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Emily Blunt – MovieActors.com
Blunt in "Sicario".
About Emily Blunt (1983 – )
Blunt was born in Wandsworth, London, the second of four children. Her mother was Joanna Mackie and her father was barrister Oliver Simon Peter Blunt. From the age of 7 to 12, Blunt struggled with stuttering. She credits a school teacher for helping her overcome the stutter through acting (she has since gone on to sit on the board of directors for the American Institute for Stuttering). Blunt attended Ibstock Place School and, at the age of 16, went to Hurtwood House, a private college known for its performing arts program. She was discovered there by an agent.
In November 2001, Blunt made her professional debut, opposite Judi Dench in Sir Peter Hall's theatrical production of The Royal Family. She was hailed by critics for her performance, and named "Best Newcomer" by The Evening Standard. She went on to perform as Eugenie in Nicholas Wright's Vincent in Brixton at the National Theatre, and as Juliet in Indhu Rubasingham's production of Romeo and Juliet at Chichester Festival Theatre, both in 2002.
She made her television debut in 2003 in the British television drama Boudica, which depicted the life of an ancient Celtic warrior-queen who fought the Romans. That same year, she was praised for her performance as the 16th-century queen Catherine Howard in the two-part British TV drama Henry VIII. The following year she delivered a breakout performance as Tamsin in My Summer of Love, a story of deception and lesbian love in the English countryside.
In 2005, Blunt co-starred with Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson in the British television drama Gideon's Daughter, an original screenplay written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, in which she played the troubled only child of a British politician played by Nighy. She won a Golden Globe for her performance.
In 2006, Blunt acted opposite Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in the box-office success The Devil Wears Prada. Her role as Emily brought her Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Also in 2006, Blunt co-starred with Susan Sarandon in the drama Irresistible.
Blunt appeared in four films in 2007: Wind Chill, The Jane Austen Book Club, Dan in Real Life, and Charlie Wilson's War. In 2008, Blunt's pace slackened somewhat as she was featured in two films, Sunshine Cleaning, and The Great Buck Howard. In 2009, Blunt played Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria, and the short film Curiosity. She was director Jon Favreau's top choice to play the Black Widow in Iron Man 2, but scheduling problems with Gulliver's Travels forced her to relinquish the role in favor of Scarlett Johansson.
In 2010, Blunt co-starred with Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins in the high-profile horror film The Wolfman. She also starred in Gulliver's Travels and in The Adjustment Bureau, alongside Matt Damon, playing a dancer being mysteriously kept apart from Damon's character.
In 2011 she starred in the British comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, directed by Lasse Hallström and co-starring Ewan McGregor and Kristin Scott Thomas. She also briefly appeared in Disney's The Muppets, as Miss Piggy's receptionist. She starred in the 2012 film The Five-Year Engagement, directed by Nicholas Stoller and co-starring Jason Segel. Blunt also began filming an American science-fiction film, Looper, directed by Rian Johnson and co-starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. She also starred in Arthur Newman with Colin Firth.
In 2014, she starred opposite Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow, and again worked with Disney, playing the baker's wife in the film version of Into the Woods, which also featured her Devil Wears Prada co-star Meryl Streep as the witch.
Emily Blunt's notable movie credits include...
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | My Summer of Love | Tamsin |
| 2006 | The Devil Wears Prada | Emily Charlton |
| 2006 | Irresistible | Mara |
| 2007 | Wind Chill | Girl |
| 2007 | The Jane Austen Book Club | Prudie |
| 2007 | Dan in Real Life | Ruthie Draper |
| 2007 | Charlie Wilson's War | Jane Liddle |
| 2008 | The Great Buck Howard | Valerie Brennan |
| 2008 | Sunshine Cleaning | Norah Lorkowski |
| 2009 | The Young Victoria | Queen Victoria |
| 2009 | Curiosity | Emma |
| 2010 | The Wolfman | Gwen Conliffe |
| 2010 | Wild Target | Rose |
| 2010 | Gulliver's Travels | Princess Mary |
| 2011 | Gnomeo & Juliet | Juliet (voice) |
| 2011 | The Adjustment Bureau | Elise Sellas |
| 2011 | Salmon Fishing in the Yemen | Harriet Chetwode-Talbot |
| 2011 | Your Sister's Sister | Iris |
| 2011 | The Muppets | Miss Piggy's Receptionist |
| 2012 | The Five-Year Engagement | Violet Barnes |
| 2012 | Looper | Sara |
| 2012 | Arthur Newman | Michaela Fitzgerald / Charlotte Fitzgerald |
| 2013 | The Wind Rises | Naoko Satomi (voice) |
| 2014 | Edge of Tomorrow | Rita Vrataski |
| 2014 | Into the Woods | The Baker's Wife |
| 2015 | Sicario | Kate Macer |
| 2016 | Animal Crackers | Zoe Huntington (voice) |
| 2016 | The Huntsman: Winter's War | Freya |
| 2016 | The Girl on the Train | Rachel Watson |
Emily Blunt's television credits include...
| Year | Show/Series | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Boudica | Isolda |
| 2003 | Foyle's War | Lucy Markham |
| 2003 | Henry VIII | Catherine Howard |
| 2004 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Linnet Ridgeway |
| 2005 | Empire | Camane |
| 2005 | The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle | Jean Leckie |
| 2006 | Gideon's Daughter | Natasha |
| 2009 | The Simpsons | Juliet Hobbes (voice) |
Memorable Quotes
“I couldn't talk as a kid because I stammered all the time, so I would just watch. I'm fascinated by human behavior. People surprise me all the time. And I love being able to morph into different characters.”
“I'd love to not have a walker at 80. I'd love to still be upright. And children and grandchildren, I'd love that. I'd love not to be a cantankerous old bat. I'd love to be a fun-loving nana.”
“I'd love to be exciting and say that I was the rebel at school, but sadly I wasn't.”
Did You Know
Acting and adopting new accents helped her to overcome a debilitating speech impediment at age 12.
Emily's ex-boyfriend, multi-platinum recording artist Michael Bublé, wrote the hit single "Everything" for her. She's also on his album "Call Me Irresponsible", where she sings briefly at the end of the song "Me and Mrs. Jones".
Emily was told to lose weight for her role as Emily in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Co-star Anne Hathaway has similar recollections, and reports that she and Emily were always hungry on-set because of the strict diets needed to maintain the ultra-thin "super-model" look.