Blunt has been working with the American Institute for Stuttering since 2006 to help children overcome stuttering through educational resources and raise awareness of the realities of the condition. She is on the board of directors of the institute, and hosts a gala for it to raise funds for speech therapy scholarships for children and adults.
Early life
Emily Olivia Laura Blunt was born in London on 23 February 1983.[1][2] She is the second of four children, born to a former actress and English teacher, Joanna Mackie,[3][4] and a barrister, Oliver Blunt QC.[5][6] Her mother gave up acting to parent full time before Blunt started school.[5][4] Blunt has portrayed herself as a "shy and awkward" child,[7] who began having difficulties with stuttering, a condition she described as debilitating and "like an imposter living in your body."[8][9] She experienced it at its worst between the ages of seven and 14.[10] Intimidated by speaking, she spent a lot of time watching people, as well as creating elaborate games for herself.[4][5] She credits a school teacher with encouraging her to perform in class plays, where using voices different from her own allowed her to disconnect from herself and speak fluently. It also gave her the confidence to continue on the stage and discover her love of acting.[11][10] She has said that her stutter largely receded in adulthood, but still occasionally emerges under stress.[12][8][9] She attended Hurtwood House, a sixth-formboarding school in Surrey, known for its performing arts program.[13] After appearing in a school play at the Edinburgh Festival, Blunt was discovered and signed by an agent.[13][14] Once she finished her school exams, she began auditioning.[14]
Career
2001–2004: Early work
In November 2001, Blunt made her professional acting debut at age 18 in Peter Hall's West End production of the play The Royal Family, in which she played the granddaughter of Judi Dench's character.[15] Critic Tom Keatinge hailed the production, writing that "Peter Hall's direction and Anthony Ward's tremendous set combine with all this to make The Royal Family a terrific night's entertainment", and that "it provides a vehicle for acting of the finest quality, with strong performances from the whole ensemble".[16] For her performance, Blunt was named "Best Newcomer" by the Evening Standard.[17] The following year, she portrayed Eugenie in Nicholas Wright's play Vincent in Brixton at the National Theatre, and Juliet in Indhu Rubasingham's production of Romeo and Juliet at Chichester Festival Theatre.[1][18] In 2003, Blunt made her screen debut in the British television drama Boudica, about the life of the 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 television drama Henry VIII.[18]
In 2004, Blunt made her theatrical film debut in Paweł Pawlikowski's critically acclaimed independent British drama My Summer of Love, about an infatuation between two young women from different socioeconomic backgrounds in the English countryside.[18][5] The film involved a lot of improvisation, which Blunt found an interesting challenge, later stating that Pawlikowski's approach was "free spirited, collaborative and alive."[19][14] Co-starring as Tamsin, she received considerable attention for her performance,[18] garnering critical praise,[20] with David Ansen of Newsweek writing: "Press and Blunt are major discoveries ... they conjure up the role-playing raptures of youth with perfect poetic pitch".[21] Blunt won the Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer and was nominated for the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer.[22] She credited her experience making the film as having an impact on her career choices, stating that it was "such a foray into the great unknown ....[like] putting your feet to the fire" and she "loved that feeling of terror and excitement" and "looked for it ever since."[14][23]
Blunt's profile continued to rise, and in 2007, she appeared in four films: the horror film Wind Chill, the romantic drama The Jane Austen Book Club, the comedy-drama Dan in Real Life, and the biographical comedy-drama Charlie Wilson's War.[18] In 2008, Blunt appeared in Sunshine Cleaning in the role of Norah Lorkowski, an underachiever who starts a crime-scene clean-up business with her sister Rose (Amy Adams). The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews, particularly for Adams' and Blunt's performances. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine commented "This funny and touching movie depends on two can-do actresses to scrub past the biohazard of noxious clichés that threaten to intrude. Adams and Blunt get the job done."[30]A. O. Scott of The New York Times agreed, stating "Amy Adams and Emily Blunt [...] attack their roles with vivacity and dedication..."[31] She then starred in The Great Buck Howard as Valerie Brennan, which premiered at the same festival.[18]
