Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Emily Blunt

Episode Date: April 8, 2018

Emily Blunt had never worked with husband John Krasinski until the two starred together in the new horror film “A Quiet Place,” which Krasinski also directed and co-wrote. In this episode of "Sunday Sitdown," the British actress talks to Willie Geist about working with her husband as well as what it’s like to have the stamp of approval from “The Devil Wears Prada” co-star Meryl Streep and the original Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews. Plus she shares some of her lesser known hobbies and talents, including the one her husband didn’t even know she had until recently. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of our Sunday Sit Down podcast where you get the entire interview from what we cut down for my show Sunday today on NBC, where we give you seven or eight minutes with these stars. There's a lot that we have to leave on the edit room floor. And now it's all being put in one place for the Sunday Sit Down podcast where you get the full 30, 45 minutes, what an hour, whatever it might be, you're going to hear the whole thing like you don't get to hear on TV. I'm so grateful that you clicked on it. Don't forget to click on subscribe. Today's guest is Emily Blunt. I use the term charm bomb sometimes. Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman, she fell in that category.

Drew Barrymore, there are a lot of them. And I think Emily Blunt fits in that category. So talented, so smart, so charming, so fun to talk to. And I got to talk to her about her new movie, A Quiet Place, where she co-stars with her husband, John Krasinski, who you know, in love from the office and many movies since then. But Krasinski also directs this movie. So this is the first time he had to tell his wife, hey, this is how this scene's going to go. And she wasn't sure how that was going to play out. She talks about that relationship. She also, by the way, is starring as

Mary Poppins in the reprisal of that movie. Mary Poppins returns, which comes out this Christmas. We talked to her about that and following the footsteps of Julie Andrews. Plus, John Krasinski's a guy I know a little bit. So I let him know on the way to the interview that I was going to talk to Emily, and he texted me a series of questions, some of which I found suitable for television, for polite society. You'll hear those questions direct from John Krasinski to his own wife when I sit down right now with Emily Blunt. Thank you for doing this. Thank you. Okay, I told you I just got finished watching the movie. Yes. I'm still shaking a bit. Do you need a drink? I do need a drink. These aren't going to get the job done. But as I said to you, it is a relentless movie in the best way, in that from the

opening scene till the end, it just grabs whole of you and doesn't let go. There's no time to stop and breathe and relax to it. I mean, I think that was John's intention, evil as that probably is, to do to rattle people's nerves in the way that this film does. But I think the idea of a relentless ride and set piece after set piece that don't sort of disappoint as well, that it just escalates towards there's a pretty cool finale, not to give anything away, but it's a pretty awesome showdown that goes on.

And I'm just, I'm happy that people come out of it kind of rattled, you know, that's sort of the intention. Well, there's something about it too that is different, I imagine from any other acting job you've had, which is that you don't speak in the film. You literally don't speak in the film. What kind of challenge was at? Well, it's funny because for me, I think often the most exciting thing to watch in cinema is when people are not talking as much.

It's the unspoken stuff, the space between people that's exciting to watch. And this family have so many things to contend with. They've suffered a great loss. They need to communicate more than most families should. And they can't. And there's so many dynamics to play with of regret and loss and the need for forgiveness, the need for connection, the need for. love. And I think that this family are unable to have all of those feelings. And so there's a sense of tension in all the scenes and the little looks between them are so heartbreaking

because they so badly need to come together, you know. The reaction to this has been incredible. Yes. Already even before it went into theaters. You went to South by Southwest, Rotten Tomatoes. It's got a 100% rating and all the rest of it. It's sort of unheard of. I'm just like, it is. It's so surreal, honestly.

