A Quiet Place: Day One has been one of the most acclaimed horror movies of 2024. With an incredible lead cast in Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, as well as a flawless script and brilliant direction by Michael Sarnoski (Pig), the film is an elite entry into the A Quiet Place franchise.
Recently, PopCulture.com had a chance to talk with Sarnoski about his experience working on the movie, and he offered some insight into working with Quinn just after his breakout performance as Eddie Munson in , what it was like to work with cats on a film set, and how he feels about Day One being a movie that delivers a thrilling theatrical experience, while also making for tense, heartfelt watch from the comfort of your own home.
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Scroll down to read what Sarnoski had to say!
On Joseph Quinn Coming Off ‘Stranger Things’
“We didn’t really talk about it. I think it’s to his credit that he’s a serious actor. This guy, he knows how to conjure a character, how to make you feel this character’s inner world when they don’t have much dialogue, when you’re going off of facial expressions and limited information. He really had an idea on how he wanted to play this character.
“Also just on the page, it’s a very different character from Eddie’s character. So I think he was just doing the work and doing what he does, which is find a way to create a whole new character that you fall in love with.
“I think that he’s just great at what he does, and he’s really smart in how he approaches it. So I never asked him, “Oh, does that weigh on you?” I’m sure there’s stardom and all that stuff can be a lot. But at the end of the day, he showed up on set and just worked his butt off and did an amazing job with it.”
Working with Cats
“So the cats that played Frodo were Schnitzel and Nico. We had two cats, and I think at the end of the day they were surprisingly easy to work with. We had amazing animal trainers named Joe and Kim, and I think the first couple weeks of filming with a cat, you’re like, ‘What have I done? This is going to slow down every day, and everyone’s going to hate me. This is a terrible idea.’
“Then you figure out the rhythm of the animal, and you figure out what they like to do and what they don’t like to do, and you understand, ‘Oh, so I can’t do this shot because they’re afraid of the camera if I do that kind of shot. So we’ll tailor things to this and that.’
Schnitzel and Nico
“They trained those cats to do incredible things and to walk on a leash, to go in a violin case in the water and just things that no cat should ever do and is not built into them. So we had amazing trainers, and then you just feel out what is required from the cat and what they can do, what they can’t do, and then the rest of the shoot becomes a lot easier.
“I think it was very telling that by the end of the shoot, the cast and crew loved those cats. And if they had been a real pain, they would have hated every day that the cats were on set. By the end it was like, ‘Oh yay, we’re doing a shot with Nico now.’ That was good. So, for humor… I like to play up that it’s a real pain to direct the cats, but at the end of the day, it was a lot easier than it probably should have been.
Theater vs. TV Dynamics
“It wasn’t something specific in my mind. It’s something I’ve hoped for and I’m curious to hear more people’s thoughts on it. Because in the theater, all the surround sound and the spectacle really takes a front seat, but there’s this core quiet, intimate, emotional story going on as well that I think in some ways might play even better at home.
“So, the technical side of me is bummed that like, oh, you should see it where you can hear all the sound work we did and it’s so detailed. But then at the same time, watch it in the safety of your own home when you can really lean in and become friends with these characters and be in their world. So I think there’ll be slightly different experiences in both, but I think they lean into various strengths of the film that I’m excited about.”
A Quiet Place: Day One is now available to purchase on Digital platforms, and will debut on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and in a collectible 4K Ultra HD SteelBook™ on October 8.
