Emily Blunt really is proud to be an American.
The native Brit drew criticism earlier this week after joking that watching the first Republican presidential debate made her rethink her new U.S. citizenship. Emily apologized for the remark on Thursday’s “Today” show and said she didn’t mean to undermine the importance of her milestone.
“It was so not the intention to hurt anybody or cause any offense, so I really apologize to those that I caused offense,” she said. “It was just an offhand joke.”
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Emily made her controversial quip during the Toronto Film Festival, while she and other actors were discussing the nation’s current electoral climate in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I became an American citizen recently, and that night, we watched the Republican debate and I thought, ‘This was a terrible mistake. What have I done?'” she told the trade mag. The 32-year-old Golden Globe nominee was at the fest to promote her newest film, “Sicario.”
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She added on “Today” that the blowback she received gave her pause about making similar jabs in the future.
“I think I’ll probably leave the political jokes to late night or something,” she said.
“Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie suggested that the citizenship process might actually have given Emily an intellectual advantage over some of her American-born peers.
“If you took the citizenship test, I think you probably have better knowledge of our country than a lot of middle schoolers right now,” Savannah said.
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“There was a lot I learned about the Constitution and American history,” Emily replied. “I think I know more about American history than I do about British history, which is interesting.”
Emily said her new title also holds emotional significance. Now, she said, being a true American helps bring her stateside family even closer together.
“It’s really meaningful,” she told Savannah. “I mean, my two favorite people in the world are American – my husband [actor John Krasinski] and my daughter. It was kind of a special day. Yeah, it was great!”
— Erin Biglow
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