Emily Blunt Tells Us Her Least Favourite Part Of Being Mary Poppins

When someone utters the word 'reboot', 'revival' or even 'sequel', I tend to shudder. Why, oh why, are we so insistent on dragging gems from the past into current circulation? Shouldn't some films just be left well alone? I initially thought the same of Mary Poppins Returns. But then I watched the new version, spoke to Emily Blunt about taking on such a beloved character and I am sold. Welcome back Nanny Pops.

Ahead of the UK release of Mary Poppins' latest adventure, I met Blunt to discuss her memories of the original film and how she found stepping into those famous shoes. Expectation-wise, she just hoped to be able to "protect the spirit of the original and the amazing imprint it's had on so many people's lives". She added: "I think that's the trick, to pay homage and yet we all had to have some guts to carve out new space for ourselves."

And carve new space they did. If you were expecting uncomfortable revivals of "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", banish that from your minds now. Though the next cinematic instalment in the story – picking up in the 1930s when the Banks children are adults and Michael has kids of his own – is sweetly interwoven with relics from Julie Andrews' era, what we have is very much a new-iteration Mary Poppins. Blunt agrees that she's incredibly sassy but also vain, weird and funny in a very fresh way, and bringing something new to the part was something she was very conscious of.

From the singing (which Blunt loved) to the dancing (not so much) and everything in between, I asked Blunt to tell us a bit more about why Mary Poppins is such a wonderful character to play, the best advice she's given the world and why there is much more magic to be had. Watch the video below to find out where she stands on it all.