Here are some photos of Emily Blunt at last night’s London premiere of Sicario. I’m including a bonus photo of Benicio del Toro, just in case anyone is still into him, and for what it’s worth, people are really into Benicio in Sicario. Like, he’s the critics’ favorite in this film. As for Emily, the one-time star of The Devil Wears Prada actually wore Prada to this premiere. I’ve been bitching about Prada gowns for a while, so my complaints about this dress should be nothing new. I’m astonished that it doesn’t have major darting issues. I’m not surprised that it looks cheap, especially the tomato-red bows at the back.
Blunt recently stepped in it when discussing her recent naturalization to the USA. During early promotional interviews for Sicario, Blunt joked about how watching the GOP debate made her question why she became an American, and she also said she was “sad” about becoming an American. Fox News jumped all over her and Blunt ended up apologizing on the Today Show last week. While promoting Sicario in London, Blunt was asked about the dust-up by the BBC and she said: “It was an incredibly innocuous joke in a light handed way, so the heavy-handed reaction was a bit surprising to me.”
Meanwhile, did you know that Emily has been cast in the film adaptation of The Girl on the Train? The massive bestseller was set in London, but they’re moving the action to New York. The film will be directed by Tate Taylor and Blunt will be playing Rachel. She just confirmed to the BBC that she will be playing Rachel as a British woman too. There are also reports that Chris Evans and Jared Leto will be taking roles in the film. I have the book sitting in a pile by my bed, waiting to be read, so no spoilers, please! I’m going to read it, I promise.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Really excited to see Sicario, it looks so good. Also, love her dress here and I have no idea why.
No comment on the other bs because blah.
Yeah, I’m with you. Just as humans in general, when someone makes a joke about something we’re sensitive about (sexism, racism, homophobia), it’s like, “Zero tolerance policy! Never forgive! Problematic!” And when someone makes a joke about something we’re not sensitive about (i.e. “America is awful!” “Britain is awful!” “White people are stupid and smell bad and can’t dance!”) it’s like, get a life, get a sense of humor. Somebody else’s sensitivity is our over-sensitivity, and vice-versa. Emily is expressing this perfectly.
You have to understand that national identity is tied up with personal identity for many people around the world. It seems dismissive to mandate priority for others based on what you feel is trivial or insignificant.
Oh, I actually agree. I put it down to the loss of the art of conversation.
When I was young we were actually taught how to have pleasant dinner conversation. And one of the rules was to never react or jump down someone’s throat if they made a joke or gaffe. If they misstepped, we just felt embarrassed for them and moved on to another topic.
To this day, other people’s comments rarely offend me, because I know they are just comments, so they slide right off my back. I’m never going to give a lot of weight to something some celebrity says spontaneously in an interview. I’ll save getting upset for the politicians and policy makers who say awful or ignorant things, because they are the ones whose attitudes might actually create a negative result for society.
Martian
I agree and I am saddened by this over reaction but I’m cautious about dismissing the concerns of others. I think Emily is great but has become a victim of something that has nothing to do with what she said.
I like the dress too.
Should we go sit in the corner together?
I think we should, Mimif!
*a little mimosa sipping on the Corner of CB street *
We’ll be the fun corner. With cookies.
I really like the dress, too.
I’ll bring tea.
You like it. I love it. She looks fab in it too.
Phew, ladies! I thought I was crazy for liking it! She is rocking it.
Looking forward to seeing her film, the trailers look great and I think her dress is pretty striking in a good way.
I like the dress too!
I saw Sicario at TIFF and it is one of my favourite films this year. Emily is really good in it and Benicio Del Toro even better. It is an intense action drama, but I recommend it to anyone who likes movies.
I wish Jim Halpert would pose with her on the red carpet.
I agree with her. I was surprised by some of the reactions as well. If you’d walked up to me and told me what she said in casual conversation, I would have shrugged and said “Hope she finds happiness.” I would never have expected it to turn into such a thing. But… Internet.
So do I, Shambles. It was a bit much and I stayed far away fron that thread.
Same here.
I mean, really… oh, brother. Was my reaction to all of it.
Girl on the train was so good. Start reading now!
I just think most people assume the worst about their fellow man these days. I wish everybody would take a minute and look at intent before jumping all over somebody.
