(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
I don’t think Emily Blunt will ever shed the glamorous association with her namesake role in The Devil Wears Prada — nor should she; it’s a perfect film. Like me, her husband, John Krasinski, has reportedly seen it over 75 times. But dig below the surface of the British actor’s CV, and you’ll find an assortment of cinematic jewels that often go unnoticed.
From Kate Macer, the unflinching FBI agent in Sicario, to her Oscar-nominated portrayal of Kitty Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 box office success, Blunt is an actor with a kaleidoscopic range. Unsurprisingly, with over two decades worth of experience in the film business and a handful of accolades, her talent has turned the heads of Tinseltown’s most prominent directors.
Speaking to The Times, Blunt was called upon to list the best directors she had ever worked with. At the time, she was promoting the disquieting horror A Quiet Place, for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role’. The film is directed by her husband, John Krasinksi, so you’d think the answer would be a no-brainer.
And yes, Krasinski was mentioned. “He’s bloody up there,” she told the journalist. When Blunt received the SAG Award for A Quiet Place, she lovingly referenced Krasinski in her victory speech. “I am going to share this completely with my husband, John Krasinski because the entire experience of doing this with you has completely pierced my heart directly. You are a stunning filmmaker. I am so lucky to be with you and to have done this film with you.”
But his name was thrown in with a list of other directors like “Doug Liman, Denis Villeneuve, Rian Johnson”. Blunt joined forces with Liman on the set of Edge of Tomorrow, the 2014 science-fiction blockbuster based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill. While the actor was also enlisted for Johnson’s time-travelling action thriller Looper and received top-billing in Villeneuve’s Sicario. Either way, it’s a huge compliment. Krasinksi is in good company.
One can’t help but wonder if Blunt was to revisit her answer today, would Nolan also feature on the list? In an interview with Vanity Fair, Blunt extrapolated on her experience on set shooting Oppenheimer, praising Nolan for his ability to create a chaos-free environment, especially with so many heavyweights like Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, and Cillian Murphy involved. “I’m sure he was holding a storm in his brain every day, but you felt none of it. He’s so understated,” she says.
Elaborating, she added: “He speaks to you privately and intimately. His notes are really transforming, and he never comes in before three takes. He understands actors. He knows you’ve got to throw a bunch of stuff against the wall to see what sticks… I think the unusual part of him, I guess we all forget because he’s such an extraordinary filmmaker, but he’s an extraordinary writer as well.”
On top of this, Blunt also appreciated Nolan’s “very British compliments”, adding that “there will be no smoke being blown up your arse.”
Emily Blunt’s favourite directors:
- John Krasinksi
- Doug Liman
- Denis Villeneuve
- Rian Johnson
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