John Krasinski used this advice from 'The Office' creator for 'A Quiet Place'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 5/21/21

John Krasinski was Stephen Colbert's first in-person guest on A Late Show on Thursday night.

The duo covered a lot of ground, including A Quiet Place: Part II, which Colbert gushed about and fans will be able to see in theaters beginning next Friday (May 28).

"It's not only one of the most terrifying movies I've ever seen, but ... you know what this film has?" Colbert said. "It's got heart. It does. It does. It is actually a deeply moving story at the same time. How do you mesh those two? I don't usually associate deeply moving human story and horror."

"You know, the funny thing is I actually learned that lesson from Greg Daniels on The Office," Krasinski explained. "It was three weeks into shooting, and I was so nervous for this scene. He said, 'Can I ask you a question? You OK?' I said, 'Yes. This is my favorite joke in the script. I want to make sure I deliver it really funny.' He went, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa. You don't deliver anything funny. You just deliver it and let people decide whether it's funny or not.'"

The Primetime Emmy nominee continued: '[Daniels] said, 'You just do the character, and if they fall in love with you, they'll go on any ride.' And I literally thought of him when they said direct a horror movie. I was like, 'I don't know how to do a horror movie!' So instead, I just did a family drama and trojan-horsed it as a horror movie because I thought you'll be more scared if you fall in love with these characters."

A Quiet Place debuted in April 2018 and received rave reviews from critics and fans alike, earning an Oscar nominated for sound editing. Krasinski directed and co-wrote the first and second films, the latter finally inching toward a successful release after a COVID-induced delay.

Krasinski co-stars alongside his real-life wife Emily Blunt as parents navigating a post-apocalyptic world filled with monsters who attack based on what and who they find through an ultra-sensitive hearing ability.

To fill in the gaps, the 41-year-old had previously rose to ubiquitous fame as Jim Halpert on The Office from 2005 to '13. The classic comedy series was co-created by Daniels, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

Watch Krasinski and Colbert arm-wrestle and go through a rapid-fire questionnaire below.