John Krasinski reveals why he was adamant about hiring a deaf actress in the film 'A Quiet Place'
John Krasinski is coming back to the big screen with his new horror film 'A Quiet Place' and the movie is sure to keep you rooted to your seats. The movie revolves around a family of four who must live life in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound. While the show may look like a silent movie coming in life in the present scenario, there is one thing about the movie that John had been adamant about ever since he started writing the script, and that was to hire a deaf actress to play the role of Regan Abbott.
Regan, who is the daughter of, Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) and Lee Abbott (John), and sister of Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe), is a character who was born deaf. John knew how important it was for one to understand the character and there is no one who could better do it than the person who has been in the position before. "The script had a deaf actress in there and my whole thing was it is non-negotiable to have a deaf actress play in the movie," John told Meaww.
One of the reasons for this is because John wanted anyone who played the role to see the character evolve from the eyes of someone who may have gone through the same thing in reality. "It is a deaf character so obviously I thought I would get a textured and honest performance from someone who is already living through it," he explained.
At the same time, John needed someone to be his eyes for seeing how it is to live in a family where one might be deaf. "Most of all, I needed a guide, someone who could tell me what it is like to be a deaf person in the hearing family," he said. "Do you get frustrated or do you feel empowered." Luckily for John, his search ended when Millicent Simmonds came for the auditions. He knew that she was the right fit for the role and did not waste a second in casting her for the same.
"In Millie, we found someone who is not from here," he said. "She is an angel, I am pretty sure and she is the most giving, kind, amazingly and most beautiful person overall." John instantly fell in love with Millie as a person. "I would say that the most emotional thing was watching her sign or watching her teach us how to sign or help us learn to sign because I have never seen someone take in all of me while I am talking," he said. "She looks at your eyes, hands, and face and then takes in all your assets and it is the most beautiful thing."
While John may have landed the perfect person to play the role of his daughter, he admitted that he wasn't so sure about asking his real-life wife, Emily Blunt to play the role of Evelyn in the movie. However, when Emily approached him stating that she would love to play the part, even though he hadn't asked her, he felt that it was his greatest accomplishment.
"It felt unbelievable. It was the greatest compliment of my career because I have witnessed first hand the level of intelligence, the level of dedication," he said. "She has the best taste level of anybody in the business in my opinion and I have watched the decisions she has made and the career she has made for herself." John did not want his movie to be the one that would reflect as a downfall in her otherwise perfect list of movies.
"I sure didn't want the one movie that we made to be a stinker. So, I was really nervous to ask her to do it but I was really excited about the script so I asked her to read the script and when she asked me to do it, it was the most organic way to do things," he recalled.
Without any doubt, all the cast members for the movie fit right into their character like a jigsaw puzzle that has been completed. During the sets, the cast had their own fun and adventure and their hard work can be seen in the movie. When asked about what had been in his favorite scene to direct in the movie, the actor recalled that it had been the one which required the kids, Millicent and Noah to perform a bit of stunt. Surprisingly, it also happens to be the scene that he was most scared about.
"There is a scene where there are kids are in a pretty sticky situation and they are not doing great in surviving in this corn scene," he recalled. "Also, it was a very much a stunt for us on a low budget and also, you are dealing with kids so I was much more emotional and much more aware of their well being and they were rock stars." He believed that both of them were able to render their best without complaining about anything on the sets.
"They were also the most professional kids. They did all day and some of the stunts that we had and it was truly one of my favorite part of the movie." According to John, one must watch the movie because "it is something that we all connected to because it as scary it is, there is something emotional at its core. The idea of family and what would you do to protect your kids."