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John Krasinski on 'A Quiet Place' and the Question of a Sequel | Interview (Ep. 103)

November 29, 2018/ 40 min/ Sean Fennessey

Sean Fennessey sits down with John Krasinski on writing, directing and starring in A Quiet Place, working opposite Emily Blunt, and why he came around to a sequel.

25 films across 1 segment.

AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.

John Krasinski on 'A Quiet Place'

A Quiet Place poster
John Krasinski on

A Quiet Place 2018

His third film as director, pitched as a family drama Trojan-horsed as genre. He rewrote and starred after Emily Blunt read the script on a plane and told him no one else could do it; her bathtub scene was one take.

A Nightmare on Elm Street poster
John Krasinski on

A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984

Saw it around age 12 and 'blacked out for six years,' which is why he avoided horror for decades.

Get Out poster
John Krasinski on

Get Out 2017

Cited alongside A Quiet Place as recent genre films doing social commentary; he's a fan of Jordan Peele's.

The Witch poster
John Krasinski on

The Witch 2016

The goat 'blacked me out for another six years,' growing up Catholic.

Let the Right One In poster
John Krasinski on

Let the Right One In 2008

The original: 'one of the best love stories I've ever seen,' that happens to involve a vampire.

Jaws poster
John Krasinski on

Jaws 1975

A touchstone: genre used to explore things, not just to scare.

Rosemary's Baby poster
John Krasinski on

Rosemary's Baby 1968

Touchstone in the same vein as Jaws and Alien.

Alien poster
John Krasinski on

Alien 1979

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men poster
John Krasinski on

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men 2009

His directing debut, made 'out of sheer ignorance'; cinematographer John Bailey later walked him through what could have gone wrong.

The Hollars poster
John Krasinski on

The Hollars 2016

His second directing job; he took far longer in prep, refusing to move until he had the exact team and cast.

Promised Land poster
John Krasinski on

Promised Land 2012

Co-wrote with Matt Damon, who wanted to direct it at the time.

Manchester by the Sea poster
John Krasinski on

Manchester by the Sea 2016

His first idea, pitched to Matt Damon and handed off to Kenneth Lonergan, 'my story,' but he'd never have made it himself.

Good Will Hunting poster
John Krasinski on

Good Will Hunting 1997

The Boston-tattoo movie; the definition of what he connects to at the movies.

Kramer vs. Kramer poster
John Krasinski on

Kramer vs. Kramer 1979

The kind of intense family-unit story he wanted A Quiet Place to be underneath the genre.

Ordinary People poster
John Krasinski on

Ordinary People 1980

Named alongside Kramer vs. Kramer as the '70s-drama model for the film.

Jurassic Park poster
John Krasinski on

Jurassic Park 1993

ILM's Scott Farrar, who designed the raptor scene, stayed on the effects for seven weeks after Krasinski led with 'I don't know.'

Star Wars poster
John Krasinski on

Star Wars 1977

Farrar ran the camera for the opening imperial-ship shot on the first film.

Saving Private Ryan poster
John Krasinski on

Saving Private Ryan 1998

On the sound team's résumé (from this to Malick to Avatar) before they begged to go start designing the film.

Avatar poster
John Krasinski on

Avatar 2009

Mary Poppins Returns poster
John Krasinski on

Mary Poppins Returns 2018

The 'tiny indie movie' Emily Blunt was shooting, with a twelve-week-old at home, while he was writing.

Ant-Man poster
John Krasinski on

Ant-Man 2015

What he went back to watching on the plane while Blunt read the script.

A Star Is Born poster
John Krasinski on

A Star Is Born 2018

His last great thing seen: a '70s movie he fell in love with; he's friendly with Bradley Cooper.

Roma poster
John Krasinski on

Roma 2018

The movie he was most excited to catch up on after four months shooting in Colombia.

The Verdict poster
John Krasinski on

The Verdict 1982

His favorite movie of all time; he saw a lot of it in A Star Is Born.

The Firm poster
John Krasinski on

The Firm 1993

Sean's plug, a personal favorite he broke down on The Rewatchables.

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