As for Girl on the Train, I loved that book and Cant wait to see it, but I’m bummed they’re moving the location from London. I thought that was part of the charm :/
No, it is not that people assume the worst. People intentionally look for something to attack. It fulfills some kind of need to release aggression.
In the past people yelled at their family, now there is the Internet where they can be aggressive without the consequences.
@En I totally agree with you. I’ve seen many people I know seem extremely angry and passionate about causes online and be actually quite apathetic in real life.
I agree with both of you, MrsB and EN. The fact is, we all have a choice as to how we react to something, Many people choose not to react when they are face to face with someone, but on the internet? It just seems like a whole lot of people really enjoy being outraged. And the funny thing about that is that if you confront someone face to face, you might actually effect some change. But internet ranting accomplishes nothing. It’s just blowing off steam.
@loulou
Internet has that kind of effect in people. I have friends in college who are perfectly nice, polite and rather shy in real life, but are ALWAYS picking fights in social media.
I think that’s why so many people complain about the PC police – in many cases these people seem to only exist online.
Agree, Loulou. A friend’s husband constantly posts very conservative political stuff on his FB and is always complaining about Obama and stuff – hasn’t bothered to actually VOTE in an election in years.
I’m really glad they cast her in it! I think she will be great in the film!
I really want to see Sicario, it sounds like it’s very much my cup of tea.
The detailing on that dress is hideously cheap-looking.
She never should have apologized.
I can’t figure out what it reminds me of. Like a bedazzled Babybel cheese wrapper (and yet I still love it).
Craft night! Next project: bedazzled Babybell cheese wrappers. 😂
We used to call that Extreme Crafting back in the day around here when Kiddo was still posting. 😥
I’ve got two packages of mini-babybels in the refrigerator now. Who wants one? And can we work the net package into a bow or something?
Absolutely. I vote hair net veil, or perhaps a snood. (I just wanted to write snood.)
Mimif, I miss Kiddo. 😖 Has anyone heard from her? Do we know if she’s otay? I thought for sure Mark would bring her out, but no such luck. Kiddo, if you’re lurking somewhere, WE MISS YOU!
Lilac: I want it, I want it! Give me all the cheese! Once, in high school, my friend made a Babybell wrapper into a duck. It was magical.
I think Kiddo got sad because ‘Murica and stuff and moved to one of the other 19 continents. We should send her a Costco size bag of Babybels via Amazon drone to lure her back.
I miss Kiddo, also.
There you go, with your Englishy commas, again, Sixer. 😛
Mimif, don’t forget the Cheez Its. She won’t come back unless there are Cheez Its.
Sixer, don’t listen to Mimif. She’s just being a chippy git. Your Englishyness brings me life.
She for sure shouldn’t have apologized. She didn’t say anything wrong. People should understand that while can be exciting to become a citizen it’s probably very emotional too. She is British and it’s how she has identified for years, her family is British she is proud to be but for her own reasons (which are none of our business) she became a citizen it isn’t black and white this is great, there are shades of grey. She is allowed to feel them and express them.
I don’t see the big deal with her comments honestly, the day I got my US citizenship, I said the exact same thing…about how it made me sad, to give up citizenship to my country of birth. I swear people ( Fox ) tries to make drama out of anything and everything.
P.S. Girl on the train is awesome and I bet she makes a great Rachel! Can’t wait.!!
I don’t think she had to give up citizenship though. I wasn’t offended by her comments, but I did wind up thinking she was really lucky to have both British and American citizenships (two citizenship that give you a lot of benefits in life). That was the extent of my reaction — noticing that she’s got a lot of opportunity in life.
Even in some corners here the reaction to her innocuous joke was an 11.
(ETA: Or am I remembering the reaction to Robert Pattinson’s innocuous quip?)
Amen to her reaction to the Republican debates.
I had to check to see if I was still on CB while reading those threads. Smh
ETA: same deal with the R.Patz thread.
There are some threads where I become genuinely shocked by the reaction, I remember the day I was innocently surprised by a Benedict Cumberbatch thread hitting 300+ comments and decided to peek and see what the hubbub was about…learned a lot about some of my fellow CB-ers that day…
Folks get really uptight about strange things, nationalism is one of them. Which is always weird to me since I never feel those fervent attitudes transform into desire for change or betterment.
