What springs to mind when you think ofEmily Blunt?
Probably phrases like “English rose” or her meme-able quotes from “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Curious to find out more about how she became the star she is today?
Here is the stunning transformation of Emily Blunt.
She grew up in a quaint southwest borough of London called Roehampton, as the second of four children.
By all accounts, her upbringing was a pleasant, middle-class one.
Her mother, Joanna, was a former actress-turned-teacher and her father, Oliver, was a lawyer.
Her family is what many people would describe as “posh” (viaDaily Mail).
However, all of that changed when acting fell into her path instead.
And it all began with a stutter.
By the time she was 11 or 12, it had become a consistent part of her speech.
“It wasn’t the whole part of me; it was just a part of who I was.
There were certain people who liked to define me by that,” she toldMarie Claire.
“That was tough.”
A teacher suggested that Blunt take part in the school play.
He suggested she use an accent.
“And that was a very liberating thing for me as a kid,” Blunt recalled.
“Suddenly, I had a fluency.
The removal of yourself from yourself, in some ways, was freeing.”
At 16, Blunt left home for a weekly boarding school in Surrey, called Hurtwood House.
“I dug it, and it was very artistic and very cool,” she toldMarie Claire.
This in turn kickstarted her career.
At just 18, she was cast in a play on London’s West End.
The play, “The Royal Family,” also starred Judi Dench and was directed by Peter Hall.
Dench soon became a mentor for Blunt.
And she said, ‘Hello, darling.
If anyone gives you any trouble in this, you come straight to me.'"
In fact, Blunt even toldVanity Fairthat Dench invited her to her dressing room after every show.
“I think she was quite young and frightened and insecure when we did ‘The Royal Family.'”
“It doesn’t surprise me at all where she is,” she said.
“I am thrilled that she is a big beautiful star.”
It helped reveal a certain part of me; I wasn’t just the ingenue or the English rose.
It helped me be seen as a character actor, which is what I’d always wanted."
In fact, the role was so iconic, it is still winning her new parts to this day.
“I see her having an incredibly long career because of the uniqueness of her extraordinary talent.
It transcends beauty and looks and age.”
According to her, it was kind of love at first sight.
“He just stood there and made me laugh,” she toldSeth Meyers.
“I kind of [knew right away.]”
Soon, they began dating and less than a year later, he proposed.
For Blunt, meeting andmarrying Krasinskiwas life-changing.
“Meeting John really changed my life,” she told InStyle.
Not only did he become her life partner, he also became her biggest supporter.
“When I feel the support that I have from him, I feel invincible,” she gushed.
Sounds like a fairytale marriage if you ask us!
“[Acting] comes off as made of rainbows and sunbeams,” she mused toVanity Fair.
“Then you realize it’s called show business because it is a business.”
Once Blunt got used to treating Hollywood like any other business, she changed her approach.
As she put it: “I think you have to wear a helmet.
Plus, with two kids, her home became, as she put it, a “zoo.”
Luckily, her husband, John Krasinski, made things easier.
But she says Krasinski is always there to support her and ensure their kids have everything they need.
Once again, Blunt and Krasinski prove themselves to be a total power couple.
However, there was a time when Blunt wasn’t the confident singer she is today.
“I was very daunted to go and sing for people.”
So, what changed?
Thank goodness Blunt finally plucked up the courage!
The new city proved to be a welcome change for the family.
“And I love walking cities.
So moving to Brooklyn really felt like home to me.
I think my soul was better suited to Brooklyn.
I really love it.”
However, asHello!reported, the couple held onto their Brooklyn home inside an old hotel.
Sounds like the family finally found the two cities where they truly feel at home.
The famous “practically perfect” British nanny was originally played by Julie Andrews in the 1964 film.
Naturally, Blunt realized that these were some pretty big shoes to fill.
Apparently, when director Rob Marshall offered her the role, she brushed her fears aside.
“I heard her inhale with excitement,” he toldThe Hollywood Reporter.
But it wasn’t just a fear of getting the role right.
Blunt was also afraid of both the singing and the flying that the role entailed.
“I’m terrified of both singing and heights,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I had to sing while suspended from a great height in this movie.
Those days were quite traumatic but I survived and in the end, I felt quite proud.
It was a cathartic experience.”
In fact, Blunt is incredibly resistant to social media.
Personally, she’d prefer to keep her private life private.
And she doesn’t even think it does much.
I’ve actually retired from that.
But I would like to shake your hand and meet you.'”
For Emily Blunt, the pandemic lockdown gave her a chance to recalibrate and reconnect with her priorities.
What she discovered was that her number one priority was always family.
Ultimately, Blunt learned to savor the moments of “togetherness.”
The lockdown meant that all of the chaos of everyday life slowed down.
I think that was a real discovery for me.
How do you want to spend your time?
I think that’s what I learned a lot about during the last year."
Sounds like Blunt had a bit of an epiphany during lockdown!
Let’s just hope she can take those lessons into the post-pandemic world.
