“Mary Poppins has been the greatest gift that I’ve been given”
Emily Blunt must have been born with a wry expression and a mischievous take on the world. The lithe British beauty is a sassy, happy-go-lucky woman whose spirit is infectious to anyone who has the good fortune to make her acquaintance. Now she’s about to take her charismatic aura to the next level in the biggest film of her career – Mary Poppins Returns – playing the title character that Julie Andrews first made famous in the 1964 Disney classic.
“Mary Poppins has been the greatest gift that I’ve been given,” Blunt says. “Can you imagine my girls being able to say that their mom is Mary Poppins? I’m just so thrilled.”
Directed by Rob Marshall (Nine, Chicago), Mary Poppins Returns places an almost impossible burden on Blunt to define the character in her own way and avoid all comparisons with Andrews. That explains why Blunt deliberately avoided watching the original again.
“I had seen Mary Poppins as a child and I have such beautiful and strong memories of that film. I didn’t watch the film again during my preparations because I didn’t want to be swayed by Julie Andrews’s portrayal which was so iconic. I knew that once I was given the role that it would be impossible to match what she did. My only choice was to create my own version of the character – this is my interpretation.
A sequel to the 1964 film, Mary Poppins Returns is set during the Great Depression, 24 years after the original left off and where a tragedy leaves Michael Banks and his three children without a mother. This serves as an appropriate moment for the Banks’ former nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) to return to the family fold with the help of lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda).
Blunt heads an all-star cast that includes Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Angela Lansbury. Though Julie Andrews declined to appear in a cameo, her Poppins’ co-star Dick van Dyke, who famously played Bert in the original, appears in the role of Mr Dawes Jr., who formerly ran the bank now headed by Firth’s character, William Weatherall Wilkins.
Blunt also has nothing to worry about at least in the eyes of Julie Andrews, who ardently endorses Emily as her worthy successor. “I admire her enormously,” Andrews says. “It’s just wonderful that she’s the new Poppins. It’s not a remake, it’s a brand new one, based on all the other stories. But, I wish her well because I admire her. I have met her, and I think she’s wonderful… Mine was mine, this is a new way. It was 50 years ago, and that boggles my mind!”
Interestingly, Emily’s turn as Mary Poppins comes on the heels of the huge success of her recent film, A Quiet Place, which was directed by her husband John Krasinski, with whom she also starred in the critically acclaimed horror film.
The 35-year-old Blunt, also know for her work in Sicario, Edge of Tomorrow, and The Devil Wears Prada, lives a comfortable distance from L.A. in the city of Ojai, where she and her husband prefer to raise their daughters Hazel, 4, and Violet, 2, in a pastoral setting amid sprawling vineyards.
What can you tell us about Mary Poppins Returns?
Emily Blunt: Michael Banks still works in the same bank where his father worked and still lives in the same house with his three children Annabel, Georgie, John and their maid, Ellen. And Mary Poppins magically returns to look after the Banks’.
What is your take on Mary Poppins as a character?
EB: From reading the books I discovered that she’s really eccentric and kind of batty and also incredibly rude and vain. She’s a very striking character and I laughed so much at how she conducts herself…I also like how she sweeps in and is able to make everything great.
How apprehensive were you about taking on such an iconic role?
EB: I was very, very nervous but Rob Marshall is an incredible director and he is a wonderful friend as well. He created an incredible, emboldening atmosphere on set… Rob is my dear friend and I love him…He protected me from feeling like I had a boulder to move aside – the iconic character, the iconic Julie Andrews. And he kept it so intimate for me. He was very empowering – he wanted me to completely make her my own.
“When I saw Cherry Tree Lane for the first time it was overwhelming. However incredible the first film is, I hope this one will be allowed to stand on its own.”
How has Mary Poppins changed in your hands?
EB: I don’t know how the character has changed really but I kind of want people to discover for themselves…
How intense were the preparations under Rob Marshall’s guidance?
EB: We rehearsed for eight weeks, which is unheard of. That’s how Rob works. When you show up on the day you feel completely at ease, because he runs it like a play to see if the scenes work and sizzle. We rehearsed the big dance numbers and did two and a half weeks of pre-records and then started shooting. The whole thing took about a year.
Were you impressed with the sets for the film?
EB: When I saw Cherry Tree Lane for the first time it was overwhelming. How ever incredible the first film is, I hope this one will be allowed to stand on its own. It’s magical, but it’s so grounded as well. There’s such a beautiful story running through it.
Mary Poppins Returns is based on a famous book just as was the case with The Devil Wears Prada and The Girl on the Train. Do you have an affinity with literary adaptations?
EB: I’m fortunate in having a sister who is also a literary agent and I try to follow her every piece of advice in that respect. We also have very similar tastes and we’re always discussing possible adaptations.
She’s also sometimes able to let me read the galleys of new novels before they are printed which might turn out to be an advantage one day if I find some incredible story that I could buy the rights to or speak to a studio about.
You’ve been together with your husband John Krasinski for almost a decade now. Actor couples often have a poor track record when it comes to longevity. How have you managed to enjoy a successful marriage?
EB: We’ve always been able to talk to each other and discuss everything together. Being very open and talking and not hiding any worries or concerns is so important, I think. I also think it’s an advantage having someone in your life who understands the kind of things you go through in our profession.
We also try to be very supportive of each other and we know that we always have each other to rely on and make each other feel very loved and appreciated. It’s a beautiful feeling.
What kind of father is John?
EB: He’s a very good father and that’s been a great source of comfort to me because it’s not always that easy to pursue a Hollywood career when you’re raising young children and have to be working on movie sets for months at a time. He’s great at making sure there are always fresh bottles of milk and fresh food in the house. Just those little things make such a big difference.
In what ways has becoming a mother affected you?
EB: It changes your world completely. You become a different person because you look at your choices from a very different perspective. Whenever I’m considering a project I always think of how it’s going to affect the lives of my daughters. I only choose films now that I definitely want to do and even then I have to really love the story and my character because when your children are so young you have such a strong desire to be with them as much as you possibly can.
That’s why I nearly passed on Sicario because I was still feeling very vulnerable and so close to my daughter Hazel after her birth that I didn’t want to play in a very violent film about Mexican drug cartels. But once I did it I realised that becoming a mother gives you so much more strength than you thought you had. You learn that you’re actually much more capable than ever.
“I didn’t watch Mary Poppins again during my preparations because I didn’t want to be swayed by Julie Andrews’s portrayal which was so iconic.”
You’ve continued to maintain a fairly good workload even while raising your children. Did you find it at all hard to get back in shape after your pregnancies?
EB: I’m lucky that I come from a family where we don’t really put on a lot of weight. I’ve also learnt how to train properly from working with Tom Cruise on The Edge of Tomorrow and then doing Sicario. You learn to enjoy the discipline of that although if I don’t have to prepare for a very physical role I’m usually riding bicycles or going on hikes with my husband.
INTERVIEW BY WENN
PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY
