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 Blunt co-stars with Dwayne
Johnson in the big-screen adventure, which
debuts on Friday and was based on a Disney theme
park ride known for groan-inducing jokes.
The actress described her action-hero character,
scientist Lily Houghton, as an "adventurous,
spirited girl" who will not conform to society's
expectations of women in 1917.
For one, Houghton dares to wear pants, a defiant
choice at the time. Plus, she "ventures into the
Amazon jungle in a pretty reckless way," Blunt
said.
"She is a really important character for girls
and boys to see because she was a trailblazer,"
the actress said in an interview. "Trailblazers
are always a bit eccentric, and they do crazy
things."
Blunt liked that Houghton veers from many
traditional on-screen roles for women.
"I always tell writers just write me as a guy
and leave the girl stuff to me," Blunt said in
an interview. "Just write me as multi-layered
and full of faults, and full of the downfalls of
what it is to be a human being."
To play Houghton, Blunt said she was inspired by
Indiana Jones, the iconic adventurer portrayed
by Harrison Ford. "He's not a slick action
star," she said. "He falls on his face. He's
scared of stuff."
Disney is releasing "Jungle
Cruise" simultaneously in theaters and for
purchase on the Disney+ streaming service, a
hybrid release plan the company has used during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 If "Jungle Cruise" is successful, it could spawn
a franchise like the blockbuster "Pirates of the
Caribbean" movies, which also were inspired by a
Disney ride.
 Johnson plays Frank
Wolff, the riverboat skipper Lily hires to take
her and her brother (Jack Whitehall) on the
perilous trek down the Amazon River. Frank is
the "cheapest, most untrustworthy" option,
Johnson said, but "very capable on a boat." And like the Disney ride operators, Frank revels
in telling corny, pun-laden jokes. "He's got
sharp timing," Johnson said, calling himself a
"new-age pun slinger." One joke in the movie:
"The rocks you see here in the river are
sandstone, but some people just take them for
granite."
"That's the charm of the skippers," Johnson
said, "They tell these very bad puns that are so
bad, they're good."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Leslie
Adler)
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