Their father Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) pulled off the ultimate sacrifice in order to save them in A Quiet Place Part. Now, in the sequel A Quiet Place Part II, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe) must step up to the plate as they seek refuge from the sounds that draw the omnipresent alien creatures.
Young Regan who is thrust into the forefront of trying to find a larger solution, only to have to venture out on her own and take on an epic amount of responsibility. Returning to the role is Millicent Simmonds, the deaf teen who won critical praise for her mesmerizing portrait of Regan in the first film. Krasinski was thrilled to have her back—and especially excited to give her the opportunity to go even further.
“Millie faces probably the most intense challenges of any actor in the film because Regan is completely on her own for a time,” says Krasinski. “Even though her hearing aid is a weapon, she’s still in more constant danger than the rest of her family because she can’t hear if she’s making noise. What I loved about Millie’s character in the beginning is that she always had this innate sense of being a warrior princess. But now, she is also a just girl alone who has to figure out if she has the faculties to survive.”
For Simmonds, Regan’s well of strength comes from her ongoing connection with Lee. “Lee was always Regan’s role model,” she points out. “Now, with him being gone, all she wants is to be that same rock of support for her mom and her brother.”
Meanwhile, Regan’s brother Marcus is also in a state of shock, and terrified of the family being separated. Revisiting the role is 14-year-old Noah Jupe.
Like his older sister, Marcus is forced to mature quickly in the midst of total jeopardy. “I think all the rules and protocols the family had before for dealing with the creatures came to feel like ordinary, everyday life to Marcus—but suddenly all that just goes out the window,” says Jupe. “He has to learn now to be far more self-sufficient. But he’s still pretty terrified inside even if he’s trying to mask it and be brave. He’s also still a bit of a klutz and he does have some accidents, but you’ve got to give him credit because he keeps getting back up.”
For Krasinski, witnessing this pair of promising young actors constantly growing and bringing more of themselves was a source of daily joy. He especially took pleasure from watching Simmonds and Jupe adding new complexity to the family dynamics that are the foundation of the movie.
“Millie and Noah are truly two of the best actors I’ve ever worked with,” sums up Krasinski. “To see them go out into the world and not only come back much better actors, but also still be such incredible human beings was amazing to me. They went so deep and brought out nuances even I didn’t expect.”
