Actress Emily Blunt has never shied away from talking about stuttering.

Long before she became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars, Blunt struggled with stuttering as a child. Over the years, she has repeatedly shared the story of how a teacher encouraged her to try acting in a school play at age 12 and suggested she perform using an accent. The experience helped introduce Blunt to acting and showed her that changing the way she spoke could sometimes make speaking easier.

Blunt's name has long been prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter. What makes her story especially noteworthy is that, nearly two decades after first speaking publicly about her experiences, Blunt continues to use her visibility to increase understanding of stuttering.

Finding Her Voice Through Acting

Emily Blunt was born in London on February 23, 1983. As a child, she enjoyed singing, playing the cello and horseback riding. But stuttering presented challenges, particularly as she grew older.

In a 2008 interview with W magazine, Blunt described herself as a child who had plenty she wanted to communicate but sometimes struggled to get the words out.

Her life began to change when a teacher encouraged her to participate in a school play. Blunt has recalled that the teacher suggested she try speaking in an accent while playing her character. She discovered that acting and adopting another voice could make speaking easier.

Blunt later explained that stepping outside herself through a character felt freeing. What began as a classroom experience eventually helped lead her toward a career she had never expected.

Her breakthrough performances included My Summer of Love in 2004 and The Devil Wears Prada in 2006. She won a Golden Globe for her performance in the television drama Gideon's Daughter and went on to build a career that includes The Young Victoria, Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario, Mary Poppins Returns, A Quiet Place, Jungle Cruise and Oppenheimer.

Bringing Stuttering Into the Public Conversation

By 2009, Blunt was speaking openly about stuttering in major media appearances.

During a March 25, 2009, appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she spent a significant portion of the interview discussing her childhood experiences. DeGeneres asked what had caused her stuttering, and Blunt appropriately responded that she did not know.

The two also discussed something that had fascinated people since Blunt first told her story: how she could sometimes speak more fluently while using an accent or playing a character.

At the time, Blunt was promoting Sunshine Cleaning, and her career was still relatively young. Yet her willingness to discuss stuttering publicly was already helping put a recognizable face on a condition experienced by millions of people around the world.

Rather than leaving stuttering behind as her fame grew, Blunt continued talking about it.

"It's Still Something That I Contend With"

One important change in how Blunt describes her experience today is that she does not present stuttering simply as something she experienced as a child and then overcame.

In May 2026, Blunt appeared on NBC's TODAY alongside Heather Grossman, executive director of the American Institute for Stuttering, and described stuttering as a lifelong neurological condition.

"It's still something that I contend with," she said.

Blunt explained that certain speaking situations can remain difficult. Even something as basic as saying her own name can sometimes present a challenge.

She also described the emotional experience of knowing exactly what she wants to communicate but having difficulty getting the words out, saying it can feel as though there is an "imposter in your body" misrepresenting who you really are.

The interview underscored a message Blunt has increasingly emphasized: stuttering is not caused by nervousness or a lack of intelligence, and someone who stutters does not simply need to relax or try harder to speak.

Nearly Two Decades of Speaking Openly

When the Stuttering Foundation first highlighted Blunt's story, she was an emerging actress promoting movies such as Sunshine Cleaning and The Young Victoria. At the time, there was every reason to believe she would have many more high-profile roles ahead of her.

That certainly proved true.

But something else predicted in those early accounts proved true as well: Blunt continued talking about stuttering.

As her career grew, so did the audience hearing her story. What began with interviews about a childhood stutter has developed into years of public advocacy and a willingness to discuss the realities of stuttering as an adult.

Perhaps most importantly, Blunt's story has evolved. She no longer describes stuttering simply as a childhood obstacle that acting made disappear. Instead, she speaks candidly about a lifelong condition that she continues to experience and manage.

For children who stutter—and for parents who may worry that stuttering will limit what their child can accomplish—that visibility matters.

Emily Blunt's career demonstrates that stuttering does not determine a person's intelligence, creativity, ambitions or potential. And nearly two decades after she first began discussing her experiences publicly, she continues to use one of Hollywood's most recognizable voices to make sure the voices of people who stutter are heard.

Posted Sept. 17, 2026