The studio wanted Emily Blunt’s character to be very different in ‘Sicario’

big picture

• role of emily blunt sicario The character was originally intended to be played by a man, but Benicio del Toro believes that casting her as Kate Mercer was the right decision.
• Del Toro recognizes the challenges women and actors of color face in finding meaty and meaningful roles.
• More opportunities are emerging for actors to play characters that challenge age-old Hollywood misconceptions.

denis villeneuve2015 thriller sicario Widely considered one of the best action films of the 21st century. A brilliantly written story combined with the tremendous vision of the director taylor sheridanAnd talented artists created the sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, is currently in talks to greenlight a third film. But this is an original film and the credible appeal of its lead characters makes it on screen. benicio del toro It knocks it out of the park as Alejandro Gilick, a hitman driven to avenge his family’s death at the hands of a cartel leader. josh brolin is solid as DEA agent Matt Craven, who makes all the decisions.

But if you could say there was one performance that made you pay attention, it would be this. emily bluntBrilliant turn as Kate Mercer, an FBI special agent recruited by Craven to wage war with the deadly cartels. when you compare sicario As with its sequels, the biggest reason this is considered a better film is the absence of Blunt as Kate Mercer. So what if the studio had agreed to their request from the beginning and cast someone other than Emily Blunt in the role sicario, It seems impossible to imagine any other actor playing this role, and even harder to see a man in this role. But, the studio wanted a man before deciding to cast Blunt.,

Emily Blunt’s character in ‘Sicario’ was supposed to be a man

in an interview with Kim Taylor-Bennett with vice, Benicio del Toro explained how the studio originally wanted Kate Mercer’s Emily Blunt role to be a male. This topic came up when he talked about the famous final scene between Alejandro and Kate and how he worked with Blunt and Denis Villeneuve to create that scene differently from what was originally written, in order to deliver such a memorable finale. Del Toro praised Blunt and expressed how happy he was to work with her for various reasons.,

The actor praised the decision to make the protagonist a woman and cast Blunt as he recognizes the challenges of being a person of color in the industry and having fewer opportunities than white actors to play meaty and meaningful roles like Mercer and Gillick. Are. He sees a similarity in that women are not considered for “tough guy” roles such as FBI special agents. sicario, He acknowledges that the industry is changing, but feels that some actors and women of color have difficulty landing such roles.

The industry is changing when it comes to roles for women

In the interview, del Toro explained how he felt it would be a big mistake if the film made Mercer a man. Although the studio was offering a larger budget, del Toro felt the film was stronger and original because Mercer was played by a woman. He also said that in this regard Women and people of color are “on the same side” in their right to have more screen time and more original roles beyond stereotypes,

Del Toro’s hopes from that 2015 interview are not unfounded. The industry is highlighting more stories with women at the center. acclaimed films like anatomy of fall Offering Sandra Huller A chance to shine in the spotlight, Emma StoneTour de force performance poor thingsand by breakout performance Lily Gladstone In flower moon killer Make del Toro’s case for that. Not only this but in 2023, women will be shown in action roles in action films. pale, rebel moon, Indiana Jones and the Dial of DestinyAnd Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Blunt’s role as Kate Mercer was a landmark role that once again proved that women can excel in playing stereotype-breaking roles.

sicario Available to stream via Prime Video in the US

watch on prime video