Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn reflect on “A Quiet Place: Day One”

OSCAR award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, who starred in “Strangers Things,” shared their experiences filming “A Quiet Place: Day One.”

During the film’s premiere at New York City’s AMC Lincoln Square Theater on Wednesday, the two stars also discussed what they learned from its themes of acceptance and grief. 

Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, “A Quiet Place: Day One” highlights the events that took place in New York City before those that occurred in the previous two installments of “A Quiet Place.”

Contrasting the silence and eeriness of the prior movies, this prequel portrayed the horrors faced by the characters almost like that in a disaster film.

“I had played someone who approached life with such a different attitude from how I approached life, and that was both scary and exciting about her,” Nyong’o said, expressing that it was a privilege to depict situations that “are way more dire than my own.”

She said that although portraying Sam was a departure from herself, the film’s tackling of mortality helped her cope with the loss of her former “Black Panther” co-star Chadwick Boseman. 

“This film has brought me even closer to almost seeking answers to the questions I’ve been asking with the loss of that friend of mine,” Nyong’o shared.

“It was scary to have to live in that tenuous place making this film; I was afraid to go there. But once I was there, there’s something about knowing you will surely leave this Earth that makes living much more worth doing.”

Quinn, on the other hand, highlighted his respect for the character he portrayed, describing Eric as a “young man who is a reluctant and unconventional hero.”

Eric is terrified throughout the film, and Quinn notes how his character must quickly learn to survive in hopes of meeting a person in the story who needs him.

Quinn found it exciting that his character, despite his vulnerability, displayed “enormous feats of heroism” in the film. He also supported the film outside of the screen, serving as the “on-set therapist” for co-star Nyong’o.

“It was extraordinary to watch her navigate this experience,” Quinn said about his co-star, acknowledging how she had to lose a lot of weight and then maintain it throughout the production. 

Sarnoski wrote the characters for “A Quiet Place: Day One,” wanting them to have different priorities in the situations presented in the movie. This was to appeal to the audience’s emotions, providing the lead with “a quieter journey” compared to those around her.

Nyong’o concluded, “We must all remember to meditate on the small pleasures, which is what this film is about – it’s about pizza.”

With reports from Prince Bryan J. M. Marquez