Emily Blunt has a new interview in The Sunday Times to promote A Quiet Place: Part II. Unfortunately the interview is behind a paywall. But the big takeaway is that Emily and her husband, John Kransinski, are apparently keeping their fame a secret from their daughters, Hazel, seven and Violet, four. Recently, Hazel came home from school and asked her parents if they were famous. Emily and John were caught off guard because they’ve, “never said that word in the house.”
During a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Blunt explained why she wants their kids to remain “oblivious” to her and Krasinski’s fame.
“If they can remain oblivious for the longest time I’d be thrilled,” she said. “They don’t even want to see what I do. They don’t even like it when I put on make-up.”
“They don’t like any of it!” Blunt continued. “They just want me to be their mommy.”Blunt explained that her oldest daughter, Hazel, recently became aware of her stardom when one of the kids at her school told Hazel about it.
“It’s a strange thing to navigate, you know,” Blunt said. “[She] came home the other day and we were in the kitchen and she goes, ‘Are you famous?’”
“And I’d never heard her… we’ve never said that word in our house,” she added. “We don’t talk about it.”
“Someone at school had clearly said it. I was like, ‘Um … not really, I don’t think I am,” Blunt continued. “Did someone say that to you, Haze?’ She said, ‘Yeah,’ but then she wouldn’t divulge much more, you know, but it’s weird. It’s weird.”
Blunt noted that she doesn’t want her daughters to know about her or Krasinski’s fame because she doesn’t want them to “feel any more important or special or [feel like] there’s a glare on them any more than other kids.”
Not being famous myself, I have to infer much here. I guess I can understand not wanting to talk at home about being famous. So if the Krasinski-Blunt home is a fame-free space for the family to act like normal folk, it makes sense why Emily and John want to avoid the topic. I also understand their justification about wanting the kids to avoid “the glare,” be it negative or one that makes the girls feel superior. But they should probably prepare themselves. I’m surprised it hasn’t come up before now, what with Jack Ryan and Mary Poppins sitting at the dinner table. I get dressing up as characters and being famous are different concepts, but the connection will be drawn pretty quickly at Hazel’s age. I have no idea how I would answer that question if I was famous, but I don’t think I would be flabbergasted by it.
I like Emily a lot, as you know. I’m sure most of this interview is her English humor and self-deprecation coming out. But the interviewer asked Emily if she wanted her daughters to become actors and she said, “God no — no! Please God keep them off the stage.” I never know how to react when actors respond this way. Do they hate their jobs that much? Are their kids too good for the profession? Have they been chewed up and spat out by the industry enough to want their child to avoid it at all costs? Surely that isn’t the promo they’re going for.
Photo credit: Avalon Red and Backgrid
I think many of those who say they don’t want their kids to go through it have probably seen and know very well how bad the industry actually is, and how it makes you very probable to be used and/or to become a very unhappy and/or terrible person.
Yeah, I think so too. They know just how abusive it is too.
It may also be that they don’t want their children to be judged for who they are related to or they don’t want their children to spend their adult lives being always being compared to their parents. If the children go into another profession, that won’t happen.
Or that if their kids do go into acting, they want it to be the kids’ choice and not seem as if they pushed them into it or pulled strings to get them roles. (I mean, people will probably think that anyway, but it’s a nice thought.)
Plus, at that level you know that so much of success is just dumb luck. They certainly must know people who were just as talented who, for whatever reason, haven’t made it and may never make it. It’s a very, very hard road even for those who do make it.
Do they know their uncle Stanley Tucci is famous?
Not only is the industry difficult, and can skew pretty sketchy, but there is a huge amount of blind luck involved in having a successful acting career – I can see where actor parents don’t want their kids to follow that same path.
Parents not wanting their children to follow their acting footsteps reads two ways to me
1) they want people to see that their children to have the freedom to choose what they want to become instead of following in their footsteps automatically. Without a passion for the arts, the kids will be seen as lazy, chasing money etc. Also to avoid the negative backlash like nepotism etc, living in their parents shadow etc
2) They indeed hate many aspects of the job and its process and would prefer their children do something else given money will not a problem. If the parents are wealthy and successful part of me sees them wanting their kids to contribute to the world differently etc. most parents want that for their kids when young.
