After being delayed due to the pandemic, Disney is finally able to release Jungle Cruise, its latest live-action film which stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson. Based on a popular theme park ride at Magic Kingdom Park and Disneyland, the movie sees their characters search for an ancient tree that is known for its healing powers.
From the beginning, Blunt has said that how much she enjoyed making this adventure film. At the same time, the veteran actress has also been candid about her experience in working with Disney itself.
This Isn’t The First The Time She Worked With Them
Years after gaining praise for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada, Blunt worked with Disney on the 2014 fantasy film Into the Woods. Around this time, Blunt wasn’t sure about doing a musical but she eventually decided that the opportunity was too good to pass up on. “I was very reluctant to audition, but I felt encouraged by [director] Rob Marshall this time,” Blunt recalled while speaking with Deadline. “Also, there were all kinds of temptations going on with Into the Woods, such as working with (Devil Wears Prada costar) Meryl Streep again.”
More recently, Blunt also starred in the 2018 sequel Mary Poppins Returns, which sees the actress reunite with Marshall as she takes on the iconic role of Mary Poppins herself. It was a project that slightly terrified her from the very beginning. “When Rob Marshall called me, I felt simultaneously thrilled and frozen with fear. Nobody's Julie Andrews, so I know that much,” the actress told Pop Sugar. “They're some big shoes to fill. When I said I was taking it on, my friend said to me, ‘Wow. You've got balls of steel.’ I was like, ‘Don't say that! It makes it scarier.’”
Perhaps, unbeknownst to Blunt, Marshall had always thought of her for the iconic role. “Emily, I had already thought of immediately because there was no one else for me,” he explained in another Deadline interview. “You need to have the façade of the stern, proper nanny, but underneath, there needs to be that humor and that eccentricity and the warmth. She has all that, plus she sings! And she dances. It was pretty much everything.”
With a cast that also included Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Mortimer, Dick Van Dyke, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, and of course, Meryl Streep, the Disney film was quite a massive hit. Estimates indicate that it hauled in over $340 million at the box office against a reported productions budget of $130 million. And because Mary Poppins Returns was quite a success, it made sense for Blunt to agree to do another Disney film in the near future.
Here’s What She Said About Her Disney Experience
Blunt essentially joined the cast of Jungle Cruise just months after Johnson, who is one of the film’s producers, announced that he had chosen Jaume Collet-Serra to direct the film. Of Blunt’s casting, Johnson revealed that the actress “was always my number one choice” ever since he read the script.
As for Blunt, she’s always had an appreciation for Disney movies growing up. “I think that Disney films are those kinds of films that are seeded into your nostalgia,” the actress remarked during an interview on the set of Jungle Cruise, according to Collider. “Certainly as a child, I have just such lasting memories of Disney movies. Those were the films I grew up watching...”
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Blunt has also come to discover that working with Disney is also quite a “thrilling” experience. “I will say the process of working with Disney is so thrilling. We were talking about that the other day, because they're a studio that is just doing so well, and they're winning,” she explained. “They have just such a confidence in what they do.”
Perhaps, most of all, Blunt loves that Disney encourages actors to give their own take on the character, even when it comes to iconic ones. “They allow for such collaborative, exciting projects that think outside the box, that carve out new space for themselves. They're not derivative of other films,” the actress further said. “I think I found that in Mary Poppins, that even though we pay homage to the original, it's very much the next chapter.” At the same time, Blunt loves the atmosphere that Disney creates. “People want to be here. It's just really lovely.”
At the moment, it is unclear if Blunt has another Disney project in the works. That said, fans have been vocal about their desire for the actress to join the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While it remains unclear if this would ever happen, fans can look forward to seeing Blunt and Johnson onscreen again in the upcoming Netflix film Ball and Chain. In a statement, Johnson said, “I’m also excited to not only reunite with dear friend Emily Blunt in front of the camera, but to also collaborate as producing partners…”