With the upcoming release of “Gnomeo & Juliet” on Bli-ray and DVD on May 24th, J!-ENT will be featuring Q&A interviews with a few of the talent who lent their voices or music to the animated film.
In this third Q&A, we feature Emily Blunt.  Emily shot to international prominence with her lead role in the multi award-winning “My Summer of Love.†She started her career at the 2002 Chichester Festival, in which she played Juliet in a production of “Romeo and Juliet.†Blunt’s credits include TV’s “Boudica,†“Death on the Nile,†“Henry VIII,†and the critically-acclaimed “Gideon’s Daughter,†for which Blunt won a Golden Globe® for Best Supporting Actress in Television. On the big screen, Blunt’s credits include “The Devil Wears Prada†“The Great Buck Howard,†“Dan in Real Life,†“The Jane Austen Book Club,†“Charlie Wilson’s War,†“Sunshine Cleaning,†“The Young Victoria†and “The Wolfman,†plus the upcoming films “The Adjustment Bureau,†“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,†“Looper†and “The Muppets.†In “Gnomeo & Juliet,†Blunt lends her voice to Juliet.
What do you think about your character Juliet?
She’s very cute. I was really thrilled with those rosy red cheeks. It’s a weird thing because you wonder what face your voice will end up being lent to. But I’m very happy with my Juliet.
She’s very fiery, and very much her father’s child, so I was really thrilled to see that they’ve made her kind of a tomboy.
Is it exciting to take part in a project that features a classic story and phenomenal animation, plus Elton John music?
As soon as I heard about this project I think I said, “I’m in,†before I’d spoken to my agents or anything. So, I called them saying, “Oh, I’m doing this thing.†And they’re like, “Right, did you want to talk it through with us first?†It was very easy for me to say yes but I think if I’d had any hesitation, a gently persuasive phone call from Elton John would have been just the ticket.
Do you find that, despite the twist this film takes, “Gnomeo & Juliet†is true to its inspiration?
It is very, very funny and it’s a very heightened world to invest in, but I really feel that the core of what is so sweeping and romantic about Romeo and Juliet is still there. This truly captures the essence of forbidden love and it really captures the teenage frustrations that we’ve all felt. It’s a very human story at the end of the day and quite an emotional one. And I think this is definitely the ending that people always wanted from Romeo and Juliet.
How do you balance the comedy with the story’s roots?
When you’re doing a comedic version of something, I think it always has to be ingrained in some kind of truth because people don’t laugh if they’re not invested. We all very much wanted to play real people in this.
What does the audience have to look forward to with “Gnomeo & Juliet�
I think there’s something in it for parents who take their kids or people who go on a date. I think there’s something in it for everyone. There’s obviously Shakespearian references that we will go over the younger generation’s heads. But I really feel that for the parents there will be that moment in the cinema where their kids will look at them and be like, “Did you see that?”  It’s those kind of wink, wink, nudge, nudge jokes, which I think are really entertaining for everyone.
GNOMEO & JULIET on Blu-rayâ„¢, Blu-ray 3Dâ„¢ and DVD May 24, 2011
The greatest love story ever told, starring…garden gnomes? In the upcoming “Gnomeo & Juliet,†Shakespeare’s revered tale gets a comical, off-the-wall makeover. Directed by Kelly Asbury (“Shrek 2â€) and showcasing both classic and original songs by Elton John, the film features the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as Gnomeo and Juliet, who have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and thrilling lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness?