The Life of an ActorLists of fun facts, fascinating trivia, and wild, charming, and even heartbreaking stories about some of the most famous people you feel like you already know.
A bonafide A-list actress, Emily Blunt easily has one of the most diverse resumes in the business. She's played a chilly assistant (The Devil Wears Prada), an FBI agent (Sicario), a singing cartoon gnome (Gnomeo & Juliet), an unreliable witness (The Girl on the Train), and even the beloved Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins Returns). Moreover, many of her quirks prove Blunt can be just as offbeat as the rest of us, and confirm what audiences have long suspected: she's an absolute darling.
Since the British star burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, she has turned in performances that have earned her devoted fans and awards nominations. Additionally, Blunt and The Office star John Krasinski have been happily married since 2010, have two daughters together, and continue to be the epitome of relationship goals. Blunt shows no sign of slowing down, with Disney's Jungle Cruise set to debut in 2020, a follow-up to Edge of Tomorrow in the works, and many more projects on the horizon.
Photo: Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com
Photo: Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com
She Struggled With A Speech Impediment
Blunt is open about her past struggles with a stutter, which she overcame by acting: "The only way I could speak fluently was to be someone else." She found that distancing herself through a character led to the absence of her stutter, and on stage, she finally felt "free." However, it sometimes resurfaces when she's tired or stressed.
Blunt is on the Stuttering Foundation's (SFA) list of Famous People Who Stutter, which includes fellow actor James Earl Jones and singer Ed Sheeran. The actress continues to speak up about her past trials with the impediment and participates in SFA galas.
'Jaws' and 'Gone With The Wind' Inspired Her To Act
Blunt cites Jaws and Gone With the Wind as early inspirations for her acting career. "I wanted to be Scarlett O’Hara," she said in an interview with Vulture. She says she remains hesitant to swim in the ocean, and still harbors a crush on Roy Scheider.
As Blunt's career progressed, she began to "appreciate acting as an art form." She praised the powerful performances of Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep, telling Vulture: "Who is that? What is she doing? Oh my God. How does she do it? I love watching actresses and asking myself those questions."
Photo: DFree / Shutterstock.com
Stanley Tucci Is Her Brother-In-Law
On-screen, Blunt was Emily Charlton, first assistant to Miranda Priestly, and Stanley Tucci was Nigel Kipling, art director for Runway magazine. In reality, the two are family and good friends - Tucci married Blunt's sister Felicity in 2012. The co-stars had a reunion with Miranda herself, Meryl Streep, at the 2018 premiere of Tucci's film Final Portrait.
Blunt has expressed interest in a Prada sequel if her co-stars are interested.
Photo: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com
She Considered Changing Her Last Name When She Started Acting
Blunt says she thought about altering her surname for the sake of movie-business politics. When asked for a specific reason, she told The Telegraph: "We all know what it rhymes with." Her agent at the time dissuaded her from changing it, appealing to how "memorable" her surname is.
Now a household name to audiences, even some of her co-workers have taken to just calling her "Blunt."
Photo: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com
She Was Almost In The Marvel Cinematic Universe - Twice
Blunt was the first choice to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2 and Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. However, due to scheduling conflicts and contractual obligations, Blunt had to turn down both roles.
She told Vulture: “It’s always a difficult thing to talk about because it’s not fair to the actresses who ended up playing them, you know? It just wasn’t the right time.”
Photo: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
She Filmed The Scream From 'A Quiet Place' In One Take
While the entire birth scene in A Quiet Place took about five days to shoot, Blunt nailed her hair-raising scream in a single take, and she blew her voice out as a result. Blunt and husband/director John Krasinski both confessed this particular scene was challenging, saying that by the end everyone was "toasted."
Blunt stated the crew was "feeling rather fragile. The crew was really upset by it." Krasinski complimented his wife's skills:
She changes the air in the room. It’s not acting; it’s like you are witnessing a moment you shouldn’t be witnessing. I have a whole new respect for her. Only one guy would talk to her, and he said, "I don’t think we were supposed to watch that. None of us should have been there."