It's really overwhelming. And particularly for John, you know, because this is so his baby. And I always felt that the film was kind of spectacular. There comes a point where he ceases to believe me. Because he, you can't see it anymore. You're too close to it. And so we went to Austin to the South by Southwest Film Festival

where the movie opened it. And John was really. nervous about it and he hadn't eaten all day. And we went there and we sat down and it's 1,200 people and honestly you could have heard a pin drop at moments. People were screaming at the screen. People were like, turn around! It was so intense and jumping and screaming and then the film ended

and people just started to cheer and I mean we were shaking, we were absolutely shaking because this is two years of of his life and my life and you just never know. You never know if it's gonna translate and what you think is good and what you think works, you never know. And the response was completely and utterly overwhelming. So what do you think people are responding to?

Because sometimes horror movies go out and they go, yeah, it was scary, it was fine. But it feels like there's another layer to this. I think it's genuinely terrifying. It's incredibly disconcerting and there's some jump scares in it that can like send people through the roof. It's just so frightening.

And I think it's very grounded. I think that it's very moving. I think that this family and what they're having to experience is dealt with, not with any kind of spectacle. I think John really wanted it to be incredibly moving. And really a deeper metaphor for parenthood, this idea of us being terrified to send our children out to this brutal world that we're kind of in now.

And the quiet place is a sort of heightened version of what people are dealing with now as parents. The kind of dread you have of your children venturing out without you. That's sort of what I felt watching it as the father of two children, that whatever the bad thing was, it could have been anything. Yeah. It was this idea of throwing your arms around your kid and keeping them safe for as long as you could. And in John's case, without giving too much way, doing whatever you had to do to keep your children safe. Absolutely.

Do you feel that as a parent? Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm also somebody who prepared. actually worries about my children, probably unnecessarily. And so this would be my nightmare, what this mother experience, and this is why I was drawn to it, that in some ways, this is a strange thing to be drawn, strange thing to be drawn to, but her character,

you know, it sort of represents my deepest fears, that idea of maybe not being able to protect your children. And it was territory I hadn't really explored before, and I just connected to her. And the idea that even, And in this horribly brutal environment, she's trying to inject some kind of warmth and strength into her children. It's not just about surviving. It's about thriving. And I just loved her.

I found her really fierce, really. I think if there's a scene, people will remember forever about this movie. They'll probably call it the bathtub scene. You'll never take a bath again. Wow. Wow, wow. What did you want to convey in that scene? How did you do it? Agony.

Well, you did that. You did that. Agony and fear for my life, probably. It's a sort of a dual, dual thing. And it starts before you get to the bathtub, by the way. Well, I'm heavily pregnant in the film. And so you're kind of wondering how is she going to do this silently. And they have a plan and the plan goes wrong.

And so now you're exposed to the elements and have a plan. and having to give birth in a bathtub silently. And the nail and the stare and the hand on the shower door. There's just too much in there. John put me through the wringer. I think my character was subjected to the worst, you know, the four of us. Well, it's interesting. You mentioned it's been two years of your life and John's life,

but he's been pursuing this script and this film for a very long time. This is a movie he wanted to make. Yeah. And I guess when you saw him reading it and going through it when you saw the script, you maybe surprised him a little bit by saying, hey, I'd kind of like to be in this. Well, we've always been really protective of each other's work and not wanting

to sort of impose ourselves upon each other's projects. And so, and we've been offered other things to do together. But I don't think anyone wants to see John and I do a romantic comedy. Like the best thing about a romantic comedy is seeing the two people meet and people like, well, they're married, so it's not so fun. So I think we'd been careful about working together,

but he was sent the script as an actor, he read me the tagline and I was like, you have to direct this film. This is an amazing idea. It's so cool. And he had such conviction about how he wanted to do it. So I knew he sort of had an inn that worked with him. And then he rewrote the script,

and then I read the script. And I previously suggested a friend of mine to play the part. Oh, did you really? And I went, you need to call her and fire her. Can you say who? I can't say who. It's not fair. But he sort of pitched her the idea

And she was like, that sounds really good And then I was like, you need to call her And say that I'm doing it now So she was already into it? Well, he just pictured the idea She was like, it's cool, you know And then he called her, it's like, so here's the thing And she goes, oh my God, you're firing me

