The first time Emily Blunt was accused of selling out: “Why should you have to atone?”
There comes a time in most Hollywood actors’ careers, even for someone like Emily Blunt, when they face accusations of selling out. Those dreaded two words haunt many stars, threatening to insult their integrity. Is selling out a bad thing, though? What does it really mean?
To Emily Blunt, ‘selling out’ doesn’t have to equate to some kind of devilish behaviour that sends you to Hollywood prison. Sometimes, it’s OK for an actor to shamelessly step into a blockbuster role, she believes, even if they got their start in the independent realm.
The thing is, the film industry rewards its stars with bigger and flashier productions, and even actors who have started out in gritty indie movies, like Samantha Morton for example, have inevitably lent themselves to franchises. It’s just the way the industry works, and it’s rare to find an actor who has actively chosen indie projects despite being offered much larger ones.
You’ve got the actors who balance both, like Nicole Kidman, and then you’ve got those who seem to abandon their indie roots completely. While it’s easier to respect an actor who often opts for low-budget films or boundary-pushing indies, at the end of the day, Hollywood is a dog-eat-dog world, and you’re probably not going to stay afloat without starring in some movies that make you a ‘sell-out’.
Blunt’s career began with a role in the little-known movie My Summer of Love by Paweł Pawlikowski, a low-budget coming-of-age journey through the sun-soaked Yorkshire countryside, where the actor played a manipulative teen, her performance unforgettable. By 2010, though, she was ready for bigger things, leading her to the $150 million blockbuster The Wolfman.
Appearing alongside Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Toro, the film was a huge step forward for Blunt, who left behind modestly-produced films for a world of excess. She has since lent herself to countless other blockbusters, where she seems right at home under the harsh spotlight. Blunt doesn’t exactly opt for small films these days, and she guesses that makes her a sell-out. Well, so be it.
Talking to The Guardian regarding The Wolfman’s release, Blunt stated that there were people who asked her why she took on a role in such a big film, contrasting with the roles she had taken earlier. “People were, like, ‘Why have you strayed away from independent films?’ I thought, ‘Give us a break! I’ve hardly done anything but independent films.’”
The actor added, “I think Benicio put it best. He said, ‘C’mon, man. I like candy too, y’know?’ That’s how I feel. Why should you have to atone for making big movies?”
Is anything wrong if an actor wants to perform in blockbuster movies? It’s unfortunate when an actor would rather perform in a big film while independent films miserably need salvation, but you can’t change some people’s tastes.
Some actors are just designed for the big movies, made with big bucks, while others opt for the opposite. Maybe she prefers to indulge in some cinematic confectionery from time to time, but with a recent performance in A24’s The Smashing Machine, she’s clearly not ruling out more artistically driven projects.
