In the highly anticipated new film by Steven Spielberg, Disclosure Day, Emily Blunt plays a newscaster who develops supernatural abilities. In interviews leading up to the premiere, Spielberg praised Blunt for her ability to make strange alien noises that were so otherworldly he didn’t have to use any elaborate special sound effects, a common practice in sci-fi films.
What’s interesting about her incredible vocal abilities is that she has also dealt with stuttering throughout her entire life. Earlier in her career, Blunt admitted that her stutter was so pronounced that it was difficult to hold conversations. “I was a smart kid and had a lot to say, but I just couldn’t say it. It would just haunt me. I never thought I’d be able to sit and talk to someone like I’m talking to you right now,” Blunt said, according to Vogue.
How Emily Blunt’s stutter improved
Blunt’s stutter improved after a teacher suggested she join the theater. When playing a character, she could separate herself from the condition and speak more confidently. “I distanced myself from myself through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage. It was really a miracle,” she continued.
Many who stutter and can hide their condition use a technique called circumlocution. It’s a way to avoid certain words by using synonyms or substituting words. That’s why the most difficult thing for Blunt to pronounce is her own name. There are no synonyms for names, so mentioning her own gives her incredible anxiety.
Blunt shared this feat while promoting the Just Listen campaign, a collaboration with the American Institute of Stuttering. Just Listen is working to educate the public that stutterers don’t need to be fixed; they just need to be heard.
Why Emily Blunt has trouble saying her own name
“I struggle if I’m calling someone and I have to say my name on the phone, and that worries me still. I just panic. It can take me a while to say my name because you can’t substitute your name. It is still the universal thing that all stutterers deal with—is they struggle with their own name,” she told Today.
“And I think if I’m really tired or if I’m feeling stress, like leading up to a movie, I’m usually in this elsewhere state of nerves before I start it. I notice my fluency is—most people wouldn’t notice, but I can feel it,” she continued.
Blunt says the hardest part of stuttering is that it keeps people from engaging with others. “It’s really frustrating, and there’s a helplessness that people can feel and a loneliness, and people just avoid, and they start shutting down, and they just don’t speak,” the Mary Poppins Returns star said.
Blunt’s teacher was spot on when she suggested the future Devil Wears Prada star try her hand at the theater. Improv and theater have been shown to help people build confidence and reduce anxiety when speaking. It helped Blunt gain the confidence to express herself. It also allowed her to take the spotlight and be an ally for those who need to be heard the most.
