Emily Blunt was determined to do justice to her real-life character Dawn Staples in her upcoming movie The Smashing Machine.
In the biographical sports drama, Dwayne Johnson plays UFC champion Mike Kerr alongside his good friend Blunt as Kerr's then-girlfriend Dawn.
The Smashing Machine marks the first time the British actress played a real person who is still living, and she felt the pressure to do right by Dawn.
"I was very challenged by playing someone who didn't seem to be the movie version of the girlfriend, and this didn't seem to be a movie version of a relationship. It was the full weather system," The Devil Wears Prada star explained to Porter. "You know you're gonna have to rip your rib cage open on something like this, and it's quite scary to put your feet to the fire: am I gonna do it justice? And the other fear is that these people are still living, and you're holding the beating hearts of their lives on a screen. You just want to do right by these people who have lived through a lot."
Thankfully for Blunt, the real-life Dawn, who is no longer with Kerr, was generous with her time and open to connecting with the star.
"My empathy for her was vast because it's a cage, addiction, and she was in it with him. I was really drawn to being her advocate in such a machismo-dominant world," she added.
Blunt, who previously worked with Johnson on 2021's Jungle Cruise, noted that while she had a satisfying experience making the film, she was most pleased about seeing the former wrestler take on a serious dramatic role.
"I think this has been life-changing for him. This is a man who's never allowed to disappear, and it's so moving for me as his friend, and as an actor, to watch someone discover what they're capable of," she praised.
The Smashing Machine, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this week, will be released in the U.S. on 3 October.
