Emily Blunt has done it all, action, comedy, and horror, but way before she became a household name, her love for storytelling started with something simple. While speaking at the ELLE Women in Hollywood event in L.A., Blunt opened up about the unexpected song that first nudged her toward acting.
Emily Blunt on how an iconic song inspired her acting aspirations
During her speech, Blunt revealed that Otis Redding’s soulful classic “Try a Little Tenderness” was the moment everything clicked for her. She first heard it when she was 7. At that time, she struggled with a heavy stutter and often felt “frozen” inside her own body.
Watching Redding pour every ounce of emotion into the song, the riffs, the fire, the electrifying energy lit something inside her. And Blunt wanted to feel that so desperately.
“I remember as a kid thinking, ‘I want to feel that so much, so badly.”
She explained that every role she has picked and every story she’s brought to life has given her that same rush. That sense of creative freedom, she shared, is still one of the biggest gifts her career has given her.
“The stories I’ve gotten to tell and the characters I’ve gotten to play have given me that feeling. I’m most grateful for that.” Blunt also took a beat to thank her inner circle, calling her family “the softest place to land” after a long day on set. She looked back on her journey with genuine awe, admitting it still gives her “whiplash” to think about how far she’s come.
In her ELLE profile, Blunt also shared what it’s like to move through Hollywood as a woman. Dealing with the noise, the spotlight, and the constant pressure, while still finding her people in the creative grind.
She opened up about the legends who shaped her early on, especially Dame Judi Dench, whom she worked with at just 18. Blunt called Dench “magical” and said she became the “lily pad” that helped her leap into everything that came after.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on ComingSoon.net.