I don’t know I think most actors/actress do not see the work they do as changing the world, it’s not an aspirational profession because of its superficiality. I mean most kids says they want to be an astronaut, doctor, firefighter, singer (talent) but never really actor/actress.
I also think they dont want them to be known as a famous person’s offspring. It puts a lot of pressure on the child and will lead to comparisons. That said, many actors produce children who become actors. They should prepare themselves.
it might also be because they want to downplay any criticism for nepotism down the road, even if it is subconscious…. sort of a ‘we didn’t want this for them so they had to do it all themselves’ type of self-delusion.
I think its hard because their kids presumably know they’re actors, right? How else do they explain it when mommy or daddy has to go away for weeks on end? They’re just away “for work?” Have their kids never seen Mary Poppins Returns? (which I found delightful.) But I guess at that age you may not make the connection to fame, or even realize you’re rich, if you live in a neighborhood with rich people and go to school with rich people.
I think they say that about not wanting their kids to go into it because they have seen the ugly underbelly of the industry, especially for girls/women, and don’t want their children to go through that – once you’re someone like Emily Blunt, or even on a bigger scale someone like Reese Witherspoon or Angelina Jolie – you’ve come through the other side and have the agency and the status to have some control and some independence when it comes to your career. But there are lots of actresses who don’t get to that point.
I don’t think we can even say that being the actress of a famous celebrity gives you that much protection, considering the behavior of someone like Harvey Weinstein with someone like Gwyneth Paltrow.
I agree with everything you said here, Becks. I think Emily & John both love the work of acting but are rightfully distrustful of the industry itself, which is a quandary many actors find themselves in. Plenty of actors have said that if you can be satisfied doing anything else professionally, pick that over acting.
I think they must have known that fame would come up at some point, but I also sense that at heart, Emily & John are theater/actor nerds who aren’t especially comfortable with being “famous” in the first place. So I can see why they didn’t address it at home before.
In my experience, keeping things from children backfires. Eventually. And by avoidance, they’re simply allowing pressure to build. If they really wanted normalcy, going to work, regardless of profession, gets left at the front door. To each his own, but my parents operated like this, and I think it’s ridiculous. Bottling things up, imo, is the lazy way in any relationship. It’s procrastinating both good and bad experiences. One who’s crazy could go so far as saying it’s theft lol. Why take learning and growth and experiences away from the family, put it in a box and stuff it in the attic? When the box finally gets opened, it’s not a gift. It’s, “Why didn’t you tell us?” But……of course I’m not famous lol.
I agree with you, Mabs. We have to prepare our kids for what they’ll see out in the world, not just what we hope they’ll see. It’s much better to have their parents explain in a loving way what they do and the fame that has come with it. Otherwise their kids will have only the opinions of outsiders with which to build their impressions of Emily and John’s careers. It leaves the kids unprepared especially if someone were to be negative about it. Also what if fellow students, or more likely their parents, try to become friendly with their kids only for who their parents are? That’s leaving too many gaps for strangers who don’t love them to fill in.
What do their kids think they do for a living? How have their kids not seen their movie posters, e.g.? I cannot decide if Emily Blunt is lying or not, but assuming she is being truthful, I do not feel avoiding discussions about their celebrity status is a good idea. Kids are not nearly as stupid or clueless as parents think. By hiding their fame, they are making it seem like a big secret to their daughters and not teaching them how to deal with people who would try to manipulate or use them simply because of who their parents are. (How much do you want to bet that the child who told Hazel about her parents being famous was either accusing some other kid of being friends with Hazel or claiming that Hazel got preferential treatment from other kids/teachers/coaches only because of who her parents are?) If Emily and John were more matter-of-fact about their jobs and that many people know who they are and what they do for work while emphasizing that their jobs are not their lives and they are still a normal, functional family who is no more entitled than any other, their daughters would have full knowledge and perhaps learn how to cope successfully with having famous parents.
I think it’s a bit easier to ‘hide’ their fame because their kids are still pretty young ans haven’t watched a lot of the shows that either of them are known for. Emily has done so animated movies but the kids probably don’t recognize the voice.
Also though they are famous, they are at a different level I believe? Like not J.LO or Brad Pitt or something so it might be easier to not draw attention to their fame. They also lead what seems a low key lifestyle compared to some of their peers.
