Millicent Simmonds may be the breakout star of the horror hit A Quiet Place, but she remains humble about her status as a deaf icon and her future in the entertainment industry.
The film recently came out for home entertainment, allowing audiences to relive the suspenseful story, or experience for the first time.
Simmonds, who is just 15, admits she was surprised by the film’s success (read our review here).
“I didn’t imagine it would take off like this and it was quite a surprise to see that and how much interest people have in this movie,” she told FANDOM’s Clarke Wolfe.
Part of the interest is in her character Regan, the deaf daughter of Lee (John Krasinski) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt). The actors learned American Sign Language from instructors, and Simmonds also helped with teaching.
To see a deaf actor in a deaf role has thrust Simmonds into the spotlight, which she is willing to share.
“It’s really great but it’s not just me as a deaf role model: it’s Lauren Ridloff, it’s Shoshannah [Stern], it’s Josh Feldman, Nyle DiMarco. All of these great actors and people that are involved in Hollywood,” she explained. “They’re deaf and they’ve inspired me as well. It’s nice for me to be able to connect to the community that I am part of.”
That community has praised her on social media:
This young woman. Millicent Simmonds. She grabs and holds my heart on the big screen from start… https://t.co/80s5cpGEO0
— Lauren Ridloff (@LaurenRidloff) October 24, 2017
Simmonds has received critical acclaim for her role in Wonderstruck, including a Critic’s Choice Awards. Expect to see her get some more nominations for A Quiet Place as awards season comes around.
The movie is out on digital, Blu-ray and 4k.
In the bonus clip, Simmonds discusses working with Krasinski in his directorial debut.