In 2011, Blunt co-starred with Matt Damon in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau, playing a dancer who is "being mysteriously kept apart" from a politician. The film earned generally positive reviews, with critics praising Blunt and Damon's chemistry.[43] Blunt starred in the British romantic comedy-drama Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, directed by Lasse Hallström. She played a financial adviser who recruits a fisheries expert to help realise a sheikh's vision of bringing the sport of fly fishing to the Yemen desert, resulting in a spiritual journey for both in the process.[44] The film premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival,[45] receiving positive reviews, as did Blunt's performance. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times noted "Blunt and [co-star Ewan McGregor] are two of the most gifted and attractive actors working today, able to play off each other with great style..."[46] Blunt was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her performance. Also that year, she made a cameo appearance in Disney's The Muppets, as Miss Piggy's receptionist, and starred in the independent comedy-drama Your Sister's Sister.[47] In November 2011, Blunt was named the ambassador of the new Yves Saint Laurent fragrance Opium.[48]
In 2012, Blunt starred in the romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement, directed by Nicholas Stoller and co-starring Jason Segel, in which she and Segel played a couple whose relationship becomes strained when their engagement is continually extended. The film earned positive reviews, with Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News remarking that "Blunt has never been more relaxed, and she and Segel have a believably warm chemistry."[49] She then starred in Looper, a science fiction action film directed by Rian Johnson. Blunt played Sara, a tough farm woman and single mother, who aids and falls in love with a time-traveller. The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, where it served as the opening film, and earned highly positive feedback. Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter credited Blunt for "effectively [revealing] Sara's tough and vulnerable sides."[50] Also that year, she starred in the comedy-drama Arthur Newman as the troubled Charlotte, who is trying to run away from her past.[51] The film received generally mixed-to-negative reviews.[52][53]
In 2014, Blunt starred in Edge of Tomorrow, a film adaptation of the Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill, written by Hiroshi Sakurazaka.[54] Blunt played Sergeant Rita Vrataski, a Special Forces warrior tasked with training a public relations officer to defeat invading extraterrestrials. Blunt trained three months for her role, "focusing on everything from weights to sprints to yoga, aerial wire work and gymnastics", and studying Krav Maga.[55] The film was commercially successful, grossing $370,541,256[56] and earned positive reviews. Many critics took note of the atypically dominating role portrayed by Blunt, and Justin Chang of Variety noted that "Blunt is alert, energized and emotionally present in a none-too-taxing role."[57] For her performance, Blunt won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie.[58]
Blunt then played the role of the Baker's Wife in The Walt Disney Company's film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods, directed by Rob Marshall and featuring an ensemble cast.[59][60] Ironically, Blunt was pregnant throughout filming, while playing a character who is barren throughout the film's first act.[61][62] The film was a commercial success and earned generally positive reviews, with Blunt earning praise for her acting and singing. Richard Corliss of Time remarked that "When Blunt is onscreen, these woods are alive with the magic of a fractured fairy tale..."[63] She was nominated for her second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her performance.[64]
In 2015, Blunt starred in the crime thriller Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve. Blunt played Kate Macer, a principled FBI agent assigned to take down the leader of a powerful Mexican drug cartel. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. Blunt received considerable praise for her performance, with Dan Jolin of Empire magazine calling it "nuanced", and stating that "her straight-arrow-sharp determination becomes painfully dulled",[65] and while Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian found her character implausible, he praised Blunt for "[brazening] out any possible absurdity with great acting focus and front".[66] Blunt was nominated for her second consecutive Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie.[67]