Considering that she is friends with everyone in Hollywood I am sure she was surprised with a negative reaction. I think this will be the last time she will express an honest opinion, she seems like a people pleaser, she makes light jokes, she laughs and she faints when someone doesn’t like her.
Maybe a good actress but vacant personality.
I think she has a rather quick wit and biting personality and I think she was surprised because the reaction was STUPID. She didn’t do anything wrong and people attacked her for her feelings, that she is allowed to have and express. Fox News was looking for a was to play poor America we are a victim the President damaged our image globally (opposite of the truth) and used this. It was stupid. If anything I bet this made her feel worse about America- and can’t say I blame her it was not showing out best side.
^^this
+1 K
you nailed it, K.
@als: I wish there were more people pleaser who cared about whether others like them or not. I’m getting tired of giving people who cause of lot of drama, have the need to constantly voice their opinion etc. props and to say “they have personality”. Meh.
I don’t think she has a vacant personality.
Nor do I. But she had the nerve to support Tom Cruise and like him so now she is a target. But her talent will win out, so I am not worried for her.
Age has not been kind to benicio del toro.
Really? I think he looks great, especially since he’s always kind of looked like shit. If that makes any sense. Still can’t believe he has a kid with Kimbo Stewart.
Benicio always looks like he just fell out of a boxcar, but he still looks great.
And I’m American, and the Republicans make me sad. She shouldn’t have felt she had to apologize for being right.
There’s no way to get around the fact that Americans look like buffoons these days.
Her joke didn’t land because no one saw the video, where she was probably charming — they just read it, and it came off more rant-y.
Yeah, the blogs should have shown the video. The joke comes off way different in tone than it does in print.
yes i knew it! i loved the book, and emily will be brilliant in it. in fact, all the female leads seem to be very well cast to me. no to jared leto though, he’s unbearable and I can’t see him fit any of the male characters (whom are all supporting btw, the major characters are all women).
i like the dress btw, it looks like she’s wearing armour. it’s pretty cool.
God, does everyone have to apologise for every joke, every innocuous comment these days? I’m getting so sick of the internet pile-ons that happen to anyone who says something that 1 person out of 7 billion finds insulting or offensive. Fair enough if a comment is racist, sexist or homophobic, but now people are being forced to apologise for every imagined slight, no matter how minor or inconsequential. It’s getting ridiculous.
I don’t think she was forced to apologize though. For whatever reason she chose to apologize. Because Fox News was the one up in arms and not any other media outlets, I’m surprised her publicist didn’t wait for the whole thing to blow over. Fox News gets mad about everything.
Yeah I was puzzled by why she acknowledged it at all. She was pretty charming in her interview overall and it was after all just a joke. That’s a storm that’s easily weathered.
Ah yes, never underestimate America’s rabid nationalism.
Too bad Fox News and their ilk are the ones doing the most to undermine the rights and privileges that would make this country worth getting that upset about. Sadly, their vision of a great country stopped developing some time in the fifties.
Nationalism is like religion or ideology, it is a very powerful thing that can be used to control people. It can be used for good and bad. These things are very dangerous because of their extreme power.
Nationalism can be useful in a war for survival like WW2 but outside of that kind of setting nationalism leads to bad things. People who “play” with such things, i.e. politicians , media and people behind them, they are not just playing with fire, they are playing with something extremely destructive.
Such a good point. If anyone’s damaging this country — or more accurately, holding it back from reaching a real definition of “freedom” and “equality” — it’s Fox News, not foreign-born actresses who still feel loyal to their home countries. They’re just fear-mongering to preserve the privileges they feel are slipping away.
Plus, they’re even demanding the right to decide just who gets to feel nationalistic about this country, too (no more new Americans from some places, please… just admire us and wanna be us from afar).
They are undermining the very definition of ‘American’ – and see no irony present.
Exactly.
+1
That’s because we live in the era of outrage. It’s like the new feel good drug or an acceptable way to express free floating anger. And in the media it’s also the basis of a lucrative business model. Best not to absorb it and ignore it.
Yes, that is what I think too. People have pent up aggression from stress.
I have to work out (or meditate) to release it, but attacking something over the Internet works just as well !
Many people don’t even realize that this is what they are doing.
