Actor Emily Blunt :: Why They Auditioned No One Else For This Film’s Lead Role
“I’m Not Leaving Until You Cast Me As Queen Victoria”
That is what Producer Graham King told me, that Emily Blunt said to him that day. That’s how she got the lead role in the movie. It’s that simple. It was well-before any work got started on the film, altogether.
The Departed, the Oscar winning film that Mr. King also produced, was still in post-production. King was busy at work, on that. He said he wasn’t even “thinking about it yet.” [The Young Victoria]
Emily Blunt came into his office, at the location where the The Departed production offices were, at the time. “I’m here to play Queen Victoria and I’m not leaving until you give me the job.”
“I Love To Work With People With A Passion Like That.”
Says Graham King. “It’s not about the money. It’s about feeling it.”
They never auditioned anyone else for the part. It was Emily Blunt’s, at her insistence, in his office that day. “She really knows what she wants to do, and she goes and gets it.”
Early Backstory Of This Particular Film Is…
King had met with Sarah Ferguson in her office. She was serious about becoming a film producer, and she had approximately 50 scripts on her desk which she attempted to pitch to Mr. King, hoping that they would do business together. When she brought up The Young Victoria, it wasn’t yet a script; it was just a two-page treatment. King liked it, bypassing all the completed scripts; for this idea of the early days of Queen Victoria’s reign, and the love between this Queen, and her husband.
Sarah Ferguson offered to use her British royal relationships to assist the production, as it would be a smaller film, without a large budget. At first, King thought they would probably shoot the picture in Poland or Czechoslavakia. But because of the Royal Fergie (not the musical Fergie who sings about her-hump-her-hump, BTW) …they were, eventually, able to shoot inside seventeen castles and palaces all over England. She was also able to get access to all the Monarchy’s historical files.
Julian Fellowes Wrote The Script. He’s An Englishman, Too.
The not-yet-hired-screenwriter contacted Graham King; with an insistence, as well. He told King that he was “Born to write this movie. I know all about Queen Victoria.” Queen Victoria’s reign had been a strong personal interest, a longtime hobby, of the already successful English screenwriter. He came to the project with a head full of factual knowledge.
Hiring the director, Jean-Marc Vallée, for The Young Victoria was similar. It would only be the director’s second movie. Additionally, he was French-Canadian. King remembers thinking: “The monarchy will really love that.”
The Young Victoria Is A Love Story
Casting an actor to play the role of Prince Albert, was somewhat more difficult. The producers defined specific traits that they regarded as necessary, in the actor who was auditioning for the part of the Prince. Imperative, was for the two lead actors have a very special chemistry together. Emily Blunt read with those who were auditioning. They tested “twenty to thirty actors“, before giving the role to Rupert Friend.
The casting director was Susie Figgis. Besides Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend, some supporting actors in The Young Victoria are Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Thomas Kretschmann, Mark Strong…A full cast-and-crew list can be found at IMDB, with links to each actors’ resume.
Actor Emily Blunt As 'The Young Victoria'
::::::::::::::::::::::::Would you kindly share on your Facebook, or on Twitter?
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::Thanks for paying this forward in support of actors.
