There are very very VERY few celebrities I’ll admit that I admire.
However, there is one woman, an actress, who time and again has shown me she will reach for something funny or spunky instead of grabbing at the overused mystique of a sexy, unreachable female who is, well, an object.
Every time I see Emily Blunt perform, she embodies the character of a flesh and blood woman who is not simply beautiful, she’s alive.
Does this make anyone else just want to sigh with relief?
I first fell under her enchantment while watching The Adjustment Bureau. Blunt’s intensity, mischief, and fun-loving spirit weren’t just a role. This was her real self, shining through her skin.
It was fairly convinced that I wasn’t going to enjoy The Five-Year Engagement and then I witnessed her take a level-headed, realistic, goofy approach a long-term relationship. It wasn’t cheesy. It was exactly how people act when they’ve known each other a long time and feel thoroughly comfortable.
In Your Sister’s Sister, she was the sweet, slightly insecure little sister who still craved the advice of the older sister she worshipped. She had her own spheres of influence, but her love life was not among them. I believed in her completely.
Did I mention Emily Blunt outsmarted her own stutter at age 12 through acting?
Amidst the lights and cosmetics of Hollywood, I see in Emily Blunt a willingness to be silly, less-than-perfect, and something beyond the mere cliché. In this LA Times interview she talks about telling a photographer to not airbrush her, as well as her interest in finding surprising and fresh spirited roles to play, not cookie-cutter parts.
She’s the closest celebrity I can claim as my hero because it takes a lot of courage to step away from the need to be beautiful and onto the harder path of being a three dimensional woman. Heaven knows the messages in the media don’t make it easy.
She’s even voiced how terribly boring female roles are in superhero films—a woman after my own heart!
Character is a big deal in everyday life. You can’t just talk about your character. You have to live it. I want a character that flashes through my smile, my work, or the tone in which I say something. I want to live with the courage to be a real woman, and I’m learning that from Emily Blunt.
What does a strong character mean to you?
Jack Flacco
14 Jan 2013I have to agree with you, I never thought I’d like The Five-Year Engagement either until I found out Emily Blunt was in it from The Adjustment Bureau. That’s when the film really piqued my interest. She did a fine job. She has a certain kind of attractiveness that few women have. She was hilarious and dramatic…very difficult for an actresses to pull off nowadays. I enjoyed both films.
As for character. It’s all a matter of perspective. Being true to ourselves is the most important thing without giving into others and what they want us to become…I think that is the most important.
Great post!
Elise
14 Jan 2013Jack, that’s awesome that the we had such a similar experience! I think being true to ourselves in spite of outer influences is a huge challenge, but quite rewarding when we start to learn who we are (which I feel I’ll never stop doing till the day I die). Thanks for your insight!