American Icon: Emily Blunt
Napoleon Hill, one of America’s renowned authors quotes in one of his writings “The starting point of all achievement is desire. Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” While many people can ignore this as just another inspirational quote from a motivational writer, it holds a lot of weight in our daily lives. The desire to achieve creates an urgency and a determination for access that is above average. It leads us past the limits that we have set for ourselves into a whole new world filled with possibility and self-acceptance.
The success of Emily Olivia Leah Blunt has, to a great extent, been birthed by her desire to achieve greatness. Starting off with small acting roles, Blunt has developed into one of the most remarkable actors in Hollywood.
Emily Blunt is a British-American actress known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Young Victoria (2009), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and The Girl on the Train (2016), among many others. She has won several prestigious awards for her roles in different films. Her performance in the 2004 drama film My Summer of Love garnered her the Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer. For her performance in the TV film Gideon's Daughter (2006) she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. The same year, she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Devil Wears Prada.
Blunt received her fourth and fifth Golden Globe Award nominations for her roles in the romantic comedy-drama Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (2012) and the musical fantasy Into The Woods (2014). She is set to portray Mary Poppins in the upcoming musical fantasy film Mary Poppins Returns (2018).
CHILDHOOD
Blunt was born on February 23, 1983, in Roehampton, South West London, England, the second of four children in the family of Joanna Mackie, a former actress and teacher, and Oliver Simon Peter Blunt, a barrister. Her grandfather was Major General Peter Blunt, and her uncle is MP Crispin Blunt. Emily received a rigorous education at Ibstock Place School, a co-ed private school at Roehampton.
However, young Emily Blunt had a stammer, since she was a kid of 8. Her mother took her to relaxation classes, which did not do anything. She reached a turning point at 12, when a teacher cleverly asked her to play a character with a different voice and said, "I really believe in you". Blunt ended up using a northern accent, and it did the trick, her stammer disappeared.
CAREER BEGINNINGS
In August 2000, while attending a London-based private college known for its performing arts program, Blunt was discovered by an agent, Kenneth Mcreddie. It was there that she was chosen to perform at the Edinburg Festival. Through Mcreddie, Blunt was led to West End and BBC, scoring her roles in several period dramas on stage as well as on TV productions such as Henry VII, Foyle’s War and Empire.
In 2001, she appeared as "Gwen Cavendish" in Sir Peter Hall's production of "The Royal Family" at Haymarket Theatre. For that role, she won the Evening Standard Award for Best Newcomer. In 2002, she played "Juliet" in "Romeo and Juliet" at the prestigious Chichester Festival.
INTERNATIONAL FAME
Blunt's career ascended to international fame after she starred as "Isolda" in Warrior Queen. A year later, she won critical acclaim for her breakout performance as "Tamsin", a well-educated, cynical and deceptive 16-year-old beauty in My Summer of Love , a story of two lonely girls from the opposite ends of the social heap. Alongside her co-star, Blunt won an Evening Standard British Film award for Most Promising Newcomer. In 2005, she spent a few months in Australia filming Irresistible. In this film, Blunt gave an impressive performance as "Mara", a cunning young destroyer who acts crazy and surreptitiously provokes paranoia in others. She also continued her work on British television, starring as "Natasha" in Stephen Poliakoff's Gideon's Daughter , a role that won her a 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.
In 2012, Blunt starred in the comedy The Five-Year Engagement, alongside Jason Segel, in which she and Segel played a couple whose relationship becomes strained when their engagement is continually extended. The film earned positive reviews, with Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News remarking that "Blunt has never been more relaxed, and she and Segel have a believably warm chemistry
Over the years, the actress has played various roles in movies that have garnered positive reviews. She is set to appear as the title character in the 2018 film Mary Poppins Returns, which will serve as the sequel to the 1964 film. In late January 2018, it was reported that Blunt will also be co-starring with Dwayne Johnson in the film adaptation of Jungle Cruise.
Though she was born in England, she was completely enveloped by Hollywood and moved to LA. It was there that she met her true love (and our true love from The Office), John Krasinski. They are a perfect match for each other as they are both know as two of the best pranksters in LA...AND originated the art form later to be known as "Lip Synch Battles"!
Starting out as a stutterer did not stop Blunt from becoming the success she has become today. Her desire for achievement and belief in herself have undeniably shaped her path to fame and success. For her talent, determination and willingness to become the best version of herself, we would like to call her out as an Icon.
