The Literary Roles of Emily Blunt
Photo by Pietro Jeng from Pexels
Emily Blunt is an author’s dream, disappearing into every character she plays. Whether she’s portraying an impossibly perfect personal assistant from Lauren Weisberger’s imagination or an alcoholic protagonist in a Paula Hawkins thriller, Emily Blunt always brings her A game. To celebrate her birthday, we’re talking about our favorite roles in her literary cannon – and one we’ll be looking forward to all year.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
If we had to watch only one movie for the rest of our lives, it would be The Devil Wears Prada. Okay, maybe we’re being a little hyperbolic, but think about who’s in that movie. A meek yet loveable Anne Hathaway. A domineering Meryl Streep. The glorious Stanley Tucci. And Emily “I Love My Job” Blunt.
Lauren Weisberger may have created the role of Emily, but Blunt made that character. The Devil Wears Prada fans will be happy to know that Weisberger is coming out with a sequel to her best-selling novel – and this one is all about Emily. When Life Gives You Lululemons will be out this summer and we cannot wait.
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
Who can forget this adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler’s The Jane Austen Book Club? Emily Blunt plays Prudie, who’s as outwardly proper as her name suggests. She struggles throughout the movie with an attraction to one of her students, a lust amplified by an inattentive husband. Whether it’s because she takes herself incredibly seriously or because she’s trying to put herself in Jane Austen’s shoes, Prudie never follows through with the incredibly dangerous thought of sleeping with her student. Instead, she asks her husband to read Persuasion and they fall in love all over again. Isn’t that how every movie should end?
Into the Woods (2014)
Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep were reunited for Into the Woods, a musical adaptation of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Emily Blunt plays The Baker’s Wife, a role created by Stephen Sondhiem and James Lapine for the musical. And while it’s totally not cool that she doesn’t even have a real name, Emily Blunt does get her fair share of kickass songs, including “Moments in the Woods,” a song she sings right after a tryst with Cinderella’s Prince AKA Chris Pine. (!!!)
The Girl on the Train (2016)
Emily Blunt plays an alcoholic commuter and so much more in this adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ Girl on the Train. The film adaptation is intentionally different from the movie, leaning into the dark underbelly of Blunt’s character. In this movie, she plays a deeply flawed protagonist, challenging audiences to see her in a whole new light. And it’s her versitality that keeps us coming back for more.
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
If you’ve been keeping up with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Twitter feed – and let’s be honest, who hasn’t? – you know that Mary Poppins Returns has been in the works for a lonnnnnnnnnng time now. The movie comes out this Christmas (yay!) and will star Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins. While it will be difficult to see anyone other than Julie Andrews playing our sarcastic heroine, we are looking forward to seeing what Emily Blunt does with the role.
The movie is based on Mary Poppins Comes Back by P.L. Travers, as well as the remaining six books of the series. The film is set twenty years after the beloved original and includes Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack, one of Bert the chimney sweep’s apprentices.
