There’s a great deal of grim stuff going on in writer/director Michael Sarnoski’s (Pig) A Quiet Place: Day One, like the sight of the Big Apple being decimated by an army of deadly meteorite-riding monsters.
Joining Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o in her quest for survival in the hit franchise’s third installment are Alex Wolff (Hereditary) and two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou, the latter returning from A Quiet Place: Part II. Despite their terrifying ordeals in Day One, the two co-stars enjoy ribbing each other—and this interviewer—during their FANGORIA interview. (See here for an interview with Sarnoski.)
Your screen time is very limited in the film, but you both convey so much emotion in your brief scenes. How did you capture that?
Djimon Hounsou: Trusting the director, Michael Sarnoski.
Alex Wolff: And trusting each other. With me, Djimon had a lot to work with [laughs]. That’s what he was supposed to say.
DH: Trusting each other. Believing what we’re there to interpret.
AW: And working with me was a blast, right?
DH: Si.
Alex, this is your second time shooting with Michael Sarnoski. How did he do in the transition from the small indie Pig to this huge studio movie?
AW: Seamless. Seamless. It was amazing. He’s just unbelievable. An unbelievable person and unbelievable director. And creative.
Djimon, this is your second trip in this world. How did Michael compare to your A Quiet Place: Part II director John Krasinski?
DH: Different. John was the architect of our story originally, and the other one was to implement what was done. Michael did a great job. It was actually quite pleasant for me as an audience to sit down and look at it once we were done.
What was it like filming in a postapocalyptic New York City?
DH: Oh, it’s great. It’s fun.
AW: Yeah. And it just happened to be that the apocalypse had happened in New York, so they just took a camera and filmed it [laughs]. Sometimes these magical things happen where the world ends and aliens come down, and then we happen to be filming. So, I just thought it was cool that we rolled with the punches.
DH: Alex, I feel like you’ve had a preview to that sort of world [Wolff is a New Yorker], with what took place in 2020 and now referencing this horrific terror taking place in New York in our movie. How did that feel?
AW: Wow. You’re right. That was, woo. It was rough with COVID and everybody being inside. That’s good. I actually didn’t think about that when we were filming, but I probably should have. Michael created an environment that felt really immersive and really intense and terrifying. Working with Michael and Lupita and Djimon was so intensely gratifying and made it easy to be affected by what was going on because of what they gave to it.
What were your first impressions when you walked out onto those New York City sets on the studio backlot in London?
AW: Had a panic attack.
DH: Yeah.
AW: It was very big. It was a big set.
DH: I didn’t really think much about it at the time. Over time you get used to shooting so many different environments on a soundstage. I’ve filmed on sets looking like Africa in the city of London, so we’re used to that. But the one thing that was quite beautiful is that Michael Sarnoski followed the footprint of the first and the second films in terms of the way these stories were character-driven. You really follow a narrative throughout the series.
As actors, was it a challenge imagining the CGI creatures? How did Michael prep you for that?
AW: Well, I’ve said it before, but they’re real. Those monsters are real. They weren’t CGI.
DH: We were somewhat familiar with the monsters from the previous films. So, it wasn’t anything that we were very surprised by. It was fun.
AW: Yeah. It was a good time.
What is so compelling about this franchise that audiences keep coming back for more?
DH: It’s the big-screen action.
AW: And it’s the emotions. It’s a big-scale movie, especially this one, but the first two as well. The big scale, the action and the terrifying nature of what’s going on is matched with the size of the emotion going on in the characters.
These movies have a deep emotional center, and that’s really what people crave. They want all the thrills, and this movie delivers on it in a big way. It is really intense and terrifying.
DH: But bigger action than the first and second, right? Trying to quiet the loudest place in the world, that in itself was quite amazing. And New York was a character in our film.
Now that you have done two of these, Djimon, any talks of you returning in a fourth film?
DH: Let’s talk about it [laughs]! We can develop it right now!
Tell me about working with Lupita.
AW: Like a dream.
DH: Wonderful. Wonderful.
AW: She’s just the most elegant, unbelievable actor. And also, the loveliest person. She’s a dream. She makes you appreciate acting as an art form.
DH: Lovely person, and such a great talent. Oftentimes, they don’t go hand in hand. Great personality on- and off-set, too.
The movie’s big scene-stealer is Frodo, played by two different cats. Any anecdotes of working with these incredibly trained felines?
DH: That was our lead character!
AW: More screen time than I anticipated. I’m getting over my jealousy and I finally recovered, but a lot of jealousy when there were a lot of close-ups of Frodo.
DH: You’re still talking about it, Alex?
AW: It’s absolutely fine. I’m not upset at all. There’s just a lot of clos-eups of the cat, a lot. And I love those cats, but there’s [angrily] a lot of close-ups!
DH: That was an amazing character in the story. I’m not much of a cat person, but it was lovely to interact with those two cats.
AW: They’re the best. They had cat training for Lupita and I love cats so much that I would say, “Can I just come?” And so, they’d be doing it, and then they’d leave, and I’d just hold the cats and sit in my trailer with them because I love cats.
What’s next for you guys?
AW: Lunch!
DH: Well, we’re struggling. We’re still looking for a job [laughs].
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. A Quiet Place: Day One is in theaters June 27th.
