Emily Blunt Reveals the ‘Sicario’ Scene That Haunted Her for Days

Emily Blunt once revealed that a scene from Denis Villeneuve’s 2015 thriller Sicario kept her awake for four nights. The actress described the moment as one of the most intense she has ever filmed.

In the scene, Blunt’s character, FBI agent Kate Macer, brings Jon Bernthal’s character, a police officer, home after a night out. The situation quickly turns dangerous when she discovers he is secretly working with the cartel she is investigating.

The scene escalates into a violent struggle for Blunt’s character’s gun, with Bernthal’s character nearly strangling her before Benicio Del Toro’s Alejandro intervenes.

Blunt explained that the scene was filmed with realism in mind. She and Bernthal avoided exaggerated fight choreography to make the struggle look raw and believable. “We kicked the shit out of each other,” she said, recalling the physical intensity of the shoot. Bernthal, a former boxer, reassured her, saying, “Just smack me. I’m fine. I’m not even gonna feel it.”

Despite knowing it was acting, Blunt admitted the experience had a lasting impact. “It had quite a lasting effect on me, and I’m not someone who takes my work home with me,” she told The Guardian. The close-to-reality fight made her think about vulnerability and mortality. “For sure,” she said, reflecting on how the scene made her consider life in a new way. “I’d never thought about it in that way before.”

Blunt described the filming as physically and emotionally demanding, adding, “When you physically put yourself in that position and you shoot it all day, it has a jarring effect. I felt like my skin was on fire.”

Sicario, which stars Blunt alongside Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, follows an FBI agent recruited to help bring down a Mexican drug cartel.

The film was critically acclaimed for its performances, direction, writing, and cinematography. It earned several Academy Award and BAFTA nominations and spawned a sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, with a third film, Sicario: Capos, currently in development.

Blunt’s honesty about the toll the scene took highlights the emotional commitment actors bring to intense roles. It also gives fans a glimpse into the realism Villeneuve aimed for in the film.

It’s impressive how dedicated Blunt was to making the scene feel authentic. Her willingness to push herself physically and emotionally shows why she is such a respected actress. What do you think about the lengths actors go to for realism in movies? Share your thoughts in the comments.