The Big Picture

• Emily Blunt's versatile performance as Queen Victoria showcased her range beyond comedic roles.
• The film focuses on Victoria's early years, highlighting her struggles and growth as a young monarch.
• Blunt's portrayal of the royal romance with Prince Albert captivated audiences, showcasing her romantic lead abilities.

Emily Blunt has come a long way since playing Miranda Priestly's (Meryl Streep) snooty assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, a supporting role that put her name on the map. From kicking butts in Edge of Tomorrow to delivering a baby in silence in A Quiet Place, to earning an Oscar nomination for Oppenheimer, there is nothing that the actress can't do. Yet, before she demonstrated her range onscreen, Blunt seemed to mostly land comedic parts. That all changed when she became the lead in a biopic entitled The Young Victoria, which allowed her to step into the shoes of the long-reigning ruler around the time that she ascended to the British throne. In the film, Blunt channeled the character's coming-of-age experience, from having to grow up overnight when becoming queen to falling madly in love with Prince Albert (Rupert Friend).

What Is 'The Young Victoria' About?

Queen Victoria is primarily remembered nowadays for her appearance in the latter portion of her reign when she was a grieving widow. Yet, this is far from what viewers see in the 2009 film directed by Big Little Lies' Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. It instead focuses on the royal's early years, from the lead-up to her coronation after the death of King William IV (Jim Broadbent) to her budding romance with Prince Albert. The biopic shows how the Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson) and Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong), who were the ruler's mother and her advisor, would often try to convince her to renounce the title when she was younger. Their efforts were in vain as Victoria turned 18 and was pronounced queen, seeking counsel from her own inner circle, which included Prime Minister Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany) and Prince Albert. Sitting on the throne is not an easy post to fill, and the royal makes many mistakes along the way until she finally finds her purpose for being in power. This sensitive depiction of the British queen is made better by Blunt's performance, channeling the growth that her character experiences as a young adult with a massive amount of responsibility lying on her shoulders.

Emily Blunt's Plays a Queen Rising to the Throne in 'The Young Victoria'

After seeing the actress star in films like The Fall Guy and The Girl on the Train, it is hard not to picture her as the leading lady. However, prior to The Young Victoria, Blunt was primarily known for her supporting roles. As Queen Victoria, she was able to cross into new territory in her career and show that she was indeed a perfect fit to capture the fierceness and focus that the royal exuded at this portion of her life. This is noticeable when viewers see the character at the start of the film dealing with Sir John's attempts to have her sign a document that ensures he and her mother would ascend to the throne if Victoria were to become queen before turning 18. Even while sick and in bed, Victoria is quick to refuse to sign the papers, showing her strong will from an early age.

Once she finds out about her uncle's death, the protagonist immediately distances herself from those interested in hijacking her power, including her mother and Sir John. This decision allows her to seek counsel from Lord Melbourne, who has genuine respect for the monarch and offers his best advice. Given her inexperience as a ruler, she commits a few mistakes along the way, such as opposing Sir Robert Peel's (Michael Maloney) request for her to exchange some of the ladies-in-waiting for supporters of his party. Despite this misstep and its repercussions, the actress is able to show a subtle transition between the queen solely relying on Lord Melbourne for leadership advice to vouching for her own wishes as a ruler. When she finally decides to follow her gut and focus on social issues rather than just following Lord Melborne's counsel, the character takes ownership of her crown.

'The Young Victoria' Showed that Blunt Could Do Drama and Romance, Not Just Comedy

In addition to Blunt tapping into Queen Victoria's coming-of-age journey, she also proved her ability to tackle genres other than comedy. As previously mentioned, the actress was celebrated for her comedic timing in a few of her earlier onscreen performances (such as Dan in Real Life and Charlie Wilson's War). However, The Young Victoria marked the actress' willingness to also dive into drama and romance. Although the actress did play a love interest in a critically acclaimed indie entitled My Summer of Love in 2004, her onscreen chemistry with Rupert Friend in the 2009 period drama was able to showcase her romantic lead abilities to an even wider audience.

The film is heavily centered on the royal's relationship with Prince Albert, and how their love progressed throughout the years. When they meet for the first time, it is clear that her romantic interest is moving in a calculated manner, hoping to fulfill his uncle's wishes to have him marry the queen for the family's own benefit. Nevertheless, as Prince Albert begins to show his true colors to Victoria, she falls for him, and they get married out of love. Different from most royal pairings, which are often put together through arranged marriages, these two fell in love on their own terms. Despite a few disagreements here and there, primarily related to power, the duo later became an important representation of partnership. At the end of the film, they are shown ruling side by side instead of Victoria being on the throne by herself.

Emily Blunt's performance as Queen Victoria showed that the actress can do it all, especially when it comes to portraying a ruler undergoing a coming-of-age journey. This role marked a departure from being constantly linked to The Devil Wears Prada, leading her to earn multiple nominations on the awards circuit (including a Golden Globe and Critics' Choice nom) and accolades at film festivals. It also demonstrated Blunt's skills as a romantic lead as she tackled a royal love story that was sincere and captivating through and through.

The Young Victoria is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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