JEDDAH: Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt touched down in Saudi Arabia recently to attend the opening ceremony of the fourth Red Sea International Film Festival — where she was named an honoree — and also had the chance to speak about the art of storytelling.
Arab News caught up with “The Fall Guy” actress to find out more about her time in the Kingdom, and why she believes it is vital that Arab filmmakers tell their own stories.
She said it was a “complete pleasure to be here, and I’ve never been to Saudi Arabia before,” and found Jeddah to be a “beautiful, vibrant city.”
“It’s just been very moving for me to get the reception here because I think sometimes Hollywood can feel like a bubble, where I live in Brooklyn can feel like a bubble, and then you come here and the whole world sort of opens up to you.”
Blunt is known for her breakthrough role in “The Devil Wears Prada,” which earned BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, while her performances in “A Quiet Place” and “Mary Poppins Returns” showcased her range.
She had words of wisdom for young Saudi actors.
“Act all the time whenever you can. It is really about just putting yourself out there as much as you can — be inventive, use the internet, use this way of conveying your abilities to the world,” she said.
Blunt, who is set to star in the upcoming action-adventure film “The Smashing Machine,” acknowledged the difficulties of her profession.
“And I think being an actor is such a precarious job sometimes, you know, you kind of have to wear a helmet for it. It’s not always for the faint of heart, but it’s a really beautiful occupation and there are many ways you can do it.”
Reflecting on the nation’s blooming cultural scene with numerous opportunities for budding filmmakers, musicians and artists, she said: “Well, everyone has such dynamic stories to tell.
“It’s how we move each other, it’s how we learn about each other … and I think in order to broaden our horizons and orient us towards a different way of thinking about the world and about each other, films are a really powerful conduit for that.”
She added: “I’m so excited by what’s happening in Saudi Arabia culturally, artistically. It just seems to be just exploding here in a really wonderful way.”
