EMILY BLUNT
FROM STAGE PERFORMER TO ACTION STAR
By Lee Parham
Jungle Cruise lead Emily Blunt has been acting for over two decades and has transformed her career from a British stage performer into one of Hollywood’s most reliable stars.
Emily Blunt was born in London in 1983 to her mother Joanna, an actress, and her father Oliver, a barrister. At an early age Blunt struggled with stuttering, but she overcame it in a unique way.
One of Blunt’s school teachers recommended she’d remedy her speech impediment through acting, a method that yielded great results. Blunt still remains an advocate for stuttering and speech therapy.
Acting quickly became a huge passion for Blunt during her teen years. She was sent to a performing arts college at age 16 before quickly being noticed and signed by an agent.
Before making her debut on screen, Blunt starred in a number of stage productions in England, including Bliss, The Royal Family, Vincent in Brixton, and Romeo and Juliet.
Actress Emily Blunt, The First Night Of 'The Royal Family', At The Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London
Additionally Blunt starred in a number of TV roles before transitioning to film, including parts in the dramas like Henry VIII and a guest appearance in the mystery show Agatha Christie’s Poirot.
While her first film role came in 2004 with My Summer of Love, Blunt didn’t make a mainstream impact until her follow-up in 2006 with The Devil Wears Prada, starring alongside Meryl Streep.
Summer of Love
The Devil Wears Prada proved to be a big break for Blunt, earning her a plethora of awards and recognition including a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award, which springboarded her career.
The next half-decade witnessed a number of solid supporting roles for Blunt, including Dan in Real Life, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Wolfman, Gulliver's Travels, and The Jane Austen Book Club.
Charlie Wilson's War
Blunt also had a select few leading parts as well, including another stab at British royalty as Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria and in romcom Salmon Fishing in the Yemen alongside Ewan McGregor.
The Young Victoria
In the first half of the 2010’s Blunt began pivoting towards bigger budget science fiction films such as The Adjustment Bureau and Looper, both critical and commercial successes.
The Adjustment Bureau
In 2014 Emily co-starred with Tom Cruise in the science fiction time travel film Edge of Tomorrow directed by Doug Liman. The film was critically acclaimed and cemented Blunt as an action star.
Blunt would continue to prove herself in action cinema with performances in The Huntsman: Winters War, Sicario, and now her latest film Jungle Cruise featuring action legend Dwayne Johnson.
The Jungle Cruise
Action hasn’t been her only outlet as of late. Leading performances in The Girl on the Train and the beloved A Quiet Place have shown her ability to crossover into the horror and thriller genre.
A Quiet Place
The A Quiet Place series, in which Blunt’s real-life husband John Krasinski stars and direct, has quickly become a fan favorite, with Part II reinvigorating the box office in the pandemic era.
However Emily Blunt’s crossover abilities don’t stop there. In 2014 she reunited with Meryl Streep in the Disney fairy tale musical Into the Woods as the protagonist baker's wife.
She would sing for Disney again in 2018, this time as the iconic Mary Poppins taking over for the legendary Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins Returns, the long-awaited sequel 54 years after the original.
From jungle adventurers, to musicals, horror thrillers, and even romcoms, Emily Blunt has established herself as one of the best leading ladies in Hollywood with an incredibly bright future.