Emily Blunt in The Fall Guy Seems Familiar? Here's Why

Summary

• Emily Blunt channeled someone she knows for her role in The Fall Guy.
• The upcoming film is where Oppenheimer and Barbie really collide.
• Blunt's character was reimagined throughout the making of the film.

It's no secret that the best art reflects real life. The best stories are stories about real people and their lives, whether fascinating or mundane. And the best fictional characters have real-life prototypes. That is what makes them compelling. With that in mind, it becomes clear why actors often channel people they know while playing a role.

Apparently, this is exactly what Emily Blunt did on the set of her next big release, The Fall Guy. In the action comedy, the Oppenheimer actress stars opposite Barbie's Ryan Gosling. Blunt plays Jody Moreno, the director of an action movie whose star suddenly goes missing, Gosling portrays the man's stunt double, Colt Seavers, and the two set out to find the missing star and bring him back to the set while trying to deal with the echoes of their old romance. And it turns out that Blunt's character was inspired by someone both stars know.

The Real Barbenheimer

While there was a lot of chatter around Barbie and Oppenheimer's concurrent run in the summer of 2023, it seems that The Fall Guy will be the real incarnation of the cinematic phenomenon. In addition to starring Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling, David Leitch's comedy has the spirit of Barbie's creator Greta Gwrwig as she's the one who inspired Blunt's character.

'With the warmth and the charm, I guess there's a little Greta in there,' the actress recently commented on her role which also has features of other people she knows.

The Evolution of the Character

Interestingly, that sweet Jody Moreno we'll see on screen went through several transformations during the making of The Fall Guy. According to Kelly McCormick, the wife, muse, and producing partner of director David Leitch, the character was conceived as a makeup artist, but she was reimagined as a debutant director, which immensely raised the stakes for her in the plot.

The changes didn't stop there, however, as the new version of the character proved too bossy and off-putting. The final Jody is a product of the entire creative team's collaboration.

'We all kind of built her together, because I think, maybe in the original script, she was quite severe, and that sort of tough director,' Emily Blunt said in an interview. 'But I think, for me, it's always more interesting to play someone who's in a situation where they're way over their head.'

We'll see what has become of the character when The Fall Guy hits theaters on May 3.

Source: Total Film.