John Krasinski, best known for his role in “The Office,” shares that his daughters, Hazel, 10, and Violet, 7, are more impressed by their mother, Emily Blunt, due to her iconic roles. Speaking with PEOPLE about his upcoming film “IF,” Krasinski mentioned that he was inspired by his daughters’ playtime experiences to write the film, which explores the world of imaginary friends.
Krasinski noted that involving Hazel and Violet in the movie-making process was a first for him. He shared that before this project, his daughters likely thought he had a mundane job compared to Blunt’s enchanting roles in “Mary Poppins” and “Jungle Cruise.”
“When they found out I was going to do it, it was really exciting because it was the first time that I had ever involved them in anything,” Krasinski told PEOPLE. “I was pretty sure that they thought I was an accountant before this because their mom was Mary Poppins and in Jungle Cruise.”
Krasinski explained that he would bring home sketches during the writing process, and while his artistic skills were lacking, his daughters’ enthusiasm grew as professional artists got involved. Their imaginary friends even made it into the movie.
“The pink alligator Ally, that is Violet’s imaginary friend,” Krasinski said, describing a character voiced by Maya Rudolph. “The pink alligator lives under Violet’s bed. I said, ‘Is that scary to you?’ And she said, ‘No, that’s why she’s there, to eat all the bad guys when they come in.’ And I said, ‘Oh, that makes sense.’”
For Hazel, Krasinski drew inspiration from an incident where she felt empathy for a burning marshmallow, which led to the creation of her imaginary friend.
Blunt and Krasinski recently walked the red carpet at the premiere of “IF.” The couple shared with Extra that their daughters gave the film “two thumbs up.” Krasinski admitted there was extra pressure because the movie was made entirely about their daughters’ magical world.
Watching the film together as a family was an emotional experience for Krasinski. “I don’t even know about ‘cool dad,’ it was emotional dad, for sure. It was so beautiful,” he said. He also highlighted the significance of having Blunt involved in the movie, making it a true family affair.
