"It takes such a long time. I can't even tell you," joked Blunt at the film's LA press day when asked about the costumes and makeup. "I was in at 5:00 a.m. every morning because the hair and the make-up...It was a lot. I mean, the dressing itself took about half an hour. Hair and make-up took a couple of hours."
But Blunt didn't mind, as putting on the clothing of the period helped her get into character. "I am somebody who finds it quite transporting, all the physical stuff. I usually try and change my voice or the way I move. It helps me to change my clothes and all of that. I mean, everyone's different. That's how I like to work it. I start physically from outward in. But I think it's tough because there's something very distracting about not being able to breathe at the same time," said Blunt, laughing. "So yeah, it's transporting to a point. And then at about three in the afternoon when afternoon teas comes out and I'm like, 'I'll have a scone,' and then I live to regret it. You know what I mean? It's like you're just begging to be let out of the corset by the end of the day."
Costumes aside, just transforming into Queen Victoria had a positive impact on Blunt. The 26 year old British actress, who's best known for playing Meryl Streep's clothing-obsessed assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, is pleased this film shows a strong woman who took charge at a young age. "It was really wonderful in that it was definitely that message that she was a forthright, strong woman, and definitely took command of that role with this unabashed courage," explained Blunt. "I mean, she was so fabulous in how she went about taking on the role of the Queen. Definitely made stupid, reckless decisions, but that's what teenagers do, you know? And that's what she did. But I think it's an important message to show that, but also an important message, I think, to show girls in what they should look for in a man. I really believe that. This is a man who loved her selflessly till the day he died. He refused to be emasculated by her. He was bright and quiet. He had this quiet confidence, and he had all of the grace and dignity that you could [have]. You know, he had it for days."
Blunt added, "I think it's a really good message for women to see that, and for anyone - men, women, whatever - to see that true love and that kind of commitment is really important. Because this day and age, everyone quits so readily on everything. A job, a marriage, school. Everyone's ready for the next and the next and the next and the next thing. So I think to see that long-lasting love and what it takes and how yeah, you've got to wear a f**king helmet sometimes, but you work through it. I mean, I think that that's really important for people to see."
Getting the opportunity to bring the story of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's romance and marriage to the screen was made all the more interesting because of her co-star, Rupert Friend. Blunt and Friend got along well, and that helped when it came to portraying the love and respect between these two famous figures.
"It was awesome. We had so much fun," said Blunt of working with Friend. "You know, here's the thing: love is one of these things which is all about emotion and instincts. It's nothing to do with whether you're wearing a bonnet or a pair of sweatpants. I mean, love is what it is. It's lasted this long, it will continue to rule people's emotions for the rest of time. And so I think we just tried to avoid making it too arch and stiff, tried to keep that relationship very real and let it breathe. And I genuinely like Rupert, which really helps."
"You know, when you find those things that make each other laugh and you find those things, naturally, off-set, that you really just enjoy about the other person, you can almost bring it to life in the scene sometimes. We'd improv and try a few different bits. And I think that chemistry's a weird thing because you can't really pin it down, you know? You hear about people who've worked together who hated each other, but yet they had a great chemistry. So it's a very hard thing to crunch numbers on. So I can never quite talk about why it works so well with me and him. But it was honestly because he had all the perfect qualities to play Albert. He had them. And he also has all the perfect qualities as an actor to work with - very generous, super fun. I mean, we were infantile by the end of the film. I mean, he literally became like my brother. It was pathetic. It was fun. Fun as hell," admitted Blunt.
