Over the last few years, Emily Blunt has made a habit of playing tough-as-nails characters, from her role as a badass FBI agent battling cartel violence in Sicario to her armor-wearing turn tussling with aliens and saving Tom Cruise’s ass in Edge of Tomorrow .
. While those roles are difficult, she says her latest part, in the upcoming adaptation of The Girl on the Train , is the most challenging thing she’s ever done.
It wasn’t the physicality of the part that drew Blunt to the part, but the idea of playing damaged, addicted woman. Talking to Deadline32-year-old actress said: I love that your heroine, your lead character is the most unreliable witness in the world because she’s a drunk. And yet she’s right, and nobody believes her. The idea of playing a part like that where you just feel like you’re drowning is exciting. I’ve never played a blackout drunk before, so this is new to me now.
Emily Blunt plays a woman named Rachel Watson in director Tate Taylor’s ( The Help , Get On Up ) adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ best-selling novel of the same name. Rachel is one of three narrators in The Girl on the Train . An alcoholic reeling from her recent divorce, she rides the same commuter train every day, seeing the same people, imagining their lives outside of the train, especially one couple whose life appears to be perfect and idyllic. Things are not as they seem on the surface, however, and when she witnesses a murder, her life goes off the rails (sorry, I had to).
I haven’t read Hawkins’ book, but given the set up, the multiple points of view, and the mystery/thriller elements, it’s easy to understand why it has garnered comparisons to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and David Fincher’s subsequent Ben Affleck-starring film interpretation.
It’s going to be interesting to see if the adaptation of The Girl on the Train maintains the three-pronged narrative approach. Offering different perspectives would certainly serve to enhance the unreliable nature of Emily Blunt’s character. This unique set up definitely sounds like an interesting challenge for a performer, and it is not difficult to see why Blunt is so excited for the role.
Outside of Emily Blunt, The Girl on the Train has put together a fantastic castall around. Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation star Rebecca Fergusonplays Anna, while Haley Bennett ( The Equalizer ) plays Megan, the other two narrators. Edgar Ramirez ( Point Break , Luke Evans ( Furious 6 ), Lisa Kudrow ( Friends ), Justin Theroux ( The Leftovers ), and Allison Janney ( Mom ) round out the credits.
The Girl on the Train is currently filming as we speak and will be released on October 7 of this year.