The first few glimpses of Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins in the hugely anticipated Mary Poppins Returns have already suggested that the English actress is the perfect heir to the role made famous by Julie Andrews back in 1964.
But Emily Mortimer, one of her co-stars in the film, has now gone even further with her ubiquitous praise for Blunt as Mary Poppins, insisting that she is “really sexy” as the all singing and all dancing nanny.
On Monday I had the chance to talk to Mortimer about “The Party,” Sally Potter’s dark political comedy that won the Guild Film Prize at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass without bringing up “Mary Poppins Returns,” in which Mortimer plays Jane Banks.
At first I asked Mortimer for her original reaction to seeing Blunt as Mary Poppins, which provoked the 46-year-old to immediately wax lyrical about her co-star’s work on the film. She even went as far as to use some saucy language that the character herself would almost certainly frown upon.
“Emily Blunt is f*****g brilliant as Mary Poppins, that is all I can say. And really sexy. I think she is going to be a really sexy Mary Poppins.”
After making the above comments I told Mortimer that quote needed to be on every single poster for “Mary Poppins Returns,” which provoked her to let out a laugh in approval.
Mortimer clearly appreciated being given the chance to stroll down Cherry Tree Lane and work on “Mary Poppins Returns,” as she also discussed the great “privilege” of being cast in the film, which she insists is gloriously hopeful and wonderful.
“It felt like a real, I don’t want to sound too gushy, but it felt like a great privilege to be part of it. Rob Marshall who directed it did it with such care and love and hope and a lack of cynicism.”
“He was just wanting to make the best version possible of this story. I found his attitude to the whole thing just incredibly moving. His whole modus operandi is about putting on a show and making something entertaining and showcasing the power of entertainment.”
“And he has done it. I think. I don’t know. Obviously time will tell. Who am I to judge. But I think it is really wonderful and it feels like an antidote to something.”
We’ll get to see if Emily Mortimer is right, and if “Mary Poppins Returns” is really as magical as she insists it is, as well as if Emily Blunt’s incarnation of the character is “sexy,” when the fantasy musical finally hits cinemas on Christmas Day, 2018.
Before then, though, make sure to watch the gloriously biting “The Party,” especially as it features a terrific turn from Emily Mortimer. You can read more about “The Party” later this week, while it is released on February 16.
