Already have an account?
Get back to the

Millicent Simmonds Recalls Working With John Krasinski and Cillian Murphy on ‘A Quiet Place Part II’: They Are So ‘Laid-Back’ (Exclusive)

Millicent Simmonds How John Krasinski Guided Me A Quiet Place Part II
Millicent Simmonds and John Krasinski. Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock; Magnus Sundholm/Shutterstock

Regan’s ready for more. John Krasinski had no intention of doing a sequel for A Quiet Place, but now with the franchise’s continued success, a third movie is a no-brainer — and is already in the works.

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt’s Relationship Timeline 

“I’m definitely optimistic and looking forward to a potential trilogy because I’m curious about what will happen for the family,” Millicent Simmonds exclusively told Us Weekly. “But if I’m being honest, I personally have no idea what will happen on the third. I’m not sure whether or not they will focus on another family’s journey or another community’s journey, whether it will be set in a different time and space. There’s so many opportunities, there’s so many potential story lines that they could focus in on, but I don’t have any information about that at this time.”

Simmonds, 18, takes the lead in A Quiet Place Part II following the death of Krasinski’s Lee in the 2018 thriller. She was “really nervous” to take the reins but was up for the challenge.

“John initially reached out and said, ‘OK, I’ve got this pitch. This is what I’m thinking for the sequel.’ And he went into what he had imagined. He said, ‘You’re going to be the main character. You’re going to be the heroine,’” she recalled to Us. “I just thought, ‘Gosh, I don’t know if I can do this.’ But then as I thought about it more and just hearing how much confidence John had in me and how much he believed in me was so touching. And knowing that I had so many people cheering me on telling me to go for it, and it’d be a great opportunity, of course, I felt more excited to make this be a successful film for not only John, but for myself as well. And I was so excited to see that there was going to be more stunts in the second.”

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt’s Sweetest Quotes About Each Other

There were more cast members on set, too. The sequel begins exactly where the first movie left off, with Regan, mom Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and brother Noah (Marcus) mourning the loss of their patriarch — and trying to escape the monsters in their post-apocalyptic world. Amid their journey, they reunite with former family friend Emmett, played by Cillian Murphy.

“Cillian is somebody who is very laid-back. He’s always sitting, when we’re not rehearsing or doing our lines, he’s kind of more of the silent type. He’ll read a book. I never feel like our interactions ever felt forced. It felt really natural and easy for the two of us to connect both in-person and with our characters,” Simmonds told Us. “And of course, just watching him act — he’s incredible. And it was very inspiring to me, and I personally felt it was a great honor to work with him.”

Millicent Simmonds Recalls Working With Cillian Murphy A Quiet Place Part II
Cillian Murphy and Millicent Simmonds at the film premiere of ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ on March 8, 2020 in New York City. Dave Allocca/StarPix/Shutterstock

Regen and Emmett soon find themselves battling the unknown together, but only after she pointedly asks him, “What home?” when he tries to convince her to return to her family.

“That’s actually my favorite. Gosh, just thinking about that scene and in that moment, it’s really funny because, in the moment, Cillian and I were still new in our relationship working together as actors,” she explained. “We were trying to find a way to communicate with each other. And it was fun for us to come up with different ways that we could communicate that, see what would work and what didn’t work. It was definitely a good moment that we were able to kind of sit through and go through all the possibilities and come up with something that really worked for that.”

Regan’s comparison to her late father also stands out to Simmonds. “There’s a scene where Cillian and I are filming and he says, ‘I’m nothing like your father, but you are.’ And I think that that’s a really heartfelt, intense moment that I’ll never forget. I think it’s for my character, for Regan, that comment meant everything to her because I know that she was always wondering, well, ‘What would my dad do in this situation? What would my dad do if he were here?’” she told Us. “I know that there was a lot of regret because Regan didn’t have the most ideal relationship with her father and there was some miscommunication sometimes. And in that moment, I thought, ‘Wow.’ Like, thinking about my real dad and how proud he would be to see me in that moment. I was able to kind of reflect on that. And it was very powerful.”

Horror Movie Stars: Where Are They Now?

Krasinski, 41, sat in the director chair once more for the sequel, and despite his character’s demise in the first, Lee did appear in a flashback. The Office alum also made it a collaborative work environment behind-the-scenes.

“John and I have always gotten along really well. He’s really fantastic because anytime we’re shooting a scene that’s really emotional or intense he would debrief with me and say, ‘How are you thinking this might go? What do we think this would look like?’ And he was never afraid to really dive in and just experiment a little bit more and help me play a part in what my character might do,” Simmonds told Us. “He’s a really, really funny person and quite laid-back. John and I, we always get along really well. He’s always had us come and hang out with his family and vice versa. So everybody just gets along. We’re one big happy family.” (Krasinski and Blunt, 38, are parents of daughters Hazel, 7, and Violet, 5.)

Last month, it was confirmed that the third horror movie is slated for March 31, 2023. According to Variety, Jeff Nichols will take over directing for Krasinski, who developed the story. The script is reportedly a spinoff more than a threequel, but if the Abbotts are involved, Simmonds hopes that they freshen up a bit before then.

Celebs’ Horror Movie Pasts 

“There are so many possibilities it’s so hard to even nail down one plot. What I’d hope to see is eventually the family back together and to be done with the stress and to kind of be able to move on to the next part of life. And to be clean!” she told Us. “I mean, the whole time we have dirt, no shoes, scratches, blood, all of that. It might be nice to see a time where the family is all cleaned up again.”

A Quiet Place Part II is now available for purchase on Digital and streaming on Paramount+. The film arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, July 27, from Paramount Home Entertainment.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!