Emily Blunt ‘s Western TV show, The English on Prime Video, is the top trending release this month, and the first episode has everyone talking. During a press promo, the actress discussed behind-the-scene titbits, including the punch from Ciaran Hinds, which has us stomped!
She told SheKnows about the warning she gave Hinds before filming the scene because he’s physically bigger and stronger than her. The co-stars also touched on forbidden racial discussions and the importance of representation in Hollywood.
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Their show is about America before independence and puts a Pawnee man in the lead role.
The Pre-Punch Filming Prep
Chatting with the publication, Blunt and Spencer shared their thoughts on the storyline and characters relating to present America. Blunt stressed the importance of telling accurate history despite American schools banning it nationwide.
In her words,
The English isn’t a typical role for Blunt and she acknowledged that saying it’s a privilege to tell such a story like award-winning actors before her, from Paul Newman to Clint Eastwood.
‘The English’ On Amazon Prime Video
The English follows the story of an English aristocrat, Lady Cornelia Lock, and a Pawnee ex-cavalry Scout, Eli Whip, who meet by coincidence and then work together to survive. It’s set in the Powder River Region of Wyoming and intertwines the stories of several English settlers and native Americans.
With only two episodes out, The English earned above-average ratings across the board, from 79% on Rotten Tomatoes to 8.1/10 on IMDb and 4.7/5 from 203 audience ratings on Google. It’s on the way to becoming the next big show on Prime Video following the release of The Peripheral .
No More ‘Strong Female Leads’
In another interview, Blunt expressed her frustration with strong female lead roles and why she thinks it’s the “worst thing ever.” Her problem with it is the stereotypical ways they write the characters, thus causing the actresses to remain in a stoic zone throughout filming.
Instead, Blunt embraces roles like Cornelia on The English with complexities that allow her to play with the material. It’s different from the predictable “Strong Female Leads,” who are often flat characters.
She said,
These traits allow Cornelia to evolve throughout the show, thus giving fans something to anticipate every season.
The Guilt Of Working As A Mother
As a working mother, however, Blunt struggles with guilt while working as she feels the pressure to choose between her career and family. She’s working around it and learning to catch herself when she falls into habits of overexplaining and overcompensating.
Blunt also dealt with stereotypical questions from people who wanted to know where her children were while she worked. One such occasion was the filming period of The English which took place in Spain, away from her children and husband, John Krasinski. She felt it unfair as she was certain her male peers weren’t subjected to such unrelated questions.
