‘Edge of Tomorrow’ star Emily Blunt on making complicated action look ‘effortless’

LONDON – The first thing that has to be said here is that Tom Cruise's suit from “Edge of Tomorrow” is heavy as heck. It's not just styrofoam or some space-age polymer and it certainly isn't Tom Cruise running around in a green leotard that will be replaced by CGI later.

It's metal. It's weighty. It's constricting. And it's really hard to breathe in, much less deliver a stand-up for HitFix, much less deliver dialogue or attempt to act.

Last week, on a rainy Monday outside of London (also known as “a normal Monday”), I was at Leavesden Studios where the bulk of “Edge of Tomorrow” was filmed and I got to try on Tom Cruise's actual suit from the movie. 

And I can't emphasize this enough: It was heavy. I was strapped into the suit  only after donning the basic infantry uniform from the movie, which included a tight flack jacket. At that point, it was hard to remember what site I worked for and who I was going to be interviewing hours later at the “Endge of Tomorrow” junket. You'll notice that once I successfully conveyed that piece of information, I was able to loosen up a little, though I still wasn't able to loosen up enough to move my arms and legs simultaneously. The feet do move, but they were so far away from my blood-flow that I was unable to contemplate advanced movement. [I've been told that footage of me dancing in the suit does exist and it's being cut up to accompany a future video.]

You can see a basic version of my stand-up leading into the interview above.

My morning spent in the mud waiting for, dressing for and shooting a brief intro in the “Edge of Tomorrow” suit left me with ample respect as I sat down with Emily Blunt later in the day at a far more luxurious London locale.

“Edge of Tomorrow” is a clever, fast-paced summer romp and, in Rita Vrataski, Blunt has one of her very best roles to date. Rita is a smart, butt-kicking woman. She's an uncompromised action lead, steering Tom Cruise's Major Cage through a long string of life-and-death-and-life-again experiences.

In our five-minute sit-down, Blunt discusses the responsibilities of doing action in a bulky suit and the pleasures of repeatedly killing Tom Cruise. I also wanted to see if she personally responds to stories about characters trying to reshape their fate after doing “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Looper” and “The Adjustment Bureau.” She hadn't thought about that, but she contemplates. And, at the end, we talked about “Into the Woods,” though you may have seen that part of my interview in a weekend breakout.

Stay tuned for my interview with “Edge of Tomorrow” director Doug Liman.

“Edge of Tomorrow” opens on Friday, June 6.

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