John Krasinski Talks Marriage, Parenting, and the Importance of Letting Kids Take Risks

In a new interview with Playboy, John Krasinski opens up about love and parenting. He talks about how he makes his marriage to actress Emily Blunt work. About how his newest horror movie is really a metaphor for being a parent. And about the life lessons he’s hoping to teach his daughters. It’s an interesting read, if not a little sappy at parts. The former Office actor gushes about his love for Blunt and how much her love and support has meant for him.

“I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible friends and family who keep me on track, and don’t let me spin out into my own universe for too long — namely, and most important, my wife,” Krasinski explained. “I think my wife gets me. Not just to sound adorable, but the truth is she gets me more than anyone else has ever gotten me. And so she allows me to, for lack of a better term, bottom out for a second and get really scared.”

Krasinski also spoke about his upcoming movie A Quiet Place, which he co-wrote, directed, and starred in with Blunt. The horror movie focuses on a family of four forced to live in complete silence in order to hide from mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. Krasinski and Blunt play the father and mother trying to keep their kids safe, and Krasinski admitted the entire movie was inspired by the natural fear and anxiety that comes with raising kids.

“The idea really triggered something inside me about protection and parenting, and I just thought maybe I could make it a metaphor for parenthood: the fact that no matter what, there will come a time when you don’t have control over what your kids do, what they say, what they think, and you just hope that the preparation was enough to get them through and they survive,” Krasinski told Playboy.

The idea of parents letting their kids go out on their own is one that resonates strongly with Krasinski. He spoke about his parents allowing him to go to Costa Rica to teach English when he was just 17, despite being concerned for his safety, and uses the trust they showed in him to guide his own parenting. Krasinski hopes that, like his parents, he will allow his daughters Violet and Hazel to take risks and find who they really are.

“[A]t some point you have to let your kids get hurt,” Krasinski said. “That’s very palpable in my life right now with my girls. I hope I’m brave enough to be as good as my parents were.”