John Krasinski on his emotional connection to “A Quiet Place”

John Krasinski hates horror movies. Or, he used to. The actor, writer and director of new thriller “A Quiet Place” told “CBS This Morning” Wednesday he nearly passed up the opportunity altogether because of his distaste for the genre.

“They said, you should just read it. It’s about a family who can’t make noise and you have to figure out why and I went, ‘well, that’s the best one-liner I ever heard.’ And I read it and truly as I’m reading the script, I’m holding a three-week-old infant. We had just had our second daughter three weeks before,” Krasinski said.

His immediate appreciation and understanding of a character who would do anything to protect his kids – not the premise – is what sealed the deal for the actor. He went from being considered for the role, to becoming its director, writer and star.  

“I was so emotionally connected to this idea. So when I rewrote the script, I just buried down into that idea,” he said.

The film is set in a post-apocalyptic world where mysterious creatures with advanced hearing hunt humans. Even though Krasinski had only his wife in mind for the role, he was too afraid to ask her to do it.

“I’ve been witness to the incredible taste level, intelligence and dedication she has in choosing projects and so I couldn’t live with myself if she did this as a favor to me,” he said.

Eventually she asked if she could read the script. When she finished it, she told him, “You can’t let anyone else do this role.” 

Their partnership seems to have paid off. The movie opened last weekend to an estimated $50 million – about $20 million more than analysts projected.