The iconic actor who Emily Blunt called “wonderful”
Slowly but steadily, Emily Blunt has claimed her position as one of Britain’s most coveted actors. From the halls of the Baker’s house in Into the Woods to the time-bending world of Edge of Tomorrow, her career is characterised by a wonderful blend of daring choices and memorable performances. She’s set to captivate audiences once more in the upcoming Christopher Nolan atomic epic Oppenheimer, and yet, behind the scenes of her illustrious journey, there’s an interesting tale about a certain co-star she singled out nearly 20 years ago.
Over the years, Blunt’s impressive range has seen her cast alongside some of the most acclaimed figures in the industry. Her filmography boasts a jaw-dropping list of who’s who in Hollywood, ranging from the likes of Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. With such a varied catalogue of collaborations, it’s high praise indeed that she singled one out of all of them as “wonderful”.
In 2005, long before we knew Blunt as the heavy-hitting Hollywood actor we love today, she was quoted in an interview with Australian outlet The Age showering praise on one of her co-stars. Whilst promoting her English drama, My Summer of Love, the young Blunt explained how working with this fellow actor “was wonderful,” adding: “She’s frighteningly smart and a true artist.”
The actor she was referring to was the 1980s and 1990s legend Susan Sarandon, who made an impression on the actor nearly two decades ago when Blunt was starting to make a name for herself at the green age of 22.
Blunt referred to her experience working with the Thelma & Louise actor in 2006’s Irresistible. Directed by Ann Turner, the psychological thriller features Sarandon as a popular illustrator, Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame as her husband, Craig, and Blunt as Mara, a mysterious new co-worker of Craig’s who takes up interest with his and Sarandon’s character’s family. In an unusual turn for Blunt, particularly at a young age, she portrays a psychologically and physically torturous villain who ultimately wields a hammer in the nail-biting climax.
In the years following Irresistible, both Blunt and Sarandon have enjoyed fruitful careers. Sarandon continued her streak of compelling performances in films such as The Lovely Bones and Cloud Atlas. Simultaneously, Blunt embarked on a journey that took her from The Devil Wears Prada to the hugely popular sci-fi horror franchise, A Quiet Place.
With Sarandon’s next project releasing later this year in the form of DC’s Latino-led superhero film, Blue Beetle, and Blunt’s imminent performance in Oppenheimer, there isn’t any sign of either actor stopping. Given their shared past and Blunt’s high regard for Sarandon, it’s hard not to wonder if the future may bring another collaboration between two phenomenal acting talents.
