Ever since delivering her breakout performance in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, Emily Blunt hasn’t looked back. Since then, she’s gone on to appear in several hit films, including Edge of Tomorrow, which starred Tom Cruise. Blunt even caught the attention of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), although she eventually turned down the chance to play a superhero.
As far as acting goes, Blunt can take on anything and she’s clearly unstoppable. Unbeknownst to many though, she once suffered from a condition that almost prevented her from delivering lines. Remarkably, acting is also the very craft that helped Blunt get better.
Her Condition Manifested When She Was Young
As Blunt was growing up, she found herself struggling to speak after she developed a severe case of stuttering. “It sort of started to dominate my speech by the time I was about 7 or 8,” the actress explained during an interview with NPR. “And then I think, honestly, got to its most prominent point when I was about 12 or 13.”
When this happened, Blunt struggled at school. “I struggled with vowels, so 'Emily' was like the depths of hell for me,” she revealed. Meanwhile, during an interview with Marie Claire, Blunt also recalled, “School was interesting because there were certain things I couldn’t do and wanted to, like read out my poem in class. I would never want to do that. I would hate it if the teacher called on me to answer something.”
To make matters worse, Blunt was also misdiagnosed at first. “The misdiagnosis [was] that I was a tense child, and I wasn't,” she said. “I was desperate to speak. I wanted everything, I didn't want to miss anything, and I felt like I was missing out. So what I was, more than anything, was just immensely frustrated.” Determined to help their daughter, Blunt’s parents tried relaxation therapy on her.
But the soothing sounds of the waves, dolphins, or a woman did nothing for the stutter. “It didn't work for me, it just annoyed me,” Blunt recalled. I was like, 'I'm not tense!' I then felt more tense. It just sucked, I guess, is the simplest way of saying it.”
It Turns Out All She Needed To Do Was Act
Fortunately for the actress, she would experience a breakthrough soon enough. “When I was 12, my class teacher was this really cool guy called Mr. McHale,” Blunt called. Mr. McHale encouraged her to sign up for a class play and encouraged her to deliver lines in a “silly voice.” As it turns out, that was what she needed.
“And that was a very liberating thing for me as a kid. Suddenly, I had a fluency,” Blunt explained. “That was the beginning of realizing that I had a handle on it, and maybe it could be temporary, and maybe I could grow past this. That was kind of a big deal.” That said, Blunt also made it clear that she still didn’t consider acting professionally at that time. She really wanted to work for the U.N. (“I always loved languages. I didn’t stutter when I spoke other languages.”)
But then, fate intervened, and it came in the form of another teacher. “But then I did a play at boarding school that went to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe,” Blunt said. “There was a teacher who was in it with me. He called his agent and said, ‘You’ve got to come see this girl.’” Just like that, she started going on auditions, which Blunt enjoyed immensely. Eventually, the actress also made an important realization. “It was just something I thought I’d try, and then I’ve fallen madly in love with it.”
At the same time, Blunt also believes she wouldn’t be a good actress if she didn’t stutter. “It [the stutter] was the making of me in many ways,” the actress explained during an interview with The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine. “You learn great empathy and to watch people very closely, because often you can’t speak. So you observe everything.”
She Now Offers Support For Others Who Stutter
Blunt has become a proud advocate for the American Institute of Stuttering (AIS). Last year, she took part in the organization’s virtual gala, along with then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. “We are privileged to have this illustrious group as champions of AIS,” Eric Dinallo, the chairman of the AIS board of directors, said in a statement. “Vice President Biden has always been direct about the challenges that stuttering brings. Emily Blunt has brought a great deal of important visibility to the issues of stuttering and inclusivity.”
Blunt wants anyone dealing with stuttering now that she knows what it’s like. “They often think of it as psychological, or that you have a nervous disposition or something – but it is hereditary. It is neurological, it is not your fault and there's nothing you can do about it,” the actress explained. “I just want kids to really remember that, you know, and I want the awareness to be raised about that so that we can really support these kids and make it known that it's very common.”
Blunt stars alongside Dwayne Johnson in the latest Disney live-action film, Jungle Cruise. The actress also has several upcoming projects in the works.