John Krasinski finds imaginary friends in “IF”

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John Krasinski doesn’t usually worry about criticism. But he was terrified of his reaction to his new movie “IF” (“Imaginary Friends”) by two people: his 7- and 10-year-old daughters.

“I have never been more concerned about two critics in my life,” Krasinski told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I’m really terrified. I hope it goes well”.

“IF,” about a young woman (Cailey Fleming) and her neighbor (Ryan Reynolds) who get to see everyone’s imaginary friends, including those left behind, is one of the biggest studio releases this summer season. ) debuts on May 15 in Mexico and on the 17th in the United States. In a landscape full of brands and franchises, it is the rare original idea that has the backing of a major studio, Paramount, and an ambitious scale and scope. It was largely filmed in New York by Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski and combines live action and animation with an army of famous voices in the English-language cast including Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Matt Damon, Jon Stewart, Maya Rudolph and the late Louis Gossett Jr.

The idea of ​​making a film about imaginary friends began and evolved with his daughters, a product of his relationship with actress Emily Blunt (who also voices a character). At first, it sounded like a fun, family-friendly idea.

“My daughters are extremely imaginative,” Krasinski said. “I always used to say to Emily, ‘I wish we could go wherever you’re going, just for a little while.’”

Paramount agreed and in October 2019 signed on to help make and distribute the film, with Krasinski and Reynolds’ Maximum Effort. Then the pandemic hit and, like so many parents of young children, the director saw his daughters’ worlds change drastically.

“They started asking questions like, ‘Are we going to be okay?’ and ‘What’s going on?’ I was very panicked. I just said, no way, we have to do something about this,” she said. “That’s when I realized I had to make this movie about something a little more, a little deeper than just imaginary friends.”

When he began researching the psychology behind imaginary friends, he began to understand that these were not whimsical creations. In fact, they were mechanisms for “metabolizing” daily life, whether it be bullies at school, a divorce at home, a projection of dreams and ambitions, or any number of stressors that work their way into the minds of people. the little ones. She now understood it as a sacred place.

“Once I realized we were dealing with some high-level, some highly imaginary, flammable things, I thought, this is very, very exciting,” he said. “I knew we were on to something special, and I just wanted to take it as seriously as possible.”

LEAD WITH IMAGINATION

To play young Bea, Krasinski cast 15-year-old Cailey Fleming (she’s now 17), an actress “The Walking Dead” fans will know as Judith Grimes. She had just finished season 11 of the show and was preparing to take a break and return to high school when she got the call that Krasinski wanted her to audition.

“I’ve never had a leading role in a movie,” Fleming said. “I was very nervous. But I couldn’t have asked for a better cast or crew.”

On a set where most of the characters would be added in post-production, Krasinski took pains to ensure that they weren’t just acting with tennis balls as stand-ins. He sometimes had puppets, or a painting, or even a friend to be Carell’s character, Blue. Other times he did it himself (in addition to directing and playing Bea’s father).

“Cailey is at the level of Meryl Streep. She could have performed with a hot dog on a stick,” Krasinski said. “I’ve been there, I’ve performed with the tennis ball. You’re just trying to create a world where everyone feels not only safe and excited, but also feels like their imagination takes control.”

“My job as a director is to try to make every day feel like you’re making a play instead of a movie, to make it feel intimate and feel unique,” ​​he added.

Many of the voice actors are people Krasinski considers friends. He wasn’t sure how they would respond to the idea of ​​him, but he said he got some of the quickest “yeses” of his career, whether they had kids or not.

“It’s about this little girl, but adults wonder when they gave up on their imaginary friends, imaginations and dreams,” she said. “The beauty of the movie is that it tells you that all you have to do is turn around and you can always come back.”

Recently, a friend of his said that “IF” reminded him of “Some Good News,” the popular web series Krasinski started during the pandemic. He hopes that, like “Some Good News,” “IF” is something that can bring a little joy to people.

RENUNCIAR A “A QUIET PLACE”

Taking on “IF” also meant passing the torch for the new “A Quiet Place” prequel. “A Quiet Place” helped put Krasinski on the map as a cinematic force and its sequel was a boon for struggling movie theaters during the pandemic. But between “IF” and the “Jack Ryan” show, something had to give.

He had developed a story about the first day of the invasion in New York City, and sought out “Pig” filmmaker Michael Sarnoski to see if he would be interested.

”(John) really helped me from the beginning. Then he let me run free and explore,” Sarnoski said. “He came to the set on the first day and passed the baton symbolically. I was very lucky that he told me, ‘Hey, this is a Michael Sarnoski movie. Make this yours.’”

Far from being bittersweet, Krasinski said it is exciting and an honor “to have created a course that anyone can play on.” Another big summer release, “A Quiet Place: Day One” debuts in theaters in the United States and Mexico on June 28.

Both films have partnered with Paramount, a studio he credits for trusting and supporting his vision.

“Once ‘IF’ became more emotional and had more backbone, I think they leaned in even more. Some studios would say, ‘Oh no, we want the quirky version,'” Krasinski said. “I think because ‘A Quiet Place’ had that same backbone, that same emotional engine, they just said, ‘Go do what you’re seeing in your head.'”

Krasinski just put the finishing touches on “IF,” which means his daughters will be seeing it very soon. They plan to do “a small family premiere.”

“Let’s dress up,” he said. “Basically, we’re going to pretend it’s its own special premiere. “Don’t tell them it’s not real.”