John Krasinski and Emily Blunt: A Collaborative Triumph
Earlier this fall, I was walking down Bull Street in Savannah and passed two SCAD students staring at their phones in disbelief. One said, “Are you kidding me? Jim Halpert is coming to the film festival!”
“Dude, I know!” said the other.
I smiled and chose not to disrupt their reverie. Soon they would find out that John Krasinski and his partner, Emily Blunt, were both coming to the SCAD Savannah Film Festival with their film A Quiet Place — John to receive the SCAD Savannah Film Festival Vanguard Award, and Emily to accept the festival’s Icon Award. Both halves of this power couple have compiled extensive résumés, and their marriage demonstrates how a relationship of creativity and support — and a healthy dose of humor — can merit astonishing professional results.
John stole our hearts as The Office’s prank-loving desk-jockey, and the world is just beginning to see what this actor has in store. From Michael Bay’s 13 Hours to Amazon’s Jack Ryan, one thing I know for sure: He’s my new favorite action hero. Smart. Conscientious. Humane.
Equally impressive is what happens when John wields a pen and steps behind the camera. He’s the genius responsible for the undisputed breakout hit of 2018, A Quiet Place. The brilliance of this horror film is that it’s not a film about aliens. (It’s a film about parenting while being attacked by aliens! Big difference.) John said, “Anybody who has kids knows those first few weeks, months, years, are all about, ‘How can I protect this person? How can I keep them happy and how can I keep them alive?’ So I was actually living through those fears and terrors myself and I thought I’d put that in the script.”
A Quiet Place is a masterclass in sound, a subject we know well at SCAD — we offer both B.F.A. and M.F.A. in sound design. I know our students, alumni, and faculty deeply respect the care and attention John gave to personifying sound as a palpable character in the film. He is a leading man, and a funny man, and especially since A Quiet Place, he’s known as an idea man.
His recent accomplishments (and very busy schedule) made it all the more special when John came to SCAD for the film festival. “I absolutely love SCAD, and I’ve been here for one day,” he said during his acceptance speech, amidst roars of applause from eager students. “I don’t know what happens when you’re here for four years. Does your head just explode with confetti?”
When speaking about John, Emily said, “I’ve experienced those moments of feeling less-than, where I was just trying to figure how to be a strong person and own who I want to be, but not for a while now, not since I met my husband. When I met John, everything changed for me, truly. And I was emboldened to discover who I really am.”
Our students got to taste that feeling when they met with John and Emily for master classes. John encouraged them to take advantage of the community of creative achievers SCAD provides. As he put it, “that group of people that inspire and are enthusiastic, [who] can give you ideas. Keep doing what you love.”
When asked what it was like to make a movie with his soulmate, John said, “She’s on another plane. She changes the air in the room. She is without a doubt the most talented and … special person. And I knew it the day I met her, but even more so now. You know, people said, ‘What was it like working together?’ And I think … I’m a more fully whole person having worked with her.”
Right after John’s award, I was honored to present an award to Emily Blunt. Emily has been called many things: the funniest woman in film, the perfect modern film star — but let’s be honest: No single superlative can fully describe the miracle of Emily. For one, Emily’s range cannot be fathomed by mere mortals. She can do it all: tragedy and comedy, period drama, musical, and time travel. She’s played the cleaning lady, the baker’s wife, the girl on the train, the queen of the British empire, and the evil unicorn villain in My Little Pony: The Movie. Altogether, her films have grossed $2.6 billion.
Who else but Emily Blunt — in the modern classic The Devil Wears Prada — can make us feel good about feeling bad about our clothes? Who else can steal a scene from Miss Piggy?
Emily is a 21st century incarnation of the best of Old Hollywood — multihyphenate in every sense of the word with a healthy dose of humor. How does she do it? What gives her such awe-inspiring range? Her secret, I think, is courage. Courage, untrammeled and untamed, is what animates her every performance.
Emily and John are hilarious, whip-smart, and iconic performers. When Emily accepted her SCAD Savannah Film Festival Icon Award, our students cheered like never before. She responded to the applause saying, “This whole year has been, you know, one that has utterly blown John’s and my hair back. It’s just been incredible to experience it together … the loud reception that our A Quiet Place got. It’s just wild.”
This singular collaborative experience has made John and Emily an entertainment power duo. They absolutely brought magic to SCAD this fall, delighting our festival guests and giving generous amounts of time to our students. I look forward to seeing what their futures bring us on the screen — and hosting them again for a few more guest lectures!
