There is seemingly no end to Emily Blunt’s talents.
Not only is she one of the most gifted actresses in the world right now, but the 2018 success of A Quiet Place and the hype surrounding Mary Poppins Returns has confirmed her as one of the most popular, too.
Is Emly Blunt singing in Mary Poppins Returns?
Her performance as Mary Poppins also proves that not only do her acting chops rival those of Julie Andrews, but her singing ability is right up there with the Oscar winner, too.
“That’s pure her,” director Rob Marshall tells Metro after being asked whether that was actually Emily Blunt singing in Mary Poppins Returns.
But did they ever discuss making her singing voice sound more like Julie Andrews?
“We never talked about Julie Andrews once. Because the only way to really approach it was; you can’t beat Julie Andrews. Julie Andrews is Julie Andrews. But what you can be is Mary Poppins. We went directly to the books and looked at the books and really examined who is the character.”
Marshall never even considered, let alone approached another actress about playing the eponymous character, as he knew that Blunt had all the traits required and was simply perfect for the part.
“There was never anyone else for me. I loved working with her on Into The Woods and I just knew there were so many boxes to tick. This character needed to be so many things.”
“She needed to be a great actress, she needed humor, to be clever and smart and quick. But there had to be a great warmth under that. Because she plays a very stern and brusk nanny. So underneath there needs to be a beating heart and sense of warmth. Plus she needed to be able to sing and dance.”
“It is such a great character. There’s such a duality to her. She has a facade of great strength and sternness. But underneath is this child and so Emily has all of those layers. It is a very sophisticated performance because you see those layers and humanity sneaking through. She is so great. And there was no-one else for me. I swear to God there was no other person.”
Mary Poppins Returns is now in theaters.
