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eclining in the LA
sunshine outside her
R home, Emily Blunt is
sunbathing in tracksuit
bottoms and a bra.
Stylist, we’re quick to point out, isn’t
there (we’re chatting on the phone
– hence the bra) but she’s happy to tell
us. Sharp, self-deprecating, with a very
dry sense of humour and an infectious
laugh (she’s fittingly engaged to John
Krasinski from the US version of The
Office), the London-born actress has
a habit of quickly correcting herself.
Not that Blunt needs to worry about
how she comes across. Just weeks
away from her 27th birthday, her
career has seen her graduate
from quirky award-winning Britflick
My Summer Of Love, through
Hollywood smash The Devil Wears
Prada (she stole the show as Emily
Chalton, the career saboteur with a
heart) to last year’s period drama
The Young Victoria; scooping Bafta
nominations, Golden Globes and
deliriously effusive reviews along the
way. Meryl Streep praised her as the
“best young actress [I’ve] worked
with in some time, perhaps ever.”
Expanding her impressive repertoire
even further, this week, Blunt stars in
her darkest project yet: The Wolfman,
a glossy remake of a Forties horror film
about a curse that turns men into
werewolves when the moon is full…
You star in The Wolfman with the
broodingly charismatic Benicio Del
Toro. How did you find working with
him? He seems so intense.
People are intimidated by Benicio,
but what they don’t realise is that he’s
actually intimidated by most people.
He’s so impossibly shy! Once I got
to know him, we had such a laugh
because he’s really rude and bawdy.
I was like his annoying sister by the
end. I can’t think of a better guy
to play the Wolfman because he
has something exhilarating and
disarming about him, and you need
that to believe in this character.
Also, you totally believe
he has a dark side…
Well, he likes to think so!
Did you find the
film scary?
Let’s hope it is. Otherwise
we’re in trouble. There
were days when it felt
scary on set, so that’s a
good sign. I play Gwen,
Benicio’s love interest.
It’s a taboo friendship
because she was
engaged to his brother,
who dies at the start of
the film in mysterious
circumstances. She’s the
picture of purity, which
is unusual for me. I’m so
not used to playing purity!
You’ve worked with female icons
like Judi Dench and Meryl Streep.
Did they give you any advice?
They wouldn’t have presumed to give
me advice. They’re very grounded
women, and they have the same feel to
them, which is: “Please don’t gush over
me.” Just to see the grace they have
around them. That’s what I found
inspiring. I felt lucky to be in the
position to try and keep up with them.
Are you ambitious?
Quietly so. Not ferociously ambitious
or willing to slay my children to get
a part. Although that’s certainly out
there. Someone said to me the other
day, “There are actresses out there
with ‘the crazy eye’ – that desperate
look as if they would kill you for this
part.” I laughed so hard because that’s
exactly what it is: the crazy eye.
How do you strike the perfect
work/life balance?
I try not to be overwhelmed by the
thought of a role. Part of the joy of
being curious is being willing to be
challenged. But it’s important to take
time off in between jobs so that, when
you are in a job, you’re fully committed
and not doing a half-arsed job of it. So
I take two or three months off between
jobs. Some people are fine going from
job to job. I would lose my mind.
WITH THE EVER-BROODING
BENICIO DEL TORO
IN THE WOLFMAN
EMILY WITH FIANCÉ AND
STAR OF US OFFICE,
JOHN KRASINSKI
How do you switch off when you
are working on a film?
I don’t take my characters home
with me. I find it easy to remove
myself. It is acting at the end of the
day. Everyone’s method is different.
I don’t actually know what mine is.
It’s working so far…
Seems to be! I’ll stick to being baffled
about how I approach it.
What’s your daily routine when
you’re not working?
I like to go on hikes, walk the dog,
read, cook – I’m trying to cook
something different every day.
And I want to learn to play the cello
again. I played for 10 years and used
to be really good but then I discovered
a social life and gave it up. It’s so
sad and I’m angry with myself
because, when I pick it up now, I’m
rubbish. This time, I’m going to get
a teacher and just do it.
Anything else on your list?
There are lots of places I want to see:
Cambodia, India, Vietnam, and I’d love
to go around Europe more. Travelling
EMILY BLUNT
is the big thing for me, and now’s the
time to do it. And also just trying to
do as much as I can. If you have
the instinct to do something, just
do it. Before everything changes;
before you have kids.
Were you brought up around acting?
My mum used to act. She did stage
work, but she also had four kids and a
busy husband. My dad’s a barrister so
he’s a huge performer as well. He has
to defend criminals and find ways to
plead their innocence – maybe he’s
the biggest actor of all of us. My
parents are really proud of all their
kids. My sister’s a literary agent, my
brother’s at university and my little
sister’s on her gap year.
What do your family think about
your career?
There’s an element of being really
proud then an element of being mildly
embarrassed because they know me
as their sister. I’ve grown up with
them squabbling over the Sunday
roast. So, if they see me out there
being admired, then they can see it’s
all a performance. In this job, even
doing interviews is a performance
and [my family] see it because
they know me so well. They’re very
proud but I’m sure they roll their
eyes about it too, sometimes.
‘‘You have to push yourself and
not settle for anything just because
someone says something nice”
DEVIL WEARS PRADA CO-STAR
MERYL STREEP DESCRIBED
EMILY (RIGHT) AS THE ‘BEST YOUNG
ACTRESS’ SHE’S WORKED WITH
I certainly don’t want anyone
to lay out the bloody red carpet
when I get home.
How has your family influenced you?
My sense of justice and wanting to
see the best in people comes from
having a supportive family. And it’s
a very realistic family. We could always
talk to each other.
You once said you feel like a ‘fraud’.
What did you mean?
It’s hard to accept the nice things
that people say about you because
I‘m the one that has to live with the
fear. I constantly feel like, “Oh my
God, am I going to be able to do this?”
If you buy into all of the hype then
you’re in trouble. Don’t limit yourself.
You always have to push yourself
to do more and not settle for anything
just because someone says something
nice about you.
And, if you listen to the nice things…
…You’ve got to listen to the bad stuff
people say too! And that’s what
you’ll remember.
The Wolfman is released nationwide
on Friday, 12 February
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