Emily Blunt loved working with ‘freak genius’ director on Western TV series

The six-part series explores the unlikely connection between an aristocratic Englishwoman (Blunt) and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout, played by Chaske Spencer in 1890s America.

Arriving at the world premiere of the series at the BFI London Film Festival, 39-year-old Blunt told the PA news agency: “I love a Western, never done a Western.

“I was excited to do one and I haven’t done a long-form storytelling and I was wanting to and I was sent it and I just thought it was so heart-stopping and so beautiful and yet so violent. How cool that something could be all of those things.

“Hugo is a freak genius as I tell him often. He just has written the most dexterous, complicated, otherworldly script and yet he’s a wonderful director because he doesn’t cling too tightly to his words.

“He lets you do what you want. He’s curious. He’s interested to see what you do with his world is created. So I just loved him.

“Chaske was a dream. He’s so warm and lovely and buoyant and quite transformative, how he became this restrained, lethal character. I found him captivating to watch.”

Blunt first gained recognition after starring in British TV drama Gideon’s Daughter, for which she won a Golden Globe award, and later for her portrayal of Emily in 2006 sensation The Devil Wears Prada.

In preparation for The English, Blunt explained how she had horse-riding lessons.

She told PA: “I think because we were delayed because of Covid it actually was sort of brilliant I got to practice horse-riding more than I maybe would have done and I needed it.

“I think everyone thinks they can ride and you can’t really when you get on the horse and I loved that part of it.

“I found it really transporting, you feel in your body how that person is suddenly and I sort of was in love with my horse and by the end of the shoot, it was quite sad saying goodbye to him.”

The show’s ensemble cast also includes Rafe Spall, Tom Hughes, Toby Jones and Ciaran Hinds.

Writer and director Blick, who won a Golden Globe for his drama The Honourable Women, explained why he chose to portray a Western.

“As a young man, I used to live out in Montana, so saw the last vestiges of the West as it were, I saw its good and its bad and knew I was going to tell a picture about it and it took me a few years to work out what that was and The English is the result,” he told PA.

“It’s a mainstream exploration of the genre, a feeling about a classic Western, but it’s got a woman of agency and then it’s also got a native American importantly playing an native American…I thought it was about time we did that so I was very pleased to see Chaske in this role.

“I developed the whole series with Emily, it was great it was like stitching a bespoke suit for a party.”

Spencer is best known as werewolf Sam Uley in the Twilight Saga films and for his role as Deputy Billy Raven in American action series Banshee.

He told PA: “I’m very honoured…I feel really privileged. When I read the script, I’ve always wanted to play a character like this and I was very nervous at first.

“Then when I got the set, the adrenaline kicked in and Emily and Hugo were very supportive and I kind of fell into really easily, slid into it.”

Speaking about working with props onset alongside his co-star Blunt, he added: “As an actor, I always feel like we’re just big kids that never grew up and we got expensive toys.

“So I had a blast, I got to roll in the dirt, train was stunt guys, working with guns, doing all the cowboy stuff that I could think of.

“I’ve been a fan of her (Blunt’s) work for quite some time, so getting to meet and work with her was just a privilege and honour. She’s a good person, I’m very lucky that I got to work with her.”

The English will debut on BBC Two on November 11.