‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Director Michael Sarnoski Interviewed Only About the Cat https://t.co/a6DaGDGmt9
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 28, 2024
Michael Sarnoski talked about Frodo and what it was like filming with the movie’s feline stars Schnitzel and Nico.
On the character’s inspiration, “Frodo grew naturally out of Sam’s character. A hospice patient isn’t necessarily aiming for survival during the end of the world, and this is a chance for her to reconnect with her life. Frodo became an extension of that. I always imagined that back when Sam lived in the city, Frodo was a savvy street cat, and she started leaving out a bowl of milk for him, and he became her pet. Then he became the one thing she took with her when she left the city as her life neared its end. Frodo is a stand-in for her life that once existed. So when they return to the city together, they re-experience it together. Also, just the image of Sam walking through a desolate New York City with her little cat jumped out at me as perfect.”
There was never a version where Frodo died. “If you’re gonna kill an animal, it’s got to be for a really meaningful reason. Otherwise, you’re just being cruel to the audience.”
The most difficult part to film was “all the water stuff and keeping him in a flotation device near rushing water. The subway stuff was really tricky. He was afraid of the water, but sometimes he wanted to jump into the water to try and get away from it. A lot of it was Joe and Lupita forming a real bond with the cats that played Frodo so that when they were around Joe and Lupita, they felt at ease. It was about taking the time that the cats needed to feel relaxed and safe and to let them know, ‘You’re okay; we’re not going to put you in the water.’ But, yeah, it turns out cats don’t love water.“
[The ending.]Says that after getting on the ferry Eric and Frodo are probably now on the island from A Quiet Place Part Two, and that while there aren’t any specific plans “definitely there’s a good chance we’re going to see them again.”
