In 2001, Emily Blunt could have been the “Britney Spears of England”. Judi Dench refused to let it happen

Emily Blunt has recalled being steered away from a pop career as a teenager, despite industry figures telling her she could become “the Britney Spears of England”. She did not want that path, and Judi Dench encouraged her to withdraw from the venture while they were working together in 2001.

Blunt had recorded several songs, including ‘Ring It Up’, and was told she could be taught to dance. At 18, she was making her professional acting debut alongside Dench in *The Royal Family* at London’s Haymarket Theatre; she says Dench told her she could not pursue both careers and urged her to make the call to pull out. Blunt has not suggested she regrets the decision.