Emily Blunt 'THIS STORY HAD TO BE TOLD'

The actress feels the heat in new period drama The English, now streaming on prime video

The Wild West of the United States was a bit complicated back in 1890 when greed, violence, and gun-toting fights were used to win every bit of freedom. Women were expendable, and the division between European settlers and Native American tribes often ended in bloodshed.

So when an Englishwoman in a pink gown step from her horse-drawn carriage and into the vast terrain of Oklahoma in The English, she looks out of place and vulnerable. But leading lady Emily Blunt is quick to point out that her character is no damsel in distress.

Explaining why she chose to get involved in this miniseries - the story of a woman's quest to find the man who killed her son - the 39-year-old movie star tells, "I'd been looking for some long-form storytelling and waiting for the right one to come along. I do feel a lot of the best material is on TV right now and I fell in love with the script. I said yes before I'd finished reading it. I wanted to do it so badly."