But then she was like, is it for Emily? He was like, yeah So she would find with that. So what kind of director is he? This isn't his first directing gig, obviously, but now that you've seen it up close as an actress What's it like? He's so energetic and he has so much tenacity about this world that he wants to create

and visual like flair. I think I almost underestimated him. I'll be honest. And I've told him that that I was like, I did not know you'd come up with such good shots. Like those are awesome. Very exciting, super collaborative. And he's got a really strong opinion on things, but not immovable. You know, and that was what was cool, is that we collaborated so well together,

because it's a bit of a gamble, like if you're going to work well together, being a married couple, and everyone was like, you're going to be divorced by the end. Actually, we weren't. We were closer, and it was really special for both of us, really. I think we discovered a new side to each other as well, a side that we haven't experienced before, just working in a professional realm together and creatively sort of spitballing.

It's cool. Were you more comfortable pushing back on him as a director than maybe other directors he worked with? Probably. I think I was, you know, we tried to afford each other the same diplomacy would another director or another actor, but we inevitably do just have a sort of secret language in a shorthand that would override that sometimes.

But on the whole, it kind of didn't get in the way of us We ultimately just had very aligned visions for things. And sometimes we crashed heads, but we resolved it. John is also exciting in the way that if there's a problem, he'll find a solution. Like he's never the guy with his head in his hands, ever. He will find a way out. In life? In life, in life.

As well as on the set. Definitely. So does that mean you'd like to work with him again as a director? Definitely, yeah. What about directing him? Emily Blunt directs John Krasinski. I've seen how all-consuming this job is. I'm like, you can do that.

I'll just show up, you know, just act and then be like, bye. You'll be the director and the family. We'll work it out that way. Do your girls have any sense for mom and dad working together? Are they too young? I think they are a bit too young. I mean, Hazel's four now and Violet's 20 months, so she has no idea. I'm like, poor old Violet.

I think that she understood that she understood that we did a movie together. I just don't think she in general understands quite what we do. Her version of a film is like Moana. Right, sure. Why would we be in an animated film? Right. And also when she has seen me on camera a couple of times

or seen walked past someone or a trailer comes on or one of her friends was playing into the woods the other day, she had a meltdown, she doesn't like it at all. Oh really? No, it's so disconcerting for her. I think it's probably cool for other kids who aren't your kids, you know. Right.

I think if it's your mom or your dad, I think it's really strange, because you're kind of not theirs or something in that moment. Right. Isn't it better that way? I found it a little better that my kids aren't incredibly interested or impressed.

Oh, I love it. And they just want what they want from you. Are they sort of unimpressed? 100%. And they just want you to be their dad. Right. That's it. Yeah.

Never have they asked about what I do when I leave the house. They think I'm an attorney, I think. Yeah. Whatever. It keeps the rent, keeps the lights on. There you go, exactly. So the other obviously huge project in your life right now is Mary Poppins. Yes. Who's that? The trailer's out.

Who cares about Mary Poppins, right? People freaked out about the trailer. They've got to wait a few months before they see the film. What kind of an honor was it to play that part inherited from Julie Andrews 54 years ago or whatever it was? I mean, it's such an honor that it's hard to put into words somehow because it's, um, She's so iconic and the character is so iconic. That it was, I was daunted to sort of take it on. And I didn't watch the original when we were shooting it.

I mean I seen it as a child so it was sort of emblazoned into my memory. But I just needed to do sort of my interpretation of her. And so I just read the books. There are seven books that are set during the Great Depression, which is when I think P.L. Travers actually did want the books to be set. So that's what we've done. This is 25 years on from the original and 30 years on. And all new songs, thank God, because I don't sing like Julie Andrews.

And big dance numbers and a huge, practically done, big old movie. It's absolutely beautiful. So nostalgic. and I just saw it and sort of scream cried. You saw the whole thing? Yeah, I'd just seen it, yeah. And was it as great as you dreamed it might be? Yeah, it's just awesome.

