Cillian Murphy’s character represents “where the heart of the world lies right now” in A Quiet Place Part II

Cillian Murphy in A Quiet Place Part II
(Image credit: Paramount)

A Quiet Place Part II sees the surviving members of the Abbott family leaving the relative safety of their home to explore what remains of the outside world, following the invasion of sound-seeking extraterrestrials.

Treading carefully into the wider world means we’ll meet more characters than we saw in the first film, which focused almost entirely on the central family (and those aforementioned alien invaders). One such new face is Cillian Murphy’s Emmett, who’ll cross paths with Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) and her children Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe).

As plot spoilers are being kept tightly under wraps, it’s not even clear if Murphy’s Emmett is going to be a friend or foe in this post-apocalyptic landscape. “I was blown away by [A Quiet Place]!” Murphy tells our sister publication Total Film magazine of the “unbelievably original” first film in their latest cover story.  “I was like, ‘I’m going to write an email to John Krasinski, because that was an amazing piece of work.’ So I wrote the email. And then I was like, ‘Ah, that’s so cheesy,’ and I never sent it. A year later, I got a call saying, ‘Would you be interested in A Quiet Place 2?’”

Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe in A Quiet Place Part II

(Image credit: Paramount)

Determined to keep his character an enigma (“I hate spoilers, I don’t want to read anything about a movie before I see it”), Murphy says, “for me, Emmett represents where the heart of the world lies right now, which is: finally feeling like they’ve all given up. Here comes this girl [Regan] who allows you to believe in more, and allows you to believe in yourself. That idea, I’ve always been really enthralled by.”

Murphy, Blunt, writer/director John Krasinski and more speak in detail about the movie with Total Film magazine for the latest issue’s cover feature. The new issue hits shelves on January 17. A Quiet Place Part II opens on March 20.

If you’re a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue, and you’ll get exclusive subscriber-only covers, like the one below, delivered directly to your doormat before the magazine hits shelves? What are you waiting for?

Total Film's A Quiet Place Part II subscribers' cover.

(Image credit: Paramount/Total Film)

We’re currently running a subscription offer where you can subscribe for as little as £20.50 for as little as £20.50 for six months, and you’ll also get two Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Funko Pop! Vinyl figures free! Head to My Favourite Magazines now to take advantage of the offer. (Ts and Cs apply.)

Total Film's subscription offer.

(Image credit: Future)
Matt Maytum
Editor, Total Film

I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.

Latest in Movies
Jack Reynor in Midsommar
Midsommar star cast in new Mummy movie, but still no word from the original stars
She-Hulk on Disney Plus
Tatiana Maslany canceled a Comic Con appearance due to "filming commitments", and it could mean She-Hulk is in the next Avengers movie
Rachel Zegler in Disney's Snow White
Snow White popcorn buckets are here, but they’re pretty tame compared to Nosferatu and Deadpool
Ne Zha 2
After dethroning The Force Awakens, the surprise animated hit taking the box office by storm could claim a record from James Cameron next
Kurt Russell in The Thing holding a stick of dynamite.
43 years later, John Carpenter has hinted at who turns into The Thing in the horror movie and one eagle-eyed fan has worked it out
Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried in Jennifer's Body
Star of cult hit Jennifer's Body says marketing "ruined" the horror movie's chances, but they may get another shot with a sequel 16 years later
Latest in News
Dune Awakening
Dune Awakening launches for $50 without a stay in early access, and while the survival MMO "will not have a monthly subscription" it will have "optional" paid DLC
Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton in Hawkeye
Linda Cardellini cast as Jason's mom, the original Friday the 13th killer, for Crystal Lake prequel series
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt Red won't make survival games just because they're popular, but Netflix's Edgerunners anime is fueling dreams bigger than RPGs
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe actor was terrified to perform until her first mocap scene earned "a standing ovation" on set: "Maybe I can do this mocap thing"
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel may have just sneakily confirmed one of the biggest Daredevil: Born Again fan theories
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Yasuke actor says that Naoe could beat his samurai in a fight: “Especially with that big a** helmet of mine”