Admit it; you assume that actors are a lot like the characters they play.
If so, then British-born Emily Blunt, based on her nasty but memorable role as Meryl Streep’s acid-tongued assistant in “The Devil Wears Prada,” must be a humorless, tough-as-nails actress. Throw in her starring role as “The Young Victoria,” and I rest my case.
Apparently, the 27-year-old actress is nothing like those characters. The first clue was her marriage to the lovable actor John Krasinski of “The Office.” He wouldn’t marry a humorless person.
The next clue came in this interview at a Beverly Hills hotel to promote the Disney film “Gnomeo & Juliet,” an animated version of the Shakespeare tragedy “Romeo & Juliet” that opens Friday.
The actress is funny, mischievous and not afraid to use salty language and sarcasm to make her point.
“Gnomeo & Juliet” is a slightly different take on Shakespeare, in that all the characters are backyard gnomes, and the ending has been changed a bit.
Blunt, who voices the character of Juliet, justifies the Disney ending to the classic tale of teen love, and then puts to rest an Internet lie that involves her, her new husband and Anne Hathaway, her “Prada” co-star.
Blunt will be seen next month opposite Matt Damon in the thriller “The Adjustment Bureau,” a cross between “The Matrix” and “Defending Your Life.” They play two unsuspecting people who discover that their lives are not only part of someone’s master plan, but can be manipulated by unseen forces.
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Would I be wrong …
EMILY BLUNT: Yes. Most definitely.
Q. I haven’t asked my question yet.
A. Sorry; go right ahead.
Q. Would I be wrong in assuming that this is not the first time you have played the Shakespearean character Juliet?
A. Why would you ask that?
Q. Because you’re a proper English actress, and I assume that all proper English actresses have dreamed of playing Juliet since they were little girls?
A. Well, I am a proper English actress.
Q. Yes, indeed. And have you played Juliet before?
A. Of course I have. All proper English actresses have played Juliet.
Q. When did you first play Juliet?
A. When I was 19, which is many moons ago.
Q. I’ll bet the connection goes back even further?
A. As you know, all British people are somehow connected to Shakespeare, and we all studied Juliet when we were in school. But I didn’t get to play her until I was 19, and I found it a very daunting process. She was as extraordinary and rewarding a part as I’ve ever played, and I may never play one that extraordinary again. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that drains you night after night.
Q. And now, to complete the arc of your illustrious career, you are playing her again, but this time as a gnome?
A. (laughs) I wonder if arc is the proper word?
Q. Have you seen the new movie?
A. Not altogether yet, but I saw chunks of it, and I was amazed at the detailing of it. It’s beautiful. It creates this magical world.
Q. How do you feel about the ending?
A. How do you mean?
Q. I don’t want to give anything away, but when you go to see a movie based on “Romeo & Juliet,” you expect a difficult ending, not unlike a movie based on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. But this goes in a different direction, and I was wondering if you objected to the filmmakers toying with Shakespeare?
A. When I was a kid watching Disney movies like “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” I was heartbroken. They were tragedies. But it was a different time then. The world wasn’t so aggressive and violent, and people could cope with stories that ended tragically. But now, young people are so inundated with violence in the media that I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a happy ending?
Q. That’s an interesting perspective. I would think that because people are so accustomed to real-world violence, they could handle violence in the movies?
A. If I had kids, I would not want them to have to see more violence in the movies. When I was a child, you’d go to see a difficult movie, discuss it with your parents and the experience would pass. Kids today don’t have a chance to breathe. It’s always around them, so why not give them a break at the movies? It’s their only chance at innocence.
Q. Was the experience of making the film pretty typical in that you worked mostly alone in a sound booth without other actors around?
A. Yes. I was friendless on this film (laughs).
Q. So, when you say “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou?” you really meant it?
A. Yes, I was like “Where the hell are you, Romeo?”
Q. How difficult a workload is it?
A. Not very. It really is a lovely experience. It just takes a long time. I started discussing this with them in late 2008.
Q. Most actors tell me that they do animated voiceover work because of their children.
A. (laughs) That isn’t true?
Q. It is true. That’s what they tell me. They do it so their children can watch some of their movies.
A. I absolutely understand why they would do it for that reason.
Q. But you don’t have kids.
A. I did it because I’ve never done an animated movie. I love animated movies, and I love the fact that you can show up for work in your frickin’ pajamas, and it doesn’t matter because nobody will see you. And I just wanted to do a kids movie.
Q. Why?
A. It’s not because I’m pregnant, if that’s what you’re getting at.
Q. I’m not that type of reporter. But are you pregnant?
A. No.
Q. There are stories floating around that you turned down “Iron Man 2” because of another movie, but then turned down an offer to be in “Captain America” for undisclosed reasons. Are you wary of big commercial movies?
A. I don’t want it to seem as if I’m playing a game of avoidance because I would have nothing against being in a big summer blockbuster if the script was right, and the timing was right. It has to be the right thing for me.
Q. Obviously, “The Devil Wears Prada” was the right thing for you. Do you remember where you were at when that opportunity came along?
A. It was such a launching pad for me, and yet it was only my second or third movie. I remember standing in my parents’ garden after the audition, and all the phones started ringing. You know you’ve been offered a really good role when all your representatives get on the phone at once. They were more excited than I was, although I was a bit overwhelmed at the chance to work with Meryl.
Q. Did you have an inkling that it would be such a big hit?
A. Not until we got on set. Then the enormity of it hit us. On some movies, you can just tell at the end of the day that it’s all working. It feels rights; it all fits perfectly.
Q. But you still didn’t know whether the public would agree?
A. It wasn’t until the studio said it was putting it out immediately that we realized that we weren’t alone in loving it. Of course, I was so new and naïve, I wasn’t sure of anything. I didn’t even know what a good opening weekend was. When my agent called to give me the numbers on opening weekend, I told him I didn’t know if that was good or bad. He said it was unbelievable.
Q. How did its success impact your career?
A. It changed my life overnight.
Q. Did the success frighten you at all?
A. Not really. In fact, it helped me because it was a comedy. I had been doing period pieces and serious English drams, and this opened me up to a whole different genre. It was very exciting. I would never have been approached for “Sunshine Cleaning” if not for “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Q. Did the public ever assume you were like your character in “Prada?”
A. People have said to that they assumed I would be horrible. I guess I play horrible very well.
Q. You got something else significant out of “Prada,” didn’t you?
A. What’s that?
Q. A husband.
A. What are you talking about?
Q. Didn’t Anne Hathaway introduce you to your future husband?
A. No, not at all. Where do these stories start?
Q. It’s all over the Internet.
A. Annie had not even met John until after we started dating.
Q. I am completely stunned.
A. Let this be a lesson: Don’t believe everything you read.
Contact the writer: 714-796-5051, ext. 1110, or bkoltnow@ocregister.com