It's just, it's really moving. It's really cool. Julie Andrews came out and gave you the full endorsement. She did. She did. She did an interview. She was asked about it. And she said, I love Emily Blunt.

I think it's great that she's got the part. Well, she hasn't seen the movie yet, in fairness. What does it like to hear that from, Julie Andrews. Huge, you know, it's a huge endorsement to have her blessing on this and that she's excited about me playing the part. It's like she's passing the torch onto me. It's big.

I'm interested now, so we're at the, where you are now, how you started your career. Sure. Growing up in London, young actress, you were, how old when you were on stage with Dame Judy Dench, which is a pretty daunting thing? I was 18. Were you 18 years old? Yeah, yeah. What was that like to be on stage?

stage, one of your first jobs. She was so wonderfully warm to me. I mean, it was the greatest invitation into the business that can be so crushing. So I hadn't trained. I knew nothing. I got an agent, actually, when I was still in school. So I was 17, and this agent came to see a play I did at the school

and took me on. And I wasn't even planning on being an actress, so it was all a bit surreal. I was going to go to university. I wanted to do modern languages and be an interpreter, a translator or something. My mum's like a great linguist, so I was always sort of inspired to do something like that.

And so anyway, I thought I'd give it a go, this acting thing. Thank God got cast in this play with Judy, who was wonderful to me. And I remember the first day we were doing the poster shoot for the poster that would go outside the theater, in the West End and I was getting my hair and makeup done. I was like, what is this? It was just so strange.

And I heard her come into the room and she's just got that incredibly idiosyncratic voice and it's an incredible voice and I heard her going, where is she? And she just came right up to me and she said, now I just want you to know that if anyone gives you any trouble, you just come straight to me. And she just was so kind and one,

wonderful to me and every night after the show I'd go down to her dressing room and like Johnny Depp would be there or like Pierce Bros and I was like I'd be there like drinking champagne pretending I knew what anyone was talking about and it was just mad and you were 18 years old and so from that point where you sold okay I am gonna be an actress I mean yeah put you over the top this is amazing you know and then I stayed in the theater for a while and did a play at the National did Romeo and Juliet And I did television and did like an episode of Poirot, Foils War, that kind of thing. Most people point to Devil Wears Prada as your huge breakthrough.

It really was. Do you feel that way as well? Yeah, I mean, yes, very much so. It was just a night and day difference after that film came out. It was just one of those films where I auditioned for it, I went on tape, I then went on tape again, and then they gave me the part. It was just so weirdly lucky and fortunate, and the director had just liked what I did.

Nobody knew who I was. And it was joyous to do. I mean, we cried with laughter on that film. We loved it. But again, I didn't know that it was gonna have this sort of meteoric fan base that was just insane. I mean, people just went nuts for it and saw it again and again and then

dragged their husbands to see it. and then the boyfriends to see it, and the boyfriends kind of liked it secretly. For sure. It was that kind of film. And it gets quoted to me every week. I was going to ask you, if you walked down the street in New York,

what's the first thing people say? Is it Devil Wars Prada? No, it's kind of a mix now. It's Devil West Prada. It's Sicario. It's Edge of Tomorrow. Those three of the most sort of prominent ones, yeah. And when you talked about Dame Judy Dench,

to work with Meryl Streep and you're 22, 23 years old. That had to be kind of extraordinary too. It was extraordinary. And she, I've done three films with her now, and she's become a friend, really. And so there was this crazy moment when I rapped. My character was wrapped,

and I was standing talking to Stanley Tucci, who was in the film. And Stanley said, like, you should tell Meryl that you're wrapped. I was like, no, no, no, no, because I don't know, like, bother her or whatever. And he was like, I'm in a time, I'm going to talk. And we hadn't spoken that much during the shoot, Meryl and I. And he went and told it, and I remember seeing her across the parking lot.

