Emily Blunt Provides the Voice of Juliet in "Gnomeo" (Opens April 6)

For Emily Blunt who provides the voice of the feisty and independent Juliet in Touchstone Pictures' animated comedy “Gnomeo & Juliet,” becoming a gnome isn’t a walk in the garden, so to speak.

“Acting is acting,” says Blunt, adding “the approach to this film is not unlike others. When you’re doing a comedic version of one of the greatest love stories of all-time, I think it always has to be ingrained in some kind of truth because people don’t laugh if they’re not invested. We all very much wanted to play real people in this.”


She’s beautiful, delicate and pristine—at least according to her father, Lord Redbrick, the head of the Reds. As such, Juliet's place is aptly atop a grand fountain pedestal. “But she’s also very fiery,” says Blunt of her character, “and very much her father’s child, so I was really thrilled to see that they’ve made her kind of a tomboy.”

But Juliet is just not cut out for life on a pedestal. She longs to get her hands dirty in the garden alongside the rest of the Reds. She wants to contribute, but her father won’t allow her off her pedestal—he’s afraid she’ll get chipped. When Juliet spots a beautiful orchid beyond the garden’s walls, she decides to venture out to retrieve it. That’s when she meets him. She doesn’t realize Gnomeo is a Blue until it’s too late. Juliet’s in love. And she doesn’t really understand just why it’s so wrong to love a Blue—even if you are a Red.

Reflecting on their comic re-imagining of the classic Shakespeare tale, Blunt attests “It is very, very funny and it's a very heightened world to invest in, but I really feel that the core of what is so sweeping and romantic about Romeo and Juliet is still there. This truly captures the essence of forbidden love and it really captures the teenage frustrations that we’ve all felt. It's a very human story at the end of the day and quite an emotional one. And I think this is definitely the ending that people always wanted from Romeo and Juliet.”

Emily Blunt shot to international prominence with her lead role in the multi-award-winning romance from Pawel Pawlikowski “My Summer of Love.” Later, an adaptation of the hugely popular Lauren Weisberger novel “The Devil Wears Prada” features Blunt as the intensely neurotic Emily Charlton. Co-starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, the film opened to great acclaim, earning more than $320 million worldwide.

Blunt plays Britain’s Queen Victoria in the early stages of her life in “The Young Victoria.” The Martin Scorsese-produced biopic gave her Best Actress nominations at the 2010 Golden Globe® Awards and the Critics’ Choice Awards.

Her other films include “The Wolfman,” “Gulliver’s Travels,” and “The Adjustment Bureau.” Up next for Blunt is “The Muppets” for Disney, which is slated for a holiday 2011 release. Directed by James Bobin, “The Muppets” also stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams.

Opening soon across the Philippines in Digital 3D and regular format, “Gnomeo & Juliet” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.