John Krasinski planned much of the new film. If the Around old friend Steve Carell — before he spoke to his former friend. office He co-stars in the role.
In ~ If theAt the New York premiere on Monday, Krasinski gestured to his wife, Emily Blunt, who voices the new film, and revealed: “The last time I wrote a part for someone was quiet place I was too nervous to tell her about it, and the same thing happened to Steve.”
“I was writing [animated character] Blue became Steve because of his sense of humor and how sweet he is, how incredibly vulnerable, how big and open he is, and he gives big hugs,” he continued. “So I thought, ‘If he doesn’t do this, we’re in trouble.’ And as soon as he said yes, it was as if my family was giving me the love and support I needed. As soon as he jumped, I knew we were in for a race.”
If the It follows the story of a young girl (Kaylee Fleming) who discovers she can see everyone's imaginary friends, and sets out on an adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with children. Carrell voices the large purple monster Blue, among a voice cast that includes Bradley Cooper, Awkwafina, Matt Damon, Amy Schumer, and Maya Rudolph.
Krasinski, who wrote, directed and co-starred in the film, said he took many ideas from his and Blunt's children along the way, explaining: While I was writing the script, I had to explain it to them because I was a terrible artist. They told me what was cute, what wasn’t cute, and what they wanted to change about that particular IF.”
He also revealed that his daughters' imaginary friends will appear in the film. “Ally, the pink alligator, is my daughter's and the other is a flaming marshmallow, so it's a family affair for her. And my wife is a unicorn, so come on, we’re all in on it.”
Fleming's co-star Ryan Reynolds said he was “very inspired by John's interpretation of the film” and said he was also inspired by Gene Wilder and his children.
“They have a constant, constant sense of play and I love that. I look at them and I know I'm making some sort of impression on my kids,” Reynolds said. neck. “Directed by Sean Levy Deadpool & Wolverine, he sang it, halfway through filming that film. Many times, I found myself writing scripts based on the way my 4-year-old daughter, Betty, spoke. So I found myself really absorbing a lot of their vibe and translating whatever adult stupidity was there.”
If the It opens in theaters on Friday.
Neha Joy contributed to this report.