And she burst out of a trailer and the wig was off. She was just Meryl. She was in a puffy jacket. And she was like, you were so great! And I was just like, and I just started to like weep. It was sad. It was sad. Because you weren't sure how she felt yet.

I didn't know. You know, and she was just so, you were like, you were so funny. And I just was like, cry. the whole way home. I didn't realize how much her sort of stamp of approval would mean to me. But it says good things about you. You've been validated now by Judy Dent and Merrill Streep and all the way up the ladder. You're obviously doing something right yourself. Hopefully, right? You'd think so.

I think so. Into the woods, another huge one. I'm sure you hear about that all the time. I do. I do. I don't know. I do. I don't know that has legs because young people watch that all the way through. Yeah, and I'm surprised how many young kids really responded to it. And I have a lot of young girls sort of between the age of eight and 16 that just they love that film. Love it.

What do you think it is about that one? It's just a famous story, good characters that people sink into. Yeah, I mean, I think it is a famous musical. I think it's done at every high school in America. My daughter's doing it right now. She's in fifth grade. But they only do the first half, I think, before all the doom starts or something. It's a little dark still, though.

It's very dark. It's very dark. Yeah. There's a lot in there. Yeah, so it's got that culty feeling amongst the youth of America, I think. Are you the kind of actor who thinks about an arc for your career in terms of choices? Oh God, no. You're now, okay.

Some people, I think most actors I talk to don't. They say I want to work with great people and, you know, have a great script. I just believe any time I've tried to strategize something, it's just fallen on its bottom. So you just look for a good script or a director or what do you want? Or what do you want out of a job? The material's vital, so you cannot make a great film out of a bad script. It's an impossibility. And so the script has to be fantastic.

And then I just am really particular about who I work with. And I have to really respond to the director, which I'm lucky for John Crosinski. I did. In this case, you responded to the director. I responded well. Yeah, you did. He tells the story of how the two of the two of the two. of you met and I wonder if it's true in a restaurant in LA. Yeah, it's like a really sort of Hollywood story.

It's sort of not even a great boy meets girl story. He said he was a big fan of yours professionally. Yes. And he tried to act cool. Do you remember the night at all? I mean, yeah, like it was yesterday. And we both met at a time where neither of us were wanting to meet anybody particularly. And so that's usually when it happens, I think.

And I was sitting with my friend. grey and she, I discovered as a mutual friend of his and he was in the same restaurant and then he came over and was so funny and sweet and that was it. So it was right away? It was, yeah. It was pretty immediate, yeah. So it wasn't like he wasn't fooling you on that first night. He's maintained it through the years.

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Okay, well that brings me to something I'm dead. And this is from an undisclosed source who I spoke to, I'm a reporter, I talk to sources. Sure, sure. This person asked that you refer to him exclusively as El Director, the man in charge. It's disgusting. Never. Do you, this source wants me to ask you, have you ever considered going to rehab for your shark tank addiction?

It's a problem. I mean, I know it's a problem. I'm not admitting that it's an addiction. I'm willing to explore other avenues. Like The Voice, for example, wouldn't mind taking a slight detour away from Shark Tank, but only for The Voice. How often are you watching Shark Tank? Most nights.

Most nights. I'm starting to become a little bit concerned that seasons are running out, and soon it'll just be like a weekly one-off, you know, which doesn't sound as appealing. Do you have a favorite shark? Well, I know John really loves Barbara, and I think Barbara's pretty great, because I like it when she goes, I really like the idea, but I don't like you, because I don't trust you. Like, I love it when she calls people on stuff, when she's like, I don't like you, you're annoying. I was like, wow. I think Kevin O'Leary, I always feel bad that nobody ever goes

with him because he's, he does these weird convoluted deals where it just sounds like too much work. But he makes me laugh so much. I'm convinced that we'd probably be good friends. I don't really trust him. I think he's always trying to get one over. I know that's why he makes me laugh so much. He's just so funny. Would you ever go on that show? Like think of an idea and put yourself out there. Never.

