3 in a Row: Emily Blunt Proves She Can Do It All

Emily Blunt seems like one of those actors who has been around for a long time, but really, it’s not the case. She landed her first part in a movie only back in 2006, and from there sort of climbed the charts with steady success until it just felt like she was always on the scene. You might not even realize some of the movies she’s been part of, having roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Dan in Real Life, then Charlie Wilson’s War and Gulliver’s Travels before she got her real first big break starring opposite Matt Damon in the box office disappointment The Adjustment Bureau (above). No matter how poorly that film was received, she made a strong impression and for the next three years, starting making a bigger name for herself, finding work in a string of soft hits and misses, including the oddly titled Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, the romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement and of course the action thriller Looper. However, it would be two more years, taking us to 2014, before Blunt would make a huge leap forward with 3 in a Row that would change her career and make her a household name.

Edge of Tomorrow

Based on a Japanese ‘light novel’ – a sort of young adults book – called All You Need is Kill, director Doug Liman‘s epic sci-fi thriller starred Tom Cruise as Major William Cage, a US media relations officer who is suddenly thrown in to active combat in Britain after an alien invasion lands ground forces on Earth. However, these space creatures have a unique ability, the blood of one, known as a Blue Mimic, once splashed on Cage in a death battle, not just kills the Major, it resets his timeline and has him awaken the previous morning. In fact, every time he dies, he goes back to the same starting point, an endless loop that he uses to gain knowledge in trying to improve his fight against them. He then meets Rita Vrataski (Blunt) out in combat, and she realizes that Cage can loop time, something she once could do as well. Together, they work to find a way to get to the heart of the alien attack and try to save humanity.

This is one heck of a good movie, the action one thing but the story, well, that’s the thing, with some genuinely clever twists on a theme that’s had its fair share of spins through the ringer. It’s made all the better by the cast, who all do great work, though it’s Cruise and Blunt who carry the show, their truly fascinating relationship – one built on reboots every day – thoroughly compelling. Blunt is simply awesome. There’s no other word for it. She is absolutely kick-ass, that goes without saying, but she does it by giving Rita sensational depth, made all the more impactful by Cage’s deep devotion to her (read more about why it matters here). Either way, by the time this movie ended, people were remembering Blunt’s name, thinking this is a girl to watch. They were right.

Into The Woods

Adapted from Stephen Sondheim‘s 1986 Broadway musical of the same name, this Rob Marshall-directed musical is long in the making with Disney finally getting it to screen in 2014. Combining a number of classic Grimms Brothers’ fairy tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and more, the movie features an all-star ensemble cast with Meryl Streep headlining. A box office hit, the story centers on a Baker (James Corden) and his Wife (Blunt), who long to have a baby but are cursed by an old family mishap between the Baker’s father and a witch (Streep). The Witch agrees to drop the curse if the Baker and his Wife are able to retrieve four special items, including  a white cow, a red cape, a yellow strand of hair, and a golden slipper so she can make a new potion to restore her former beauty. Happy to try, they head off into the woods to seal their fate.

Blunt would seem lost in a list of actors that go from Anna Kendrick to Chris Pine to Johnny Depp to Christine Baranski and more, but is the real heart of the film as she gives the complex Baker’s Wife an edgy turn. Showing off a whole new layer of talent to her already impressive skill set, filling the screen with her emotional vocals, she is great fun to watch as she carries the Wife through a series of intense situations that test her loyalty and trust. She earned high acclaim for her efforts, surprising many and clearly paving the way to her casting in the new Mary Poppins film. No matter, ‘cuz as good as she is in Into the Woods, the following year, she’d reset the bar again, proving she was a series contender to be the best of her generation.

Sicario

Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve doesn’t make simple movies. His films are a constant challenge, tasking his audiences to think more deeply about what they are watching and consider much larger questions than might be expected. With 2015’s Sicario, he makes perhaps him most accessible entry, a seemingly straightforward action thriller about drug-running across the Mexican-US border. Blunt is FBI agent Kate Macer, an experienced operative who is hardened but not numb to the brutalities of the job, one that puts her in the line of fire against some of the toughest gangs in the drug-running business. After a bust in Arizona leads to some shocking revelations (and two dead cops), she’s offered a chance to join a special joint task force for the Department of Justice, taking her to the heart of the drug trade to take down a ruthless cartel leader.

Blunt stars opposite Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, a couple of heavyweights by their own rights, but manages to stay on top in a story that centers on her jarring odyssey into a nightmare few come out of alive. Villeneuve artfully makes suspense an almost mesmerizing dance of violence and dialogue as Macer is put through the ringer in reaching her target, often escaping death when it seems impossible. Blunt is the whole show, despite good work from the others, traveling us into the spiral of fear and commitment the character is bound to, drawing us into the darkness with heart-stopping action. Once again, she earned high praise for her work, making it clear she in an actor with no limitations.

The Aftermath

With these 3 in a Row behind her, Blunt became an international superstar, following-up Sicario with The Huntsman: Winter’s War where she played Freya and earned more cheers for her enthusiast take as an ice queen, then took on a daring role in the film adaptation of The Girl on the Train, a film that didn’t quite find its footing despite Blunt’s fearless performance. Then of course there was 2018’s A Quiet Place (above), a project she starred with real life husband John Krasinski, that became a huge global hit, giving the horror genre a bit of a kick with a clever story and some cool movie moments.

Blunt is a rare breed, able to do romance and comedy as well intense drama and balls-to-the-wall action. Plus she can sing. She’s the whole package. We also thought she’d make the perfect Bond, but either way, she’s got a long career ahead of her with more surprises in the wings, we’re sure. No doubt, there’s another 3 in a Row for her soon to be made.