Emily Blunt, Ballerina?

February 28, 2011

Actress Emily Blunt is living the dream. She’s got a super-successful film career, a hot husband (John Krasinski of “The Office”) and a leading role alongside Matt Damon in this month’s sci-fi flick The Adjustment Bureau. In the film, Blunt plays Elise Sellas, a dancer who is having a steamy affair with a politician. To channel her inner ballerina, Blunt trained with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet artistic director Benoit-Swan Pouffer. The crew even shot all of the dance scenes at the Cedar Lake studios in NYC! DS chatted with Pouffer to get the lowdown on the film.


Dance Spirit
: How much dancing is there in the film?

Benoit-Swan Pouffer:
It’s not a dance movie. There are bits of dancing here and there, including a rehearsal scene. There’s one performance where something crucial in the film happens, and you’ll see Emily perform a solo. But dance is just an element in this movie—it’s not the sole element.


DS
: What was it like coaching Emily?

BSP:
When I was first told that I would be working with Emily, I assessed her right away. I wanted to see what I would be working with. She had a little bit of dance experience a long time ago. I noticed immediately that she has natural rhythm. She is very coordinated. Seeing that was a relief! Emily is a hard worker with a lot of dedication and focus. I told her that we not only had to make her dance, we also had to make her understand what it means to be a dancer. Dancers are special creatures. I told her to trust me, and together we went through personal training, ballet classes and choreography.


DS
: Do you appear in the movie at all?

BSP:
I do—but don’t blink or you’ll miss me!