Emily Blunt

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Emily Blunt loves a challenge, and in the world of movie musicals there’s no greater trial than following in the footsteps of Julie Andrews to bring one of her most iconic, and beloved, roles to the screen for the first time in over 50 years.

It’s only Mary Poppins. No pressure, right?

But the 35-year-old British actress has always been drawn to roles that scare her, and it’s proven to be a good strategy. Some of her most memorable parts have been those “impossible” ones, like stealing scenes from Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” and doing stunts with Tom Cruise in “The Edge of Tomorrow.”

There’s no one type of Emily Blunt role, but some roles seem like they could only be for her, and for director and choreographer Rob Marshall, the practically perfect nanny was one of them. When he signed on for “Mary Poppins Returns,” which would be a sequel to the 1964 classic, hers was the first name he thought of.

“It was the quickest, fastest idea. I knew in one second who it was,” said Marshall.

He knew how big of a task it was, but he also knew from directing her in Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” that she was the right triple threat for the job. “She’s so fearless,” he added. “I just knew that she would make it her own.”

Although Blunt held fond memories of Andrews’ performance, she hadn’t revisited it as an adult and decided not to before filming.

The film, out nationwide on Dec. 19, finds the now-grown Banks children Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) faced with their own troubles, and Mary Poppins steps in to help care for Michael’s three children and get their lives back on track.