
Quiet Place." Krasinski said Krasinski wasn't even sup- teased only with his wife's
he studied the opening of posed to direct the film response to his pitch.
"There Will Be Blood" and at the outset. The actor "She said, 'Oh that's really
other modern films that em- and writer, probably best cool, but it's not a sequel,
ploy silence to figure out known as Jim on the Ameri- it's like another book in the
how he would approach it can version of "The Office," same world, it feels like an-
in his film. He also looked at had previously directed other part in the same sto-
"Jaws," ''Rosemary's Baby" two films — a David Foster ry,'" he said.
the films of Alfred Hitch- Wallace adaptation ("Brief As for whether Krasinski is
cock for ideas in tension- Interviews with Hideous ready for the marathon
building. Men") and an indie family that is awards season?
"Jaws" was one of Krasin- drama ("The Hollars"). Not "Everything is better when
ski's biggest touchstones, exactly the kind of calling Emily is there and the fact
and, oddly enough, the cards that would prove he that she's in the conversa-
first movie he and Blunt could handle a VFX-heavy, tion for this and for 'Mary
watched together when big studio genre film. It was Poppins Returns'? There's
they had just started dat- Blunt who encouraged him no better person to have
ing. to put his name in for it. by my side for this," he said.
"It's a perfect film," he said. "She said, 'I've never seen "I'll be just fine."q