Emily Blunt has appeared in several roles that really tested her prowess bending her comfort zone. She does justice to her role though, as despite challenges, she stands out as immersed in the characters she plays.
Blunt has something interesting to recall from her 2016 movie The Girl on the Train. Directed by Tate Taylor, the psychological thriller has left some intense memories in Blunt’s mind as she hated her reflection of her in the mirror during the production. Her transformation in the $173.2 million movie was something that she would remember for the rest of her life.
Emily Blunt Hated Her Inebriated Avatar in The Girl on the Train
Emily Blunt played Rachel Watson, a divorcee finding herself amid an investigation of a missing person named Megan. That is not all, the mental stability of Blunt’s character also deteriorated as the movie progressed. Blunt had to immerse into the traits of the character and it appears that the make-up unit did a splendid job as Blunt herself freaked out looking at her reflection in the mirror.
“It was hard seeing myself look so awful. I came into work with no make-up and they would make me look even worse, adding rosacea and bags. I could barely look at my own reflection.”
Of course, the credit goes to the makeup artist, Kyra Panchenko. “She pulled up every celebrity’s drunk driving mugshot that we could find,” Blunt revealed Panchenko’s process in the making of Rachel. “So we had hilarious pictures of people — who will remain nameless! — all over the makeup bus, and we were trying to make me look like them.”
“We really focused on what happens to the face when you’re drunk; what it does to your skin, to your eyes. She created rosacea all over me, that sort of sallow, gray hue to the skin, and brought out every blemish I had,” Blunt said.
Certainly, the look was awful for Blunt but it appears that she enjoyed the process of developing Rachel with the makeup artist.
Emily Blunt Revealed Why She Played Rachel Watson
The Girl on the Train was adapted from the 2015 book of the same name by Paula Hawkins. The book had already received the height of popularity right after its release and everyone was reading it. During her travel, Blunt noticed the popularity of the book becoming a worldwide phenomenon as people were reading it while being on trains.
“I hadn’t read the book when I got approached about it. I’d just seen everyone reading the book on vacation or on the subway — the train! So when I was approached, I read it and very quickly saw why it was this phenomenon,” Blunt told Refinery 29.
But playing the alcoholic Rachel Watson was not easy for the actor, though it only encouraged Blunt to take up the challenge.
“Rachel is very toxic, physically and emotionally; an incredibly tortured, self-loathing sort of person, and I thought it was thrilling to have a protagonist that’s a blackout drunk. So it was a combination of the personal challenge for me and also the idea of this unreliable narrator, which I thought was so cool,” Blunt said.
The Girl on the Train received the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Thriller Movie while Blunt was nominated for a BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Source: Showbiz CheatSheet
