Emily Blunt battled fear of heights for Mary Poppins flying scene


Emily Blunt questioned whether she was going to die while shooting a flying scene for Mary Poppins Returns.

Emily is taking over from Julie Andrews, who portrayed the magical nanny in the 1964 original, in the upcoming sequel, and in one scene recreates the famous moment in which Mary appears to drop out of the sky.

While promoting her new animated flick Sherlock Gnomes with co-star James McAvoy, she was asked by an Entertainment Tonight reporter what was going through her mind as she filmed the flying sequence.

“Whether I thought I was going to die. Fifty feet in the air, yeah,” she smiled, before going on to explain that she doesn’t enjoy working up high. “It was one of those things where they kind of winch you up there and there’s the moment before they bring you down for the shot, and it seems like that moment extends for a forever time frame.

“You’re so high that if you look out you’re higher than the trees and you look down, Lin-Manuel Miranda was (tiny). But it was an incredible moment, you know. Very disarming.”

Set twenty years after the original, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel takes on the role of lamplighter Jack, an apprentice of much-loved character Bert, played by Dick Van Dyke in the ’60s film.

Talking about working with the musical theatre megastar, Emily gushed that he was “awesome” and “so talented”.

English stars Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer play the older versions of Michael and Jane Banks, with Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Angela Lansbury co-starring, and screen legend Dick popping up for a cameo.

Mary Poppins Returns hits cinemas in December (18).