Emily Blunt starrer The English premiered on Thursday, November 10 on BBC Two. A western film directed by award-winning director Hugo Blick, it is set in 1890 America and traces the adventures of Cornelia Locke (played by Blunt), an aristocratic Englishwoman, and Eli Whipp (played by Chaske Spencer), an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth. 

The Devil Wears Prada fame actor talked about the lead character Cornelia. “She’s innocent without being naive and that makes her a force to be reckoned with,” Blunt said about her character in the miniseries. 

Also Read | Who was Kevin Conroy? Batman voice actor passes away at 66

Who is Emily Blunt?

Born Emily Olivia Leah Blunt, the actor is known for her seminal portrayal of women characters across her films. 

Blunt was born on February 23, 1983, in London, England to mother Joanna Blunt, a former actor, and father Oliver Blunt, a lawyer. She was the second of four children and she struggled with stuttering when she was young. Her school teacher helped her overcome this by providing her with acting exercises.

Although she initially intended to be a live translator for the United Nations, her role in a student production of the musical Bliss (2000) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival caught the attention of an agent. 

She soon made her debut opposite Judi Dench in The Royal Family in 2001. The following year she starred as Juliet in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Chichester Festival.

Blunt later secured supporting roles in Foyle’s War (2003), Empire (2005), and Gideon’s Daughter (2005), and the last one won her a Golden Globe. 

Also Read | Who was Gallagher? Comedian famous for smashing watermelons dies at 76

Her breakthrough role was in The Devil Wears Prada, opposite Hollywood’s most noted veteran actor Meryl Streep, and Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway. 

Blunt followed this successful streak with Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011), Romeo and Juliet (2011), Sherlock Holmes (2018) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014), A Quiet Place (2018) and the sequels that followed.