Family was Krasinski’s inspiration for ‘IF’

CEBU, Philippines — After directing, writing, and co-starring with his wife Emily Blunt in global box-office hits “A Quiet Place” and “A Quiet Place Part II”, John Krasinski does a complete 180-turn with “IF”, a whimsical adventure for the whole family to enjoy. The inspiration? His very own family. “I’ve always wanted to make a movie for them,” he explains.

Krasinski wanted to create something he and Blunt can enjoy with their daughters. “Emily says that the ‘Quiet Place’ movies are PG-40 for them, so they won’t see those for a long time. During the early days of the pandemic, I got to spend a lot of time around my then-eight-year-old and six-year-old daughters and see the power of their imaginations. But as the pandemic wore on, I started seeing their lights dwindle. They had been so full of energy and excitement, but they were becoming more cautious about everything.”

As he sought inspiration in how his children’s imaginations grew up with them, the world of “IF” began to form. Producer Allyson Seeger, who is also Krasinski’s partner in their company, Sunday Night, recalls the beginnings of “IF.”

“John said, ‘What if, instead of making a movie about imagination, we make imagination a character in the movie?’ Adulthood and real life can often temper the imagination right out of you, but the movie explores the question – what if it’s never too late to reconnect with that? To be a kid again, even for a moment,” she says.

Krasinski also admits to having IFs, or imaginary friends of his own, while growing up. “Our home was very close to a video store and I was allowed to walk there by myself at night. It would take me a half hour to get home, because I would pretend that all these different creatures were after me and I had to hide in my neighbor’s bushes to escape.”

They started working on this transformative journey centered around a 12-year-old named Bea, who at that age, had to grow up a little too fast. At the precipice of teenhood, ready to leave her childhood behind, she discovers her unique superpower of being able to see everyone’s imaginary friend.

Krasinski decided to run this idea past a good friend, actor Ryan Reynolds, before putting it into script. “Ryan is, in my opinion, one of the most talented people out there,” says Krasinski. “He knows comedy, he knows drama. We had been talking about doing a film together forever. I explained that I was developing a film about children and their imaginary friends. Would he want to be a part of it? He said, ‘Yes, definitely.’”

Reynolds believes in Krasinski’s range, and that “IF” is the next natural step for Krasinski as a filmmaker, saying, “I struggle to think of a writer or director more informed by their own parenthood than John Krasinski. Being a dad and a husband has really cemented his cinematic language. What’s most striking to me is that he can make a movie as scary and provocative as ‘A Quiet Place’, yet he can also do something as tender, unexpected and hilarious as IF.”

At the center of the “Quiet Place” films and “IF” is family, and how family handles difficult situations, but with “IF”, instead of hair-raising thrillers, there’s plenty of laughs to be had along with heartfelt moments. “A Quiet Place was a metaphor about parenthood and about how far you’ll go to protect your kids,” producer Seeger says. “I think ‘IF’ is a movie for kids, parents, for every generation. It’s a coming-of-age story for everyone.”

Arriving in Philippine cinemas this May 15, “IF” is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends – and what she does with that superpower – as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. IF stars Reynolds, Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.