Phoebe Waller-Bridge connected with IF character who is ‘quite a panicker’
UK premiere of IF – London
Phoebe Waller-Bridge has said she can relate to the character she plays in upcoming film IF, who is a “little panicky”.
The British actress stars in the film from director John Krasinski about a young girl who, after discovering she can see everyone’s imaginary friends (IFs), embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their children.
The cast is led by Cailey Fleming and Ryan Reynolds, while a string of stars play IFs, including Krasinski’s British wife Emily Blunt, Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively, and Steve Carell – who co-starred in the US version of The Office with Krasinski.
“My character is called Blossom and she has set up a sort of matchmaking agency with a few other IFs to try and match untethered IFs with other humans and she’s struggling a bit, but she does not give up,” Fleabag star Waller-Bridge told the PA news agency on the carpet.
“She’s quite a panicker underneath the surface, even though she tries to keep everyone calm all the time.
“I can sort of relate to the little panicky bit anyway.
“But also she’s chic, she’s got these cute little ballet shoes, she’s got a bit of attitude, she’s a complex lady – I like her a lot.”
Krasinski, who directed the A Quiet Place horror films, said during the UK premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square in London that his favourite IFs belonged to his two daughters.
“My daughters’ IFs are in the movie. So one of my daughter’s IFs is a pink alligator and my other daughter’s IF is the marshmallow that’s on fire,” the 44-year-old told PA.
“I had an imaginary friend, his name was Sam Brace because I really wanted to wear braces when I was an eight-year-old.
“Turns out, braces weren’t as fun as I thought they were. But at the time, that’s what I wanted and so I named him Sam Brace and we went to the video store and re-enacted movies all the time.”
Meanwhile young actress Fleming said starring opposite Deadpool actor Reynolds was “amazing”.
“Obviously, he’s hilarious, Everyone knows that. But I think another thing that you don’t see as much is his heart, it’s humongous,” she told PA.
“He has the biggest heart, he is so sweet. I got to see him interact with his kids and it’s just so refreshing to see another side of him and I think you’ll get to see that in this movie. He’s just a big sweetheart.”
IF will be released in the UK on May 17.
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