She has turned her hand to a varied range of characters throughout her movie career, but Emily Blunt has revealed that her latest one was her most challenging – and all because of her pregnancy.
The 33-year-old, who plays alcoholic Rachel Watson in The Girl On the Train, revealed that she kept her pregnancy a secret during filming last year.
As a result, however, cast and crew started to believe that she may have been taking her commitment to the role too far, mistaking her pregnancy symptoms for the effects of ‘heavy drinking’.
In a promotional interview, Emily said: “I was really tired all the time, which is not my normal self, and people thought I’d begun drinking heavily just to get into character.”
“It wasn’t the part I was playing that made it such a struggle to keep going; what no one knew was that I’d just found out I was pregnant with my second child, but I was determined not to let anyone think I was using that as an excuse,” she added.
Eventually, with a bath scene coming up, Emily realised that she had to tell director Tate Taylor.
Emily, who is married to The Office star John Krasinski, went on to welcome daughter Violet in June. The couple are also parents to two-year-old daughter Hazel.
Admitting that the role ‘cost her an enormous amount’ - both on a physical and an emotional level - Emily was quick to add that she is no hero for getting through the challenging shoot.
“Millions of women work through pregnancy, and some of them have very demanding jobs, so I’m not claiming to have done anything heroic,” she said.