Never. Ever. In a million years. It's so awful when you see people go out there and they're terrified and they're shaking. They're like, hey sharks and you're like, no, like you already know. It's going to be a disaster. You're dead. You can't be a sweetheart.

Okay. My source has another question for you. Has anyone ever made, I guess, has anyone ever made Shark Tank into a birthday cake for you? John did for my birthday. John Krasinski? John Krasinski. Yeah. And what was on the cake?

See, this is not even a question from him. This is him just seeking a compliment. It was a great cake. Were you a cello prodigy as a child? Why would you say prodigy? It's not true. I played the cello. I think pretty well, not very well.

And when did you stop? When I was 16 and discovered a social life. Did it have anything to do, my source wanted me to ask you, with the size of the cello that you had to sort of lug around with you? Well, it's kind of an embarrassing instrument because it's not necessarily very cool. You know, it's like people would play guitars at parties and stuff. No one quite wants the Algar cello concerto, just like a hang, you know, at Joe's house. You roll that out.

Yeah. Yeah. My mum asked us when we were about seven what instrument we'd like to. to learn. It was a pretty cool question. Like, you can learn anything you want. What would you like? And my sister close chose the clarinet, which was probably a wiser move, because carrying that on the bus with a little case is smart. And I ambitiously chose the cello. But I did persist until I was 16. So you were pretty good at it. I was pretty good. I mean, I'm not very good anymore. But could you, if I roll the cello out and I'm not, don't worry.

Please God don't. But if I did, would you be able to put something together? Yeah, but it would be awful. So I wouldn't ever do it. on television. But I think I need to practice. I need to find a great teacher and get back to what I was like, you know. Maybe that's your second act. That's the second act. Chellist. People would be into that too. Well, I would like that. I mean, then I don't have to work as much. She gave it all up for the cello. What a story. What a story. So John had no idea that you were a singer before into the woods. They never came up in the relationship, the pipes.

I mean, you know, we'd sort of hum along in the car to stuff, but I wasn't the type of person who was like, listen to me, you know, I can really sing. I just was always kind of embarrassed about singing in front of people, and that was certainly why I didn't ever want to pursue that as an occupation, because I find it incredibly nerve-wracking to sing in front of people. There's something rather exposing about it, and karaoke, I'm great, usually with a lot of tequila on board, but most people are. Yeah. And so we were pre-recording the songs for Into the Woods. And Rob Marshall, the amazing director, and he directed Mary Poppins. He invited John in to the sound booth to come and have a listen. And Rob goes, are you ready?

Like that. And John was like, actually, do you know, I've never heard her sing? And Rob went, what? And he goes, I've never heard a sing. He like started up the 60-piece orchestra and I sang. And John, like, cried. Did he really? Did he cry?

Yeah, but he cries a lot, so it's not like, it's not like a huge deal. It's like, it was so sweet. Yeah, it was very nice. I'm amazed that he didn't know that at all, even just in the shower, hearing you sing in the bathroom, something like that. I'm very, very shy about it. Protective. It's like, yeah.

It's like the cello. You know, bring it out a lot. Yeah, and now you're going to bring me a microphone and a chair. That would be an act, singing with the cello. Nobody wants to see that. Well, that's your second act. We've already decided it. I'm afraid. It's on its way at some point.

That's the end of my questioning. Thank you. Is that it? Yes. That wasn't so bad, was it? It's not too invasive. I think there was some darker stuff in there. I'm going to leave off camera.

Okay, good. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. That was awesome. Thank you. My thanks to Emily Blunt for that conversation. Her movie is A Quiet Place and to John Krasinski for being my source of those questions. There was some, some I didn't say out loud that I'll tell you about some other time. That does it for this week's episode of Sunday Sit Down.

If you like what you hear, be sure to click subscribe so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in every Sunday to Sunday today on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. Thank you for listening. We'll see you next week for the Sunday Sit Down podcast.