“Many people don’t even realize that this is what they are doing.”
This crosses my mind a lot. When you dress up for a masquerade party, don a mask and costume, and pretend to have the cloak of anonymity, it’s a conscious process. For some, they assume permission to express personality and character traits and pursuits they might not elsewhere or otherwise. (use ‘masquerade party’ as a loose metaphor & analogy for other opportunities people do this, too.)
I think a version of the above is going on all the time via the internet – but without so much conscious thought. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been, but I was most definitely shocked to see how much dark id, Lord of the Flies mentality it brought to the fore so quickly. And I do wonder if those people are sometimes surprised to find it in themselves as well.
@belle, this is an excellent observation about the masquerade. I would call this phenomenon – avatars.
Online we create avatars, which started from role playing games. In life we are just average looking men and women but avatars online allow us to create those personas which put our inner selves on the forefront. And since there are many layers to each person, the avatars of the same person who appear really different depending on the circumstances and the intent. And it is also very seductive, to be seen as your inner self without preconceptions. Or even further, to be seen as someone with preconceptions you chose to put forward i.e. young, rich, talented, smart, white/ black, male/ female etc.
Again, some people create those different avatars on purpose, but for most it just happens by itself without realizing it.
It is a very interesting topic, not well understood yet, I think,
I was watching Wolfman this weekend with Benicio and Emily. It was a bad film, but Benicio is so hot in it.
Love Emily she is the best part of devil wears Prada, and most films she’s in. She really is a great actress.
Do I need to read girl on the train?
Absolutely! The writing style is similar to Gone Girl with each chapter by a different character in the first person giving both sides to same events. This woman doesn’t fit the Rachel character IMO.
Didn’t I read yesterday that a bunch of people online were upset/outraged by a video showing John Lennon mocking disabled people? A video that is 50 years old (!!!) featuring a guy whose been dead for 35 years (!!!). Outrage culture is so tiresome. Soon we won’t have the energy to care about anything.
American politics is very polarized. I found her comment to be very American.
I’m such a sucker for metallic dresses, I can’t hate it. I liked yesterday’s on Kerry Washington, on Sofia Vergara, even Claire Danes’ I couldn’t totally hate. It must be a sickness. I’m attracted to shiny things. (though it looks better far away then close up) So get on with it, Emily.
Fox News Crowd all the way.
They love this nationalism stuff, gets the masses going, same reason they obsessive over what color Santa was and whether Obama is Muslim. Simple minds love simple things and the more inane the better.
She shouldn’t have apologized but I assume she crunched the numbers and would rather have as little people dislike her as possible for her acting career. Otherwise…who cares. You’ll never love this country enough for those crowds because to them loving this country means doing everything to undermine and keep it stagnant. No growth, no intelligence, no multiculturalism just Red White and Blue.
Moving Girl on the Train to New York? They’ve already ruined it.
I wouldn’t have apologized for it, but then again, I’m not an actor who is trying to get people to see her movies.
What she talked about is a layered emotion that doesn’t lend itself well in a short interview setting and it certainly doesn’t work as sound bites.
I was surprised by the number of comments and attitudes…I’ve loved Celebitchy for a long time but have not visited as regularly nor as often since April so that was disappointing.
I’m a naturalized citizen. It was not my choice to become an American citizen, but I became one for work and for convenience (international travel). I am now neither a citizen of my birth country nor my adopted country. Neither one will truly accept me as their own, but after living in America for almost 30 years, its citizen for almost 16 years, I do identify more as American. It’s a bittersweet feeling that affects your core identity and it hit me even more or rather, differently, when I became a mom.
QQ said something somewhat similar on the original Emily Blunt thread and was crucified for it. As if all naturalized citizens should only have nothing but absolute joy and gratitude for being gifted the glory of being a US citizen.
Hyper-nationalism has nothing to do with it. It is her flippant attitude about a citizenship many people make great sacrifices to obtain. She wants a citizenship for money and stature.
Yeah, do you know how many people come to America for work because in their native countries the opportunity to make a lot of money is not there. IF Emily is she stayed in Europe and only acted in European movies/TV would be making 1/4 of the income she makes now. So I think people see through her joke. She does not love being American but does love American money. Strong American movies (franchises) and American box office sales to give her an international platform for her career so in return she gains more stature, more money per picture, and better roles.
