John Krasinski has climbed up the director’s chair with a film that is set to bring several stellar names of Hollywood to scree in an entirely different light. ‘IF‘ is a fantasy semi-animated film starring Ryan Reynolds as the on-screen face of the lead, and his wife Blake Lively taking a behind-the-scenes role with other popular names including in Krasinski’s ‘The Office‘ co-star Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper, and George Clooney.
The script of the film is written by the exceptional Phoebe Wallers-Bridge, adding even more value to the movie. However, it was not exactly easy for Krasinski to get such great stars on board. However, he knows quite a few tactics to create his masterpiece exactly the way he imagined. Here’s how ‘A Quiet Place’ star used emotional blackmail to get Blake Lively on board the film.
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What Did John Krasinski Do To Get Blake Lively On Board For ‘IF’?
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, actor-director John Krasinski revealed how he persuaded Blake Lively to join the star-studded cast of his upcoming film, ‘IF’. When he was trying to get Blake on board, her husband, Ryan Reynolds was already finalized as the lead of the film.
Speaking during the interview, Krasinski admitted to using “emotional blackmail” to convince Lively to join the film. He said he told Lively that “everybody’s doing it” and she should too. The film’s story revolves around a child’s world full of her imaginary friends.
Blake plays the cat Octopuss, who dresses up like an octopus to overcome her fear of water. Other than Ryan Reynolds, all the other stars in the film have done voice-overs for these imaginary friends of the child at the center of the film.
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John Krasinski Says ‘IF’ Brought Him The “Most ‘Yeses'” Of His Career
John Krasinski also opened up about the inspiration behind the idea of making this film. The star said he conceived the idea for ‘IF‘ almost a decade ago while observing his children playing. “I used to just stand in the doorway and watch my kids disappear into this magical world that we as parents aren’t allowed in,” he said.
“It actually wasn’t until the pandemic when genuinely I saw their lights starting to go out … I went, ‘That’s it, I’m writing this movie right now to prove to you that magical world is always there. You can always go back,’” he added speaking about the importance of imagination and creativity, especially in trying times.
The project resonated with several Hollywood A-listers, and surprisingly brought what Krasinski described as “the most ‘yeses’ of my career” for the movie. Krasinski shared his gratitude for George Clooney, who believed in his directorial abilities early on even before Krasinski himself.
“He was the first person who ever thought I would direct. He would take me to dinner while we were shooting Leatherheads, and he would show me a drawing. ‘This is what I’m going to shoot tomorrow. This is where I’m going to place the cameras,’” Krasinski told Fallon.
“I said, ‘That’s amazing. Why are you telling me this?’ He said, ‘Well, you’re not just going to be an actor, are you?’” he quoted Clooney as saying.
The film is set to hit theaters on Friday, May 17.
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