I think it’s fair to say Emily Blunt has mastered the American accent. The British actress even earned a 2024 Oscar nomination for convincingly playing the wife of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kitty. But apparently Blunt has spent so much time in the United States that she’s apparently experienced a change in her accent. Well, at least, that’s what Blunt’s mother has told her.
We were reminded of this thanks, to a throwback interview that’s been making the rounds on Facebook as of late. In the video, Emily Blunt is speaking about her accent during an interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. As she states amid the chat (which is available on YouTube):
She says to me on the phone sometimes, ‘You’re sounding very Mid-Atlantic.’
You know your voice is changing if your own mom brings it up! Emily Blunt was born in London and remained planted in her UK roots until she made the move to the United States around the time she married John Krasinski in 2010. That’s a long time to be away from home, and it’s no wonder Blunt’s accent has apparently changed.
The couple lived in Hollywood for many years but decided to move out to Brooklyn, New York. The Blunt/Krasinski brood isn’t in Hollywod, because they wanted to create some breathing room between themselves and the movie and TV industry. More recently, the couple also purchased a home in East London, and Blunt has shared being “over the moon” about her two daughters starting to sound “quite British” these days. During the recently resurfaced interview, Blunt spoke about how Krasinski dealt with being on her side of the pond:
He loves it, but very much feels like a foreigner there. I think Americans are so welcoming to British people… I do not think it works the other way around. John said he would go into this rather snooty cafe near a flat I used to own there, and he said ‘They are always so horrible to me in it.’ I went ‘Take your baseball cap off. That’s why.’ No one wears baseball caps in England. You look so American.
It’s pretty funny to hear about the differences between Americans and the British from the actress, who has spent a lot of time in and outside the States. Apparently, the baseball cap is the dead giveaway!
While a typical American would think it was pretty cool to hear someone with a British accent, English people apparently don’t think as highly of Americans. Perhaps because they are hearing the accent all the time in movies and TV?
Despite some cultural differences, the couple remain a strong Hollywood pairing, recently working together on IF. Emily Blunt voiced Unicorn in the family friendly movie he wrote and directed. Before that, they collaborated on the first two Quiet Place movies. Though, as Blunt has joked about people actually being angry that John Krasinski wasn’t with The Office’s Pam in real life on a few occasions. I’ll be interested in seeing how the couple continue to weigh in on their cultural differences — and if Blunt’s mother has additional thoughts to share on her changing accent.
You can check out Emily Blunt in her latest movie, The Fall Guy, which is on PVOD platforms now and check out fellow 2024 movie releases that are currently playing in theaters.