The Studio Wanted Emily Blunts Character in 'Sicario' To Be Very Different
The Big Picture
- Emily Blunt's role in Sicario was originally intended to be played by a man, but Benicio Del Toro believes casting her as Kate Mercer was the right decision.
- Del Toro identifies with the challenges faced by women and actors of color in getting meaty and meaningful roles.
- More opportunities are emerging for actors to play characters who challenge the old-school Hollywood misconceptions.
Denis Villeneuve's 2015 thriller Sicario is widely regarded as one of the best action films of the 21st century. The combination of the director's tremendous vision, a great story written by Taylor Sheridan, and the talented cast spawned a sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, with talks are currently ongoing to greenlight a third film. But it is the original film and the believable appeal of its leads that make it pop off the screen. Benicio Del Toro knocks it out of the park as Alejandro Gillick, a hitman driven to avenge his family's death at the hands of a cartel kingpin. Josh Brolin is solid as DEA agent Matt Craven, who calls all the shots.
But if you can say that there is one performance that made you sit up and take notice, it would be Emily Blunt's fantastic turn as Kate Mercer, an FBI special agent recruited by Craven to wage war with the deadly cartels. When you compare Sicario with its sequel, one of the biggest reasons that it is considered a superior movie is the absence of Blunt's Kate Mercer. So what if the studio had initially gotten their way and cast the part as someone other than Emily Blunt in Sicario? It seems impossible to envision another actor playing the part, and it's even harder to see a man in the role. But, the studio did want a man before the decision was made to cast Blunt.
Sicario
R
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
Emily Blunt's Character in 'Sicario' Was Supposed To Be a Man
In an interview with Kim Taylor-Bennett with VICE, Benicio Del Toro opened up about how the studios originally wanted Emily Blunt's role of Kate Mercer to be a man. The subject came up when he spoke about the famous final scene between Alejandro and Kate and how he workshopped the scene with Blunt and Denis Villeneueve to be different from what was originally written to deliver such a memorable finale. Del Toro praised Blunt and how pleased he was to get to work with her for a variety of reasons.
The actor lauded the decision to make the protagonist a woman and cast Blunt because he identifies with the challenges of being a person of color in the industry and getting fewer chances than white actors to play meaty and meaningful parts like Mercer and Gillick. He sees a commonality in women not being considered for "tough guy" roles like the FBI special agent in Sicario. He acknowledges that the industry is changing, but that he feels like some actors of color and women have difficulty getting cast in roles like this.
The Industry Is Changing When It Comes to Roles for Women
CloseIn the interview, Del Toro spoke about how he felt that it would have been a big mistake if the film made Mercer a man. Although the studio was offering a bigger budget, Del Toro felt that the movie was stronger and more original because Mercer was played by a woman. He also said that, in that respect, women and people of color are "on the same side" in the right to get more screen time and more original roles that venture outside of stereotype.
Del Toro's hopes from that 2015 interview are not unfounded. The industry has been highlighting more stories with women at the center. Acclaimed films like Anatomy of a Fall offering Sandra Hüller an opportunity to shine in the spotlight, Emma Stone's tour de force performance in Poor Things, and breakout performances by Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon make Del Toro's case for him. Not only that but action films in 2023 featured women in an action role like Ghosted, Rebel Moon, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. Blunt's turn as Kate Mercer was a pivotal role that proved once again that women could excel at playing roles that defy stereotypes.
Sicario is available to stream through Prime Video in the U.S.
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