In A Quiet Place, silence is necessary for survival.
But for one of the characters, silence is also permanent. She's deaf, and director/star John Krasinski was determined to cast a deaf actress.
Enter: the exceptionally talented Millie Simmonds.
"She brought such a stamp of authenticity,” said Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt, who plays her mother.
An interpreter worked with Simmonds on-set, helping translate conversations in real time.
"She'd look to us for sort of intention of what you meant, and then she'd just glance for clarification, and it was just fascinating seeing her,” Blunt said. “We both said, John and I, that we've never felt somebody drinking us all in like Millie did because she just looks at everything about you while you're talking to her so that she can understand."
Simmonds also helped Krasinski flesh out the dynamics of the film's father/daughter relationship. One scene changed entirely during shooting.
"Initially the scene was going to have John being more dominant and overpowering to me, but after one take, my response was to confront my father,” Simmonds said. “He was very surprised and loved it and we went with that."
13-year-old Noah Jupe plays Millie's brother, and the two convincingly endure a myriad of terrifying situations. In one scene, they fight against sinking in a grain silo.
“There was just a normal floor but in the middle of it there was this rubbery silicon with two holes for our bodies to go in, then they filled it with corn,” Jupe said. "But still, you were in corn and it was getting in your face and you know it was pretty horrible.”
It all adds up to a scary, emotional, thought-provoking movie - rated PG-13, for audiences just like Jupe and Simmonds.
"To see the character, my character, on screen - because of course I don't know what I look like on screen when I'm acting, in the moment - it was wonderful to see how everything came together on screen,” Simmonds said.
A Quiet Place opens April 6.
