Emily Blunt Expresses Reluctance To Star In Superhero Movies: ‘I Don’t Like Them!’

Emily Blunt has revealed that she was originally asked to play the superhero Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Iron Man 2 in 2010. Blunt explained that she was forced to turn down the role due to her having to commit to shooting the widely panned fantasy comedy film Gulliver’s Travels starring Jack Black. The character Black Widow is now famously played by Scarlett Johansson, who is set to star in the film of the same name.

Blunt revealed that she originally was regretful of having to turn down the role of Black Widow, as she did not want to star in Gulliver’s Travels. “I was contracted to do Gulliver’s Travels. I didn’t want to do Gulliver’s Travels. I take such pride in the decisions that I make, and they mean so much to me, the films that I do,” Blunt told Howard Stern. “I care very deeply, very, very much, about the choices I make. That’s all I have, the choices that I make. There were a lot of really lovely people who were heaven to work with. I actually had a good time, a laugh, with all of them, but it irked my heart for it to have happened in the first place.”

When asked about her possibly appearing in the upcoming Fantastic Four film as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Blunt denied the rumors. “That is fan-casting,” she said. “No one has received a phone call. That’s just people saying, ‘Wouldn’t that be great?’” After Stern asked if she felt that superhero movies were beneath her, Blunt stated that they weren’t her cup of tea. “It’s not that it’s beneath me. I love Iron Man and when I got offered Black Widow I was obsessed with Iron Man. I wanted to work with Robert Downey Jr. – it would’ve been amazing … but I don’t know if superhero movies are for me. They’re not up my alley. I don’t like them. I really don’t.”