Emily Blunt is hot on the massive success of Oppenheimer, a seven-time Academy Award-winning movie directed by Christopher Nolan. The movie nearly reached $1 billion at the box office, an impressive feat for a three-hour biographical drama about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who played a key role in developing nuclear weapons during World War II.
After a less-than-stellar performance with Netflix’s “Pain Hustlers,” Emily Blunt is aiming for a comeback with “The Fall Guy.” Directed by David Leitch and starring Ryan Gosling, “Fall Guy” made its debut at SXSW on March 12, 2024. Universal Pictures plans to release the film in the U.S. and Canada on May 3, 2024. So far, critics have given it a thumbs up, with an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 77% score on Metacritic.
However, this isn’t Emily Blunt’s first encounter with critical acclaim. Cast your mind back to 2018’s “A Quiet Place,” helmed and co-starred by John Krasinski. This horror phenomenon, which Blunt starred in, stands as a testament to her versatile talent and the ability to captivate audiences across genres.
In an interview with Deadline reflecting on the surprising success of “A Quiet Place,” John Krasinski shared his astonishment, “It’s completely and totally surreal…We treated it like a neat little indie movie…we were pretty sure we wouldn’t get much more than four or five high-fives from friends.” Contrary to their modest expectations, the film resonated far and wide.
Emily Blunt enthusiastically added to the sentiment: “It has been overwhelmingly exciting for me to see people watch this film and have their hair blown backward by it.” She recounted her early faith in the project, citing a pivotal scene that left her awestruck. Blunt’s British reserve only underscored the authenticity of her reaction: “And as he knows, we Brits don’t enthuse too readily unless we really mean it, so I think he knew I meant it.”
She recognized the film’s broad appeal and its unexpected longevity: “People who hate genre movies loved this movie. People who had never seen a horror movie before loved this movie. It has been universal.”
Blunt’s unexpected attachment to “A Quiet Place” may well be one of the reasons that even those who typically shy away from horror were drawn to the film. Initially reluctant due to timing and reservations about working so closely on a project with Krasinski, Blunt experienced a change of heart after reading the script. “And then I read the script, and I was like, ‘Well, I now have to do this movie because it’s so spectacular,'” she shared in a Deadline interview.
The authenticity of the couple’s relationship translated into a nuanced on-screen dynamic that surely contributed to the film’s wide resonance. Blunt’s portrayal of a steadfast mother resonated with her real-life experiences and Krasinski’s insight into her strengths as an actress. “You always try to write with your dream actor in mind…and I think Emily is the best actress we have,” Krasinski admitted, highlighting how his perception of Blunt’s talents shaped the core of the character.
As Emily Blunt continues to explore diverse roles and movie projects, this keen instinct for storytelling might just be her secret weapon in determining whether her cinematic ventures whisper or roar. With “The Fall Guy” on the horizon, the industry and audiences alike await to see if this blend of Blunt’s talent and instinct will once again lead to a film that defies expectations and reaches beyond customary audience divides.
Also, Read Why Oppenheimer Will Go Down As One of The Most Defining Films Of Our Era?