After providing her voice for the 2017 animated films My Little Pony: The Movie and Animal Crackers, Blunt made her return to live action in her husband John Krasinski's horror film A Quiet Place, which follows a family being tormented by monstrous creatures that hunt by sound.[73] The script was originally written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who began writing it in January 2016 based on a concept they conceived in college,[74] and they wanted Blunt for the role of the mother.[75] When Krasinski re-wrote the script, he wrote it with Blunt in mind for the role, but did not ask her to do it as she had just had a child, was working on another film, and he was concerned that if he asked she would either decline it or accept it to support him. "I just thought if she does this, she has to come to it on her own."[76] Blunt initially did not want to be cast, but after reading Krasinski's draft on a plane flight she felt she needed to do it as the story "represented some of my deepest fears – of not being able to protect my children."[15][76] Blunt contributed to the pre-production stage of the film.[77][76]A Quiet Place served as the opening night film at the 2018 South by Southwest film festival, where it received critical acclaim;[78][79] Eric Kohn of IndieWire lauded the cast for "contribut[ing] credible intensity to their scenes with a degree of sophistication rare for this type of material", while Laura Prudom of IGN remarked that, "Blunt, in particular, is put through the wringer in ways that would seem almost farcical, if she didn't play them with such compelling conviction."[80][81]
The same year, Blunt played the title character in Rob Marshall's musical fantasy film Mary Poppins Returns. It served as a sequel to the 1964 film, with Blunt taking over the role from Julie Andrews.[82] Owen Gleiberman of Variety found Blunt to be "practically perfect in every way" and added that she "inhabits Mary Poppins' snappishly entrancing spirit, and in the musical numbers she generates her own spit-spot radiance".[83] She received two SAG nominations for her performances in A Quiet Place and Mary Poppins Returns, winning Best Supporting Actress for A Quiet Place, and she also received her sixth Golden Globe nomination for Mary Poppins Returns.[84][85] In 2020, Blunt guest-starred in her husband's web series Some Good News, which began streaming on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic.[86] She starred in the romantic drama Wild Mountain Thyme – based on John Patrick Shanley's play Outside Mullingar.[87] The part required her to speak with an Irish accent; neither the film nor her accent were well received.[88][89][90] In the same year, Forbes ranked her as the sixth highest-paid actress in the world, with annual earnings of $22.5 million.[91]
Blunt reprised her role in the horror sequel A Quiet Place Part II (2021), which was released after a year-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It became one of the first major Hollywood films to be released theatrically since the beginning of the pandemic.[92] Peter Bradshaw bemoaned that the "excellent" Blunt did not have more screen time.[93] As with the first film, it also emerged as a commercial success.[94] Later that year, Blunt starred alongside Dwayne Johnson in the adventure film Jungle Cruise, based on the eponymous amusement ride.[95] It was released simultaneously in theatres and digitally on Disney+ Premier Access.[96] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times disliked the picture and opined that "not even Emily Blunt, doing her best Katharine Hepburn impression, can keep this leaky boat ride afloat".[97] The following year, Blunt played an avenging mother in the television miniseries The English, a western from Hugo Blick.[98] Critics were impressed with her performance.[99] Lucy Mangan of The Guardian opined, "Blunt is at her best yet, giving us a woman made brave and undauntable by resolve".[100] She received another SAG Award nomination for it.[101]
In Christopher Nolan's biographical film Oppenheimer (2023), starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Blunt portrayed the eponymous scientist's wife, Katherine, who was a member of the Communist Party USA.[102] She took a pay cut to work on the film, earning $4 million in lieu of her usual $10- to $20-million salary.[103] Nolan said that he thought about "running away" from the character while writing the script as she was "terrifying", but Blunt humanised her and surprised him in how she embraced her negative qualities; "No vanity, no fear of humiliation, no wanting to control the way she would appear".[104] The film was critically acclaimed, although some criticism was made of the writing of the female characters.[105][106] Blunt's performance received praise,[107][108] and was singled out for elevating the limited material she had.