ACTOR · BORN 1983
Emily Blunt
- Born
- 23 February 1983
- Known for
- Edge of Tomorrow (2014), The Dark Knight (2008), Oppenheimer (2023), Into the Woods (2014)
39 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Emily Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is an actor best known for Edge of Tomorrow, The Dark Knight and Oppenheimer.
Emily Blunt over the years
39 Interesting Facts About Emily Blunt
Interesting Facts (7)
- #001
Emily's secret party trick is her ability to replicate a pigeon's trill; she demonstrated the unusual talent in an interview with ELLE Canada.
- #002
She does not participate in social media.
Emily Blunt: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Tabercil from Canadian, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #003
Has been in three films about characters trying to change the future: The Adjustment Bureau (2011), Looper (2012) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Had she accepted the role as Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys (2015), that number would be four.
Emily Blunt: in the streetImage: Wikimedia Commons · Ibsan73, CC BY 2.0 - #004
She has stated her dislike for "method acting", calling it actors "trying to justify their paychecks".
- #005
Edge of Tomorrow (2014) was Blunt's first action movie; Tom Cruise thought she was drunk because she was thrown in at the deep end. Blunt had never done a film of this magnitude before but felt this lived up to much of the buzz.
- #006
When she was a guest on Lip Sync Battle (2015), LL Cool J called her and Anne Hathaway two of the most powerful stars of the big screen; he called it a "Devil Wears Prada reunion battle"; he said Blunt "had some swagger, was incomparable and breathtaking".
- #007
Emily's secret party trick is her ability to replicate a pigeon's trill-she demonstrated the unusual talent in an interview with ELLE Canada.
Production Story (7)
- #008
- #009
She was considered for the role of Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), but Hayley Atwell was cast instead. Her husband John Krasinski was considered for the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America in the same movie, but Chris Evans was eventually chosen.
- #010
She began filming Mary Poppins Returns (2018) just six months after giving birth to her daughter Violet. The production of the movie was postponed to accommodate Blunt's pregnancy.
- #011
Susan Sarandon asked her to audition for the role of Mara in Irresistible (2006) after seeing My Summer of Love (2004).
- #012
She was offered a role in Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 (2017) which she had to decline due to her pregnancy. They had worked together before in Sicario (2015).
- #013
Was originally cast as Natasha Rushman/Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010), but dropped out due to a scheduling clash with Gulliver's Travels (2010). Scarlett Johansson was cast instead as an outcome.
- #014
Was in consideration to replace Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight (2008), but Maggie Gyllenhaal was cast instead.
Behind the Scenes (7)
- #015
For her breakout performance in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Emily convinced David Frankel that her character should be British rather than American. Emily also improvised many of her lines and told interviewers that she based the character on people she has met but would never want to associate with.
- #016
Edge of Tomorrow (2014) was Blunt's first action movie; Tom Cruise thought she was drunk because she was thrown in at the deep end. Blunt had never done a film of this magnitude before but felt this lived up to much of the buzz.
- #017
She admits that she and her The Devil Wears Prada (2006) co-star Stanley Tucci competed to see who could be more over-the-top in their scenes. Tucci admits his young co-star won "hands down".
- #018
It was Tom Cruise's idea to do three film premieres for Edge of Tomorrow (2014) all in one day; Blunt said it was harder on her because she needed a new dress, makeup and hairdo for each one, while her co-star just needed a new suit, but still said they were a lot more fun. One of the premieres was at 5am and it was wet; director Doug Liman said it was a testament to Cruise's star power.
- #019
She was told to lose weight for her role as Emily in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). She revealed this in a 2006 interview with Craig Ferguson. Co-star Anne Hathaway tells a similar story and reports that she and Emily were always hungry on set because they were kept on strict diets to maintain the rail-thin "super-model" look.
- #020
Upon filming their first scene together for The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Meryl Streep laughed that Blunt should be given the film carbon copy, rather than steal the movie.
- #021
During filming Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Blunt took Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman out for karaoke one night; she terrified Liman by letting him see her in that different light; she later competed against her Devil Wears Prada co-star Anne Hathaway in an episode of Lip Sync Battle (2015).
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #022
She appears in Wild Target (2010) with Martin Freeman. Freeman appeared in the original British series The Office (2001). Her husband John Krasinski played the equivalent role in the American remake The Office (2005).
Career & Awards (5)
- #023
She ranked 58th on AskMen's 2009 list of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women.
- #024
Found out about her Golden Globe nomination for Into the Woods (2014) while she was having a massage in Dubai, UAE. She served as a jury member of the Dubai Film Festival at the time.
- #025
She made her professional debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before completing her A levels. At age 16, she was offered a record deal after a producer spotted her in the musical "Bliss" at the Edinburgh Fringe.
- #026
She made her theatrical debut alongside Dame Judi Dench in "The Royal Family". She had only six months of formal acting training before gaining the role of Gwen, for which she was paid £350 per week.
- #027
Serves as a board member of the American Institute for Stuttering, and hosts a gala for the Institute to raise funds for speech therapy scholarships for children and adults.
Life & Family (12)
- #028
During both of her first two pregnancies, Blunt was in the midst of shooting films in which she played women struggling with infertility: the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods (2014) and Rachel in The Girl on the Train (2016).
- #029
Her grandfather was Major General Peter Blunt CB, MBE, GM, FCIT. Emily read a piece beautifully at his funeral in 2003. Major General Blunt won the George Medal for rescuing a soldier from a truck soaked in petrol after an accident in Germany.
- #030
In 2015, she became an American citizen through naturalization, making her a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States. However, she likes to be identified as British. She was sworn in on the same day as friend Matthew McConaughey's wife Camila Alves McConaughey.
- #031
Her best friend Anne Hathaway matchmade Emily with John Krasinski in 2008, and he went on to be her future husband.
- #032
Her ex-boyfriend Michael Bublé wrote the hit single "Everything" for her. She also appears on his album "Call Me Irresponsible", where she sings briefly at the end of the song "Me and Mrs. Jones".
- #033
She is the daughter-in-law of Ron Krasinski and Mary Ann Krasinski.
- #034
She has a phobia of heights. She says: "I'm not amazing with heights and it was one of those things where they kind of [get] you up there and there's the moment before they bring you down for the shot, and it seems like that moment extends for a forever time frame." She explained: "You're so high that if you look out you're higher than the trees and you look down. But it was an incredible moment, you know. Very disarming."
- #035
She stuttered severely as a young girl and ultimately overcame the problem by finding a different "voice" through acting. She cites her friend Colin Firth's stammering King George VI in The King's Speech (2010) as an accurate depiction of how she actually spoke as a youth.
- #036
She was six months pregnant with her daughter Hazel when she completed filming Into the Woods (2014). She returned to work four months after giving birth to Hazel to begin filming the crime drama Sicario (2015).
- #037
She has a fear of wearing gloves. She says: "I don't know why but I find them repulsive. I'd scream if my mother tried to make me wear them as a child - it must be a phobia." She also has a horrible fear of cockroaches (katsaridophobia) and is allergic to cats and horses.
- #038
She was four months pregnant with her daughter Violet when she completed filming The Girl on the Train (2016). She returned to work six months after giving birth to Violet to begin filming Sherlock Gnomes (2018).
- #039
Acting and adopting new accents helped her overcome a debilitating speech impediment at age 12.
Related pages
- Murder Mystery — Emily Blunt comes up in the facts on that page
- Don Jon — Emily Blunt comes up in the facts on that page
- Sicario — Emily Blunt comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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