Remember this an actress who said she would get a facelift to play Katniss in The Hunger Games.
You lost me at “hyper-nationalism has nothing to do with it”.
> Yeah, do you know how many people come to America for work because in their native countries the opportunity to make a lot of money is not there
I thought Americans believe in free markets and capitalism and all of that. So, shouldn’t resent people coming to the US to make money?
But in this particular case I am pretty sure she became a citizen because she married an American, not for money.
She could be making money in the US without becoming a citizen.
@TLOH1366 – so it’s okay when poor, disenfranchised people come to America for more money and opportunities but not okay for a British actress? Americans do and should criticize its policies, politicians, etc. That’s one of the ways we can get started in participating in our civic duty.
Taking her comment re Katniss (which I have not read in its original context nor entirety) but going by what you say – you cannot see that as an exaggerated and figurative way of expressing an enthusiasm for a role she knows she is too old to play?
Let me throw down some fighting words. Perhaps you should work on your American English and reading comprehension before criticizing what an American can and cannot say.
I didn’t see it as a nationally question at all, but as an amusing instance of someone upset that anyone held an opinion counter to her own. Your scope of knowledge and understanding becomes small and restricted when you dismiss counter views and label those who hold them as stupid. Intolerance runs both ways.
What???? She made a benign comment and Fox news and the great ‘murican internet came after her. This can’t be dismissed as a difference of opinion.
I did not see the big deal with her comments. I’m puzzled as to why she responded. It is kinda annoying how dismissive she was of her citizenship. It’s taking me a long ass time and I have to pay a crap ton of money for the application that I have to really save up for. But I’m not lighting my torch or picking up my pitchfork for her jokes.
Also no to chris evans. Just no. I hate that they are switching locations. Ugh. And I despised the book. I’ll so watch it for Emily though. She’s gonna have to gain quite a bit of weight though. Yikes. That’s gotta suck.
Also I LOVE her dress.
I don’t get why she responded either. The news cycle moves so quickly these days that the whole thing would have been forgotten about in 2 days. And, well, Fox News…who takes them seriously? (other than stupid people).
She had no choice, really. Her imdb page is already littered with “boycott” posts.
I did find her comments to be offensive. U.S. citizenship is very hard to get and not a lot of people have that luxury. Her apologies don’t even sound genuine at all, especially when now, she defends it by saying the whole thing was heavy handed.
She shouldn’t be surprised…there are a lot of Judgy Mcjudgers on the internet who love to get upset at the most ridiculous things.
As an American, I can say she shouldn’t be surprised by the hyper nationalism that abounds in the US. It is exactly why I got comments like the following when I told people I was moving to Canada: Won’t you have to learn french? Universal healthcare will kill you if you get cancer! Why do you want to move when we are the best in the world? You will give up your freedoms!
I love the part where learning French is considered to be a bad thing.
@EN I didn’t have to learn french but the ignorance in assuming I would or everyone does was shocking to me. I want to learn french just to know another language, but haven’t gotten the opportunity yet (my french from high school/college is rubbish).
LOL are you serious? It’s hilarious how so many Americans know so little about other countries. It’s like “oh I don’t have to learn about your country because mine is the best and that’s all that matters”. Yeah ok.
The ignorance from people I considered intelligent was what scared me the most.
But its not even just about countries. I got told similar things when I was moving out of state (why are you moving THERE?). Some people seem to get offended when people make life choices that are different than their own because they think it is a judgment about their choices. Insecurity.
I couldn’t agree more with this statement! It is almost like it makes them take a harsh look at their life and sometimes, they wish they could do those things too, but can’t for various reasons.
You’re right, Tiffany. It happens even if you’re moving to another state. Lol. It’s all based in insecurity.
I’m over it. I didn’t like what she said, but no apology necessary for speaking her mind. I’d rather hear honesty than PR-spun drivel.
Never realized until now that she sort of physically resembles Chantal Kreviazuk …
To me, Emily can’t do any wrong now lol. Love her, the dress, her bleep about GOP and new movie. I really hope they launch a campaign for her for Sicario.
