British actress Emily Blunt says she finds “a real sense of purpose” helping out those who stutter. Given the fact she overcame a stammer and went onto become a Hollywood star, the 38-year-old actress feels it is her duty to help others deal with the issue.
Blunt has been associated with the American Institute Of Stuttering, and she says she understands the “anguish” of people who stammer.
“I feel like I have a real sense of purpose with this foundation because it’s so personal to me. I understand the anguish that these kids and adults are going through. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about stuttering, so it’s my job to enlighten people on what it’s about — that it’s not anxiety-ridden, it’s not that you have a mental disability, and it’s not that you have a nervous disposition. It’s neurological, it’s genetic, and it’s nobody’s fault, and kids can do nothing about it,” Blunt says, according to a femalefirst.com report.
The actress, who stars in the current box office winner “A Quiet Place Part II”, adds that she has “so much empathy” for those struggling with stuttering.
“I have so much empathy for them. It’s also the kind of thing that you can’t explain to people because you cannot speak. You’re completely imprisoned by it. I find it incredibly moving, so what I tell the kids and parents who call me is that you just have to learn to wrap your arms around that part of yourself. You have to learn that it’s not the whole you, it’s just a part of you and everyone’s got something they’re dealing with,” she says.
“I love the fact that I’ve never met a mean stutterer. Once you have been humiliated, you’ll never do it to anybody else, ever,” she adds.
Blunt has returned to the screens with her new hit now, but over the past year she got a chance to spend a lot of time home-schooling her daughters — Hazel, seven, and Violet, four — whom she has with husband, actor-filmmaker John Krasinski.
“We would try to muddle our way through home schooling just like everyone else, but I think this time at home gave people the ability to notice every detail of your children,” Blunt tells OK! Magazine.