Huge respect to their parenting style… I prefer it over some other famous peeps.
I agree Krista. They are famous but I bet they can walk down the street and not be recognized much of the time. Like if I saw her at the grocery and she was dressed normally with no make up I wouldn’t even notice her. Same for him, beyond thinking “that guy is tall”.
Aang- I would recognize John because he has strong features but for sure if she was wearing yoga pants, a pony tail and no makeup in a grocery store I would definitely not recognize her.
Good for them for protecting their kids, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a picture of them.
I like Emily but good lord she wears some hideous clothes.
This! When kids are that young, they have no idea what their parents do for a living, particularly if the job is something that is beyond their own personal experience. They will get it if “Daddy is a teacher” or “Mommy is a doctor,” because they can relate that to their own experiences. If Dad is a Hedge Fund Manager, the kids have no clue what that means.
I suspect that these two do not have their movie posters hanging in their home and the kids haven’t seen any of their movies – they are just too young for any of them, beyond Mary Poppins (which was out of theaters/off billboards years ago and it’s easy to control what little kids watch at home).
They are just getting to the age where a classmate will repeat what they heard at home. Now is when Emily & John need to acknowledge and explain why people recognize them and know their names. Then they can help the kids navigate the minefield of public recognition and toxic “friendships.”
Lots of football players say they don’t want their kids to play football, with what we now know about brain injury. Success in film acting is such a ridiculous long shot, and the children of actors will always be considered nepotism hires no matter how talented. I would be wary of an actor who actively wanted their kids to pursue the same path. Most of all, their biggest fear is likely that their kids will lose their own identity early. They will be known as famous persons kids and not as themselves. I imagine they were trying to prolong their kids personal identity with other kids for as long as possible. Discovery is inevitable, and there will likely come a time when their kids resent being “kids of”. They’ll have to question the intentions of every friend they make—are they just friends with me because of my parents?
I applaud them for trying to provide a sense of normal as long as possible, and even for downplaying fame so the kids know about it, but don’t fully understand it until their older. Their kids have a much better chance at a future of their own making than, say, the kardashian kids, who are being groomed to be nothing more than kardashians.
I think it puts their kids in a position where their peers know something that they don’t, about their own life.
Their daughters are four and seven. They may know that their parents are actors, but the notion of “fame” and what that entails, is beyond their ken. There are lots of actors who get into the profession because they love the process of becoming a character, rather than with the intention on becoming famous, and that, too, is a complex conversation for older children. Acting is mostly rejection, and that is a hard life. For women especially, it is about looks and always a degree of sexualization. I can understand why she loves her work but doesn’t want her daughters to go through that experience. It’s a mine field, and there’s no guarantee you’re going to make it across.
They’ve both talked about bringing them on set and the girls knowing/ watching Mary Poppins so I’m not sure what they’re talking about. These two tend to always drive a promotional narrative that contradicts a previous one. Insufferable.
There’s a difference between being an actor and being famous, so I’m not sure what your issue is–maybe define what you’re calling a “promotional narrative,” and how it contradicts a previous narrative.
Yes I understand the difference between the two. By promotional narrative I mean the marketing platform and plan they adhere to: the late night stories they repeat, the anecdotes, the talking points. They oftentimes contradict one another depending on the project they’re promoting.
Yeah I agree @silver charm- they did a full court press for the MP awards season campaign and actively courted fame.
It didn’t turn out the way they imagined (Hollywood Nyc based power couple) but the ambition is there.
I don’t understand why they think we have forgotten that.
As for the fame convo- I would def have an open chat w my kid. This tack makes no sense- secrets in families erode the relationship. Kids are not stupid.
So yes they are pretty annoying.
God she has no fashion sense.
That is all.
I’m sure a lot of actors think of themselves as actors first and foremost and might not consider their fame regularly, if that makes sense? Not unless they’re megastars getting tracked down by paps. Most of the time actors are just working on sets and the “fame” aspect of their job only kicks in during promo tours, so I get that. It sense to me that they haven’t had a conversation with their children that they’re “famous” — they probably just say they work like everyone else’s parents and that some people have seen them in TV/movies. I don’t think the