When Emily Blunt’s Kids Weren’t Interested In Her Movies Until Jungle Cruise Changed Everything
Emily Blunt’s kids weren’t fans of her movies until Jungle Cruise came along. Find out why this film captured their attention and how it became a family favorite.
Okay, hold up. Emily Blunt scared the living daylights out of us in The Girl on the Train and A Quiet Place? Yeah, her kids weren’t interested in her movies. No, seriously. They had zero interest…until Jungle Cruise hit their screens.
Blunt dropped the truth bomb during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, saying her two daughters, Hazel and Violet (aged 7 and 4 at the time), weren’t exactly lining up to watch mom’s blockbuster roles. But when Jungle Cruise came around, things got real. “Interestingly, this has been the only trailer they have watched multiple times,” she said.
Now, let’s talk about why. In Jungle Cruise, Blunt plays Dr. Lily Houghton, a badass early-20th-century scientist on a wild quest to find the Tree of Life in the Amazon. She’s not alone, though. She’s got riverboat captain Frank Wolff, played by none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, by her side. They’re up against rivals, crazy jungles, and a jaguar that’s a huge hit with Blunt’s kids. “They love the jaguar,” Blunt said. Guess that’s a first, huh?
Her kids were all about that Jungle Cruise vibe—loving the adventure, world-building, and the Rock. “They love the dynamic; they love the whole world; it’s like a sumptuous, sort of exotic world,” she explained. So yeah, Blunt might’ve had a quiet place in her heart for the kids, but Jungle Cruise truly won them over.
Blunt also got candid about her kiddos’ pickiness. They’re “scared of everything,” she said. So Jungle Cruise was a lighter touch for them than some of her more intense films (A Quiet Place—yeah, we’re talking about you). “It’s scary in the kind of best way,” Blunt reassured.
And while her kids were loving Jungle Cruise, she had another hilarious confession: she hadn’t even taken them to a Disney park yet. Mary Poppins Returns and Jungle Cruise under her belt, and she’s still waiting for that free pass to Disneyland. “I’m hoping, by this point, would I not get a free pass?” Blunt quipped. Honestly, Disney should’ve sent her a golden ticket at this point.
While Blunt’s kids have yet to dive into her film catalog (can’t blame them—some of her movies are dark for little ones), they will have a lot to catch up on. Between her career, Krasinski’s The Office fame, and the legendary Stanley Tucci (aka their uncle), it’s safe to say these kids won’t run out of material anytime soon.
But for now, all roads lead to Jungle Cruise. Released on July 30, 2021, both in theaters and on Disney+ Premium Access, the film brought all the thrills, laughs, and just enough edge to hook audiences—and Blunt’s toughest critics (aka her kids).
So yeah, while Emily Blunt’s kids may have been all “meh” about mom’s previous roles, Jungle Cruise was a whole different story. It’s the movie that finally made her kids hit repeat, and that’s the real adventure.
