Emily Blunt on What Makes 'Mary Poppins Returns' Different From the Original

After decades away from the spotlight, Mary Poppins is returning to the big screen this Christmas, with Emily Blunt taking over the iconic role. While it's certainly exciting to see the world's favorite nanny, don't expect her to be anything like the original this time around.

While speaking with Variety about her recent film A Quiet Place, Blunt was asked plenty of questions regarding her upcoming turn in Mary Poppins Returns, and whether or not she asked Julie Andrews for her blessing in taking on the role.

"No, but [director] Rob [Marshall] said she was very excited and gave it her blessing," Blunt said. "I hope she comes to the premiere. I think Rob will show it to her at some point."

Andrews did give her permission for someone else to pilot the umbrella, but that doesn't mean Blunt wanted to completely replicate the role. Instead of basing her part in the film on what Andrews did all those years ago, Blunt has been taking to the original books for inspiration.

"She's really eccentric in the books," the actress said. "She's kind of batty and vain and rude. And she made me laugh so much. It's hard to sum up exactly what my interpretation was, but it's whatever leapt off the pages of the book to me."

In the interview, Blunt also opened up about what drew her to the role in the first place.

"[The director] Rob Marshall called me a couple of years ago and pitched it to me," Blunt revealed. "The script hadn't been written and they hadn't written the songs, they were just crafting a narrative. He explained that this was much more in the same world as the books. It's set in the '30s during the Great Depression, which is when P.L. Travers wrote them. It was the idea of having a darker backdrop in which hope could reappear from the skies. I loved the idea and I love and believe in him.

"What he did for me was huge. Having somebody like Julie Andrews, who is iconic, play somebody like Mary Poppins, who is also iconic, it could have felt like I was rolling aside this huge boulder. But Rob made it feel so intimate for me and empowering for me, so I could have my own version of her. I didn't watch the original during the process. I had a memory of the movie seared into my brain from when I was a child, but I didn't want the distraction of the amazing Julie's version of her. I just read the books. This is my interpretation of Mary."

As far as the musical aspect of the film goes, Blunt said that the cast and crew worked tirelessly to pull off the big Mary Poppins numbers.

"We rehearsed for eight weeks, which is unheard of," she said. "That's how Rob works. When you show up on the day you feel completely at ease, because he runs it like a play to see if the scenes work and sizzle. We rehearsed the big dance numbers and did two and a half weeks of pre-records and then started shooting. The whole thing took about a year.

"When I saw Cherry Tree Lane for the first time it was overwhelming. How ever incredible the first film is, I hope this one will be allowed to stand on its own. It's magical, but it's so grounded as well. There's such a beautiful story running through it."

Are you excited to see the new take on Mary Poppins? Was Emily Blunt the best choice to take over for Julie Andrews? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Mary Poppins Returns is set to hit theaters on December 25.