Truth be told, I’m not sure we quite deserveEmily Blunt. The British actress, who most American audiences met as the motor-mouthed, misanthropic assistant toMeryl Streep’snow-iconic Miranda Priestly in 2006, has quickly become a big box office name, who seems to be one of the few modern day come ups to still feel like a bona fide “movie star” thanks to her unique brand of self-deprecating charm undercut with impressive elegance. Oscillating quite easily between comedy (managing to charm even in lesser vehicles likeThe Five Year Engagement), drama and, most recently, action, she’s an increasingly rare triple threat, and one Hollywood seems to finally be sitting up and taking notice of.
Following her breathtaking performance inSicario, Blunt takes on another daring vehicle, the seductive and occasionally sillyThe Girl on the Train, a film that despite some middling reviews, contains some powerhouse delivery (and grade-A drunk acting) from the star. Set to take on the one and onlyMary Poppins(inMary Poppins Returns)forRob Marshallnext year, it seems increasingly likely that Blunt is on her way to becoming a giant in her own right, taking on roles more varied and interesting than the last. A quick note: this is a ranking of Emily Blunt’sperformances, not films. (It pained me to leave outSunshine Cleaning, too.)
10) The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Look, any film that’s middling enough to beburned by POTUSisn’t going to be perfect, andThe Adjustment Bureaumost certainly isn’t. Suffering from uneven tone and themes that never quite manage to congeal into a satisfying sci-fi jelly, writer/directorGeorge Nolfinevertheless manages to orchestrate some impressive chemistry between Blunt andMatt Damon, elevating their potentially trite love affair into something almost reasonable. I mean, wouldn’t you move heaven and earth to be with Emily Blunt? Unfortunately, what Nolfi doesn’t do is write a character for the actress that extends beyond manic pixie dream ideals, leaving her with a rough outline rather than a fully formed human. But she elevates the material to its highest quirky height, honoring a script that unfortunately seems uninterested in doing the same for her.
9) Into the Woods (2014)
Sorry, but even if musicals aren’t your “thing,” it’s hard to ignore the powerhouse that is Blunt as the Baker’s Wife – a tragic, characteristically charming and altogether beguiling performance that brings her flair for the dramatic, comedic and the deeply physical into one, melodic place. Holding her own against musical vet Anna Kendrick and managing to carry the emotional weight of the film when the passableJames Cordencannot, the one-two punch ofEdge of TomorrowandInto the Woodsseem responsible for Hollywood finally putting its faith in Blunt to carry off a film on her own, and that’s a very good thing indeed.
8) Looper (2012)
I suppose we all oweRian Johnsonfor spying the latent action abilities Blunt displays so perfectly in this steely, wholly convincing bow. Every inch the cast iron protector in weathered plaid and a Kansas drawl, Blunt imbues the Sarah Conner-esque matriarch ofLooperwith years of fear, pain and frustration that seems to single-handedly hold the film’s lagging third act afloat. Making full use of a script that allows her to be fearsome, funny, and voraciously sexual all at once, Blunt unleashed a performance that easily holds its own againstJoseph Gordon Levitt’sastonishing work, even in the face of her minimal screen time.
7) Gideon’s Daughter (2007)
Contained in a rather underwhelming, albeit visually strikingStephenPoliakoffepic, Blunt’s serene, pathos-filled performance as the preternaturally beautiful and talented daughter ofBill Nighy’sPR patriarch isn’t the most interesting one of her career, but it is one of her most masterful. Measured and mannered yet ultimately seeping with emotion, it’s not at all surprising that the role garnered her a Golden Globe win over heavy hitters likeSarah PaulsonandToni Collette, even at the young age of 24. For what it’s worth,Gideon’s Daughteralso helped to cement Emily Blunt as the talent with the pipes to carry offInto the Woods; after the young actress stunned viewers with a musical performance so deeply felt it’s no wonder we all sat up and took notice.