[109][110] Writing for Empire, Dan Jolin said that Blunt "busts out of the supportive/suffering wife archetype as the alcoholic but sharp-witted Kitty Oppenheimer" and delivers "one of the film's most rousing scenes in an intense verbal duel with bullish lawyer Roger Robb",[111] and Tomris Laffly of The Wrap called her performance "subtly scene-stealing".[112] Blunt once again received nominations for the Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA Award,[113][114][28] in addition to her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.[115] With a worldwide gross of over $950 million, Oppenheimer emerged as Blunt's highest-grossing film.[116] Her next release that year, the Netflix crime drama Pain Hustlers opposite Chris Evans, received poor reviews from critics.[117][118]
Blunt next starred with Ryan Gosling in David Leitch's action comedy film The Fall Guy (2024).[119] For her part as a filmmaker in it, she drew inspiration from Greta Gerwig.[120] IGN's Siddhant Adlakha was appreciate of the romantic chemistry between Blunt and Gosling.[121] It did not perform well commercially.[122] She then had a voice role in Krasinski's live-action animated fantasy film IF.[123] Blunt will next star in the sports film The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson as wrestler Mark Kerr.[124]
Reception
Journalists have noted Blunt's versatility as an actor and her roles in various genres, including drama, comedy, musicals, and action.[131]The Guardian observed her ability to not be pigeonholed into a type of role, and wrote that she "specialises in a sort of calculated understatement", praising her "insight into what makes characters tick and her facility for accents".[5] Commenting on her engaging screen presence, Rachel Rosenblint of Elle stated that "she has a knack for playing subtle, unspoken notes like a virtuoso".[25]The New York Times regarded Blunt as having a "taste for the offbeat and a fetching lack of vanity when it comes to playing disagreeable women" and noted her "adventurous spirit" as a performer.[3] Describing the nuances of a performance, The Age wrote, "It's no wonder that Meryl Streep has already pronounced Blunt "the best young actress I've worked with in some time, perhaps ever"."[125] Aaron Hicklin said in The Guardian that Blunt's career "has been marked by a succession of stretching new roles".[132]The Los Angeles Times assessed that from the start of her career, Blunt "has always proved up for whatever the challenge may be", and noted her "fluidity" in working between drama and comedy.[133]Screen Rant stated that Blunt has "a number of iconic roles under her belt".[134] Her work in action roles has also been singled out, with Collider writing that it is "proof that action cinema has the potential to be morally, ethically, and emotionally nuanced", and deeming Blunt one of the "rare performers" that exceed as both an actor and movie star.[129] Catherine Shoard of The Guardian named her "the biggest British female movie star of her generation", comparing her to Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Rachel Weisz, and Kate Winslet.[135]Vanity Fair commented that she has portrayed "a kaleidoscope of mesmerizing characters" and found a "delicate balance" as "a movie star with character-actor range".[15]
Advocacy
Blunt helps to promote and raise funds for the Malala Fund, a non-profit organisation that advocates for girls' education, co-founded by Malala Yousafzai.[136] She also works with Family Reach, an organisation that helps financially support families affected by cancer.[137] Blunt has also been working with the American Institute for Stuttering since 2006 to help children overcome stuttering through educational resources and raise awareness of the realities of the condition.[9] She is on the board of directors of the institute, and hosts a gala for it each year to raise funds for speech therapy scholarships for children and adults.[138][7]
Personal life
Blunt was in a relationship with Canadian singer Michael Bublé from 2005 to 2008.[139] She and American actor John Krasinski were introduced to each other by a mutual friend and began dating in November 2008.[140][141] They became engaged in August 2009 and married in Como, Italy in July 2010.[141][142] They have two daughters, one born in 2014 and the other in 2016.[143][144]
In 2012, Blunt became the sister-in-law of actor Stanley Tucci when he married her sister Felicity.[145] In 2015, Blunt became an American citizen through naturalisation, making her a dual citizen of the UK and US.[146]
^"Emily Blunt Interview". Seacrest Studios. 3 April 2023. Event occurs at 12:37. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023 – via YouTube.
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