I flew off the handle a few times on the other thread, so I’ll try to rein it in a bit: for me at least, her comments struck a nerve, and I would bet they did for many others, as well. I am just. So. Tired. Of being openly despised everywhere on the Internet, everywhere I travel, simply because I had the bad luck to be born in the US. I didn’t ask to be born here, you know?
Despite my comments, I am actually about as far from a flag-waving, Fox-news swilling ‘Murican as one can get and still be American. Are there a lot of obnoxious, loud, overly nationalistic Americans? You know it. Have we earned our reputation, both through the actions of our government and of our populace? Absolutely, for the most part. Truth be told, there are many more things that I dislike than like about this country. I guess I want to badly to NOT be lumled in with what would be considered a typical American (I travel frequently, I speak several languages, I think our lack of gun control is abhorrent and I would love for us to have some type of universal healthcare) that I take all of the criticism very personally. Which, of course, makes me very self-centered, obnoxious and unable to take a joke, i.e., the “typical American” from which I want so badly to differentiate myself. So…joke’s on me, I guess.
@Holmes, I understand you completely having experiences unfair generalization myself many times based on race, ethnicity and other things.
At some point I have to tell myself, it is what it is and so many people have been hurt by my race and people of ethnicity, that now I have to just deal with the blowback even though I have no fault in what happened.
I think the only healthy way to deal with it is the way Germany deals with nazism – acknowledge it, apologize, atone for it and move on.
The reason people, including myself, criticize the US is because so many Americans refuse to acknowledge the things the US has done wrong while very quick to point out faults in others. And those things are not minor (, they are major things affecting millions of people on global scale.
Very true about the Germany part.
Holmes, that is a very thoughtful and well written post.
No comment on the citizenship jokes thing. I mean she was just talking about her own experience and I don’t think she was trying to “put down” America.
I’m mostly curious about The Girl on The Train movie. New York instead of London… ugh why? Also, not a spoiler or anything, but Rachel was chunky bordering on fat. That is actually pretty integral to the plot in my opinion. So is Emily going to gain weight (doubt it), wear padding or are they just going to gloss over that?
Hopefully they don’t. Her being overweight is pretty important to the character’s development. Emily has always been VERY thin and she’s worked out for a few of her roles and gotten very fit. But I get the impression she wouldn’t gain weight for a role which worries me. I think this could be a great role for her, but I hope she really embraces it. And I HATE that they moved it to NYC. Dumbest desicion yet.
If it was a joke, it wasn’t funny. She should have known better but she doesn’t seem real bright. Also, I don’t get why she is considered to be such a good actress. Although I have only seen her in “The Devil Wears Prada” so maybe I am missing something.
As an American conservative libertarian who generally votes Republican…the GOP debates are making me a little “sad” about being American, as well. So. I had no issue with what she said. At all.
Cheers to her, and for whatever her reasons for naturalizing were…welcome to the soup!
Much Respect to EN 👊🏻
I sobbed when I thought I had to change my license from VA to PA so I can’t even begin to process how I would feel if I had to change my citizenship. Yes she chose to become an american citizen but that doesnt mean she cant be sad about her british citizenship…this was all such a big overreaction
Where has Benecio been all these years?
I actually like this dress. Far better than most seen at the Emmies.
I lived in England for a number of years, and I got pretty tired of all the ‘aren’t those silly Americans just so stupid and tacky’ “lighthearted jokes”. Emily can stuff it thankyouverymuch. Chalk it up to my “heavy handed reaction”.
That’s never been my experience in England. What nonsense.
I was interested because I love Chris Evans, so I went and read the plot summary of that book on Wikipedia… and man that sounds boring. I’m assuming the book is good since it has sold so well, but the plot just sounds so boring.
I don’t really care what she said, it’s not that big a deal to me. But I do think her sheer stupidity is annoying — c’mon, you HAVE to be smarter than insult the country you’re living in to a reporter from that country’s media. And it’s not even a new thing – these kind of comments have been wrecking people’s careers forever! (See the Dixie Chicks.)
She didn’t insult anybody! That’s why the reaction was so stupid.
This is a very good movie. Don’t go in with assumptions *SPOILER ALERT* like I did about Emily’s character being a super FBI agent coming to save everyone’s day. Great acting all around from Benicio, Emily, and Josh.
And I’m glad Emily’s getting interesting roles. Wolfman – also with Benicio – was such a disaster.