6) The Young Victoria (2009)
The Young Victoriahas all of the elements of a British period classic, with a magnificent pedigree thanks to a script byJulian Fellowes(ofDownton Abbeyfame) and a helmer in the Oscar-magnetJean-Marc Vallee. But the film is held aloft not by its impressive crew, but by Blunt’s virtuosic performance despite a script that too often pulls its punches. Edgier thanKeira Knightley(the usual go-to for this kind of role) and with a little more alluring spunk, Blunt manages to give the impression of slightly coiled world-weariness just underneath Victoria’s fresh-faced beauty, putting much-needed oomph into a character that too often feels trite. I’m all for the the actress’ action renaissance, but boy could period films use a little more Blunt.
5) Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
This is a big one. Though perhaps not as showy as her awards-y work,Edge of Tomorrowremains a sterling gem in Blunt’s box office crown, proving that the actress, who’d slowly been inching towards action genre work withLooperandThe Adjustment Bureaucould handily carry an action film even next to action vetTom Cruise. Pulling off a stony exterior that could earn her the title as “full metal bitch” with enough complexity (and chemistry with Cruise) to win over even the most skeptical viewer, Blunt softens Cruise’s hammier edges while leaning into the film’s fantastical premise with aplomb. The film certainly seems to have re-kickstarted her career, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t notice that she helped kickstartEdge of Tomorrowin the first place.
4) Your Sister’s Sister (2011)
A surprisingly engaging gem from mumblecore alumLynne Shelton, Blunt stars as one of the titular Sisters – a relaxed and affable everywoman whose friendship withMark Duplass’character is put to the test after a drunken evening brings him unexpectedly together with her sister (played byRosemarie DeWitt). The trio, who spend much of the film’s runtime in lightly scripted scenes utterly stuffed with human moments and genuine emotion, are effortless in their improvisation. But while DeWitt and Duplass are old pros at Shelton’s scrappy indie approach, Blunt manages to feel the most at home in the extemporaneous camaraderie despite her relative inexperience, proving skill that’s as effortless as it is unmissable.
3) My Summer of Love (2004)
Few are able to make a theatrical debut as splashy asMy Summer of Love. Handily leading the languid drama chronicling the slow bloom of affection between two young women during a sticky Yorkshire summer, Blunt made a splash (and nabbed the attention of the British awards circuit) with her flippant, decadent and utterly un-self aware performance as a privileged teen.My Summer of Loveturns largely on Blunt’s charm (and ease of deception), as she turns skillfully fromLolita-esquecharmer to preternaturally wise, the result of which is a performance with an underlying maturity that defied her scant 21 years.
2) The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
When most of us first met Blunt, she was in kitten heels (designer, thank you very much!), as the assistant to Meryl Streep’s towering, dismissive Miranda Priestly. Starring, funnily enough, as a young upstart named Emily, Blunt’s caffeine-fueled take on misguided professional ambition and more than a little anxiety gave the still-young actress the creative room to prove that yes, her comic chops were as freakishly developed as her dramatic ones. A slapdash, wholly self-absorbed, but almost tragically human take on what might have been a villain in less capable hands, Blunt manages to handily upstageAnne Hathawayin her own starring vehicle. Oops!
1) Sicario (2015)
It had to be this way, right? Blunt has yet to be given a character quite as richly realized as Kate Macer – delivering a stunning, physically grounded performance that helped propelSicariofrom the technical masterpiece it always was to the gritty epic it became. Making a role that studio bigwigs fancied a man to play wholly her own by infusing Macer with understated power and feminine strength, Blunt is able to use nearly her full arsenal of talent to makeSicarioa straight-up stunner. The film’s pedigree, fromRoger DeakinstoTayler SheridantoDenis Villeneuve, certainly goes a long way in making this one of the crime thrillers of the last decade, but it’s the warmth of Blunt’s performance, and her admirable vulnerability that makes the film so affecting (not to mention stomach-churning).
