Emily Blunt almost didn't get a Role in Sicario, a dark and dramatic new thriller from director Denis Villeneuve that debuted Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival. The script, written by actor-turned-screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, calls for the main character to be played by a woman, but various parties involved in getting the production up and running urged Villeneuve to change the part to that of a man. Villeneuve refused, and Emily, happily, joined the cast.
Emily's character is, though, surrounded entirely by men throughout the film. It's a situation with which Emily could empathize. "It's something I've become quite used to, because it happens a lot in film that there aren't a lot of chicks around," she said at a Tuesday morning press conference. "But for such a dark film, it was a very happy set."
Dark, indeed. Emily's character in the movie, a law enforcement official in Arizona, leads a raid on a drug cartel's stash house that is so successful she catches the eye of a CIA agent, played by Josh Brolin, and is asked to participate in a cross-border operation. Emily's performance is quite good, as is Josh's, but they're both outshone somewhat by Benicio del Toro, whose portrayal of an enigmatic agent with ties to Colombian *****, is excellent.
"I found this character quite damaged and vulnerable*-*she's struggling in this realm of being a female cop," Emily said of her character. "She's trying to maintain face for most of it. I wasn't really thinking about adjusting it to make it more masculine. I think that she's just definitely trying to survive in a predominately male-driven profession."
Before reporting to set, Emily contacted real-life female FBI agents to find out about their work. What she discovered was a surprise. "The FBI agents I spoke to, they sound like me. They sound like **rmal girls, and they go home, and they watch Gosford Park and Downton Abbey, and they're girls you definitely want to have a beer with." Those discussions, Emily said, led her to create a performance that was realistic and still feminine.
The topic of women's acceptance in the world is a timely one at Cannes, since just this week, ladies were denied entry to a red carpet premiere of the film Carol because they were wearing flats. Emily has ** patience for this. "Everyone should wear flats to be honest. We shouldn't wear high heels," she said. "That's just my point of view -*I love Converse sneakers." She added, "It's very disappointing."
05-19-2015, 08:27 PM
How Emily Blunt Held on to a Gritty Role When Hollywood Wanted a Man Instead
Emily Blunt almost didn't get a Role in Sicario, a dark and dramatic new thriller from director Denis Villeneuve that debuted Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival. The script, written by actor-turned-screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, calls for the main character to be played by a woman, but various parties involved in getting the production up and running urged Villeneuve to change the part to that of a man. Villeneuve refused, and Emily, happily, joined the cast.
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