Emily Blunt's Best Roles Prove She's Practically Perfect in Every Way

From Mary Poppins Returns to The Devil Wears Prada, the actress has starred in a number of major films

By Elyse Dupre Dec 17, 2018 2:00 PMTags
Mary Poppins Returns, The Devil Wears Prada, A Quiet Place, Emily BluntWalt Disney Studios; 20th Century Fox; Paramount Pictures

Emily Blunt is practically perfect in every way—and she's got the nominations to prove it. 

The 35-year-old actress has already scored several nods this award show season for her performance in Mary Poppins Returns—the sequel to Disney's 1964 original. So far, she's received Critics' Choice, Golden Globes and SAG Awards nods for her role as the magical nanny. 

Of course, this isn't her first highly acclaimed role. Over the years, she's starred in a number of popular films, including A Quiet Place, The Girl on the Train and The Devil Wears Prada.

"The air changes in the room when she starts doing what she does," her husband John Krasinski told Vanity Fair. "It's so honest and so pure and so powerful. It's like a superpower that she can just unlock and do so specifically with not many attempts."

Watch
Emily Blunt Explains Why She Loves Playing Mary Poppins

To look back at some of Blunt's most iconic roles, check out the gallery. Spit spot!

Gideon's Daughter

Emily Blunt won a Golden Globe for this BBC drama, which is set in the midst of the New Labour period and the mourning of Princess Diana's tragic death. PR head Gideon (Bill Nighy) reevaluates his high-profile life after his daughter Natasha (Blunt) threatens to leave him for all the pain he has caused.

The Devil Wears Prada

In The Devil Wears Prada, Blunt plays Emily, the first assistant of Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), who gives guidance to new hire Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) on how to fit in at Runway, a high fashion magazine. Things go awry however when Andy tries to change her attitude and look, which affects her personal life.

The Jane Austen Book Club

The English actress brings Prudie to life in this 2007 drama in which a group of women begin a Jane Austen book club only to find their own lives are mirroring the the author's famous novels. 

Charlie Wilson's War

In 2007, Blunt portrayed Jane Liddle in this drama, which was based on Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's (Tom Hanks) covert dealings in Afghanistan where he assisted rebels in their war with the Soviets.

The Young Victoria

Blunt is Queen Victoria during the first years of her rule in the 2009 film, which also explores the Queen's romance with Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). 

Gulliver’s Travels

In Gulliver's Travels, Lemauel Gulliver (Jack Black) is sent on assignment to the Bermuda Triangle but his boat is a hit by storm and he ends on the island of Lilliput. He is then captured and brought to the island's royal family which includes Princess Mary, played by Blunt. 

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

The 36-year-old actress takes on the role of Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, a consultant who works with a fisheries expert to bring fly-fishing to the desert, in this 2011 film. 

Your Sister’s Sister

After Iris (Blunt) invites her friend Jack (Mark Duplass) to spend the weekend at her family's island getaway, a drunken encounter between Jack and Iris' sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) changes everything between the two friends...and things get complicated.

The Five-Year Engagement

The mother of two stars opposite Jason Segal in this 2012 comedy. In The Five-Year Engagement, Violet (Blunt) is engaged to Tom (Segal) but unexpected events keep them from walking down the aisle. 

Looper

The Golden Globe winner plays Sara in the sci-fi thriller Looper. In the film, she encounters Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a looper who sends people from the future to be killed in the past. 

Into the Woods

The British actress portrays the Baker's Wife in the 2014 musical comedy. All she wants is a child with her husband (played by James Corden), but first they must break the witch's curse and sing a few songs along the way!

Edge of Tomorrow

Blunt stars alongside Tom Cruise in this 2014 sci-fi action film. The movie follows Major William Cage (Cruise), who is killed while fighting against aliens, but is in a time loop where he then relives the battle over and over. He eventually teams up with Rita Vrataski (Blunt) to improve his chances of survival. 

Sicario

The actress plays an FBI agent who's been hired by the government to help take down a drug cartel in Sicario.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War

The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain) try to conceal their love in The Huntsman: Winter's Tale, but Queen Freya (Blunt) discovers their secret setting off a chain of events that changes their lives forever.

The Girl on the Train

Blunt is Rachel Watson, the girl on the train, who becomes entangled in a missing person's case that will forever change the course of her life in the 2016 film based on the novel by the same name. 

A Quiet Place

In A Quiet Place, Blunt takes on the role of Evelyn Abbott, who along with her family is forced to live in silence because hypersensitive creatures are attacking anyone who makes noise.

Mary Poppins Returns

In this new take on the Disney classic, Blunt plays the famous magical nanny, who returns to the Banks family to help Michael (Ben Whishaw) raise his children.

Mary Poppins Returns flies into theaters Dec. 19.