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The 11 Best Emily Blunt Performances: ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’ ‘The Fall Guy,’ and More

Wilson Chapman
·2 min read

[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in January 2024. It has since been updated with new entries.]

Emily Blunt’s first Oscar nomination was for the type of role the actress doesn’t normally play. Over the course of her career, the London-born actress has played badass action heroes, musical heroines, even delightfully bitchy supporting comic parts. But in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Blunt goes into a totally different mode to play a embittered and humorless long-suffering wife type. It’s a jarring transformation; but, given her versatility, a predictably excellent one.

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Born to a former actress and barrister in London, Blunt studied acting in boarding school and began her professional career at 18, when she debuted on a West End production of the play “The Royal Family.” In 2003 she transitioned to screen acting with the British miniseries “Boudica” and “Henry VIII,” before making her theatrical film debut as a haughty, arrogant rich girl in independent drama “My Summer of Love” in 2004.

2006 was her breakout year; she won a Golden Globe for her performance in BBC drama “Gideon’s Daughter,” opposite Bill Nighy. And, in the acclaimed comedy “The Devil Wears Prada,” she arguably stole the show from established stars Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, playing the comedic role of a sharp-tongued, materialistic, and vulgar fashion assistant. She got all the best lines in the film, and her work made what could have been a minor part a launchpad for an A-list career.

Since her breakout in “Devil Wears Prada,” Blunt has been a constant presence in blockbusters and dramas alike, and has shown an impressive interest in diverse genres and parts. She’s made for a badass and multifaceted action star in several films, including “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Sicario.” Working with her husband John Krasinski, she made for an incredible scream queen in the “Quiet Place” series of horror thrillers. Despite her lack of formal musical theater experience, she’s proven capable of charming in movie musicals like “Into the Woods” and “Mary Poppins Returns.” Blunt has stinkers on her resume — Disney adventure “Jungle Cruise,” preposterous romantic drama “Wild Mountain Thyme” — but she’s never what’s wrong with the films. Her versatility helps her fit into any genre like a glove, and the results are typically terrific.

With Blunt returning to theaters, IndieWire decided to revisit her 20-plus years in the spotlight to determine which performances stand out as the best. In selecting films, we based our rankings on the strength of Blunt’s work, rather than the overall quality of the movie itself. With that said, read on for IndieWire’s list of Emily Blunt’s 11 Best Film Performances, ranked.

With editorial contributions from Kate Erbland and Alison Foreman.

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