Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, both acclaimed actors, attended the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on September 7, 2024, along with their daughters Hazel, 11, and Violet, 9, demonstrating their commitment to family privacy amid public fascination. The couple values protecting their children from the spotlight and have developed strategies to maintain boundaries while balancing their public and private lives.
How Emily Blunt and John Krasinski Maintain Family Privacy
For Blunt and Krasinski, public appearances with their children are rare, even though attending high-profile events like the U.S. Open has become a family tradition. They intentionally shield Hazel and Violet from too much exposure, ensuring the girls can experience life with less pressure from celebrity attention. Krasinski shared a common approach to fan interactions, saying,
“If I don’t have my kids, I’m happy to take a picture or whatever,”
but added,
“But I think when we’re with the kids, we usually say, ‘We’re just having family time, but it’s nice to meet you.’ Most of the time, everybody’s really good with that. Because we just don’t want the kids wondering what’s happening, why I’m taking pictures with people all the time.”
—John Krasinski, Actor
While the daughters have a sense of what their parents do professionally, their parents focus on preserving normalcy. Blunt mentioned in June 2024 that her children expressed some curiosity about her work, especially her role in the upcoming film, The Devil Wears Prada 2. She revealed,
“I think they would quite like to go to set, just for the fashion,”
noting how the girls are enthusiastic about the film’s glamorous side.
“They’re like Mary Schmoppins. This is The Devil Wears Prada. They’re all about it.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Balancing family life and careers requires teamwork from both parents. Krasinski described their ongoing efforts, saying,
“I don’t know if any parent thinks they’re ever juggling it well. So I just surrender to this is our life. It seems to always be in some sort of upheaval, but I guess it’s all we’ve ever know and it’s all my kids have ever known and they love an adventure.”
—John Krasinski, Actor
Do Hazel and Violet Understand Their Parents’ Fame?
Despite their global status as movie stars, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski’s daughters mostly see them simply as mom and dad, unaware of the extent of their celebrity. Blunt explained an incident in their home, recalling,
“Hazel came home the other day and we were in the kitchen and she goes, ‘Are you famous?’”
She described her surprise since the family avoids discussing fame, adding,
“And I’d never heard her…we’ve never said that word in our house. We don’t talk about it.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Blunt indicated that the girls often hear about their parents’ fame from external sources, explaining,
“someone at school had clearly said it.”
She responded to Hazel with,
“Um …not really, I don’t think I am. Did someone say that to you, Haze?”
When Hazel confirmed, she kept the details vague. Blunt’s goal is to prevent her children from feeling different due to their parents’ status.
“I don’t want my kids to feel any more important or special or that there’s a glare on them any more than other kids,”
she said.
“If they can remain oblivious for the longest time I’d be thrilled.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
How Hazel and Violet Perceive Their Parents’ Work
Although the family limits exposure, Hazel and Violet have seen some of their parents’ projects. Blunt shared,
“They’ve seen Mary Poppins and Jungle Cruise, and they’ve seen some of The Office, which they liked a lot.”
However, she added,
“But they don’t really want to watch us on screen. They’ve got their ownership of us as parents. They’re not running to see me in a movie, which keeps you humble.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Blunt recounted that while her Mary Poppins performance was a source of pride, her daughters’ reaction to her role in The Devil Wears Prada was less enthusiastic.
“They thought I was the meanest person they’ve ever met.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Similarly, Hazel misunderstood the fictional nature of Krasinski’s work on The Office. After a school drop-off encounter where a fan mentioned the show, Hazel asked Blunt,
“So do you work with him?”
Krasinski recalled the moment on The Late Show:
“I went, ‘No.’ And she goes, ‘Why are you lying to me?’ I went, ‘I’m not lying to you.’ And she goes, ‘No, he just said he knows you from the office.’”
—John Krasinski, Actor
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski on Their Daughters’ Potential Show Business Futures
Blunt has voiced caution about her daughters following the same entertainment path, aware of the industry’s challenges. Reflecting on other parents’ ambitions for their children, she confessed,
“My toes curl when people tell me, ‘My daughter wants to be an actress,’”
explaining to Harper’s Bazaar U.K. in 2023,
“I want to say, ‘don’t do it!’ Because it’s a hard industry and it can be very disappointing. A lot of people tell you not to take things personally – but it’s completely personal, especially when you’re being judged on how you look. So you just have to endure that side of things.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Nevertheless, Blunt supports her daughters pursuing what they love.
“I want them to grow up wanting something, feeling passionate about something, and being proud of who they are,”
she told Porter magazine in 2022.
“And I think a lot of that is just finding something you love to do… I didn’t grow up with a burning ambition to be an actress at all, it just revealed itself to me – and I think that’s wonderful when it happens like that.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Inspiration from Hazel and Violet for John Krasinski’s Film IF
Krasinski’s 2024 film IF, which centers on imaginary friends, draws inspiration from his daughters’ childhood experiences. Krasinski described to E! News,
“I would watch my kids disappear every day into this magical [world] that Emily and I aren’t invited into,”
and explained how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their imagination.
“And it was COVID, because I saw their lights starting to dwindle. I could see they were playing fewer and fewer imaginary games, and they started asking big questions and they were letting the world in.”
—John Krasinski, Actor
He continued with an important message for children growing up:
“I said, ‘Emily oh my god, that’s the definition of growing up. They’re deciding whether or not they should let go of childhood,’”
followed by,
“And I went, ‘No. You don’t have to make that decision. That magical world you created is there for you always, you can always go back.’”
—John Krasinski, Actor
Krasinski also involved Hazel and Violet during the filmmaking process:
“They saw my original drawings, I pitched them the movie, they even had notes on the trailer,”
reflecting on a collaborative experience. He simply concluded, “It was great.” —John Krasinski, Actor
The Transformative Effects of Parenthood on Blunt and Krasinski
Both Emily Blunt and John Krasinski acknowledge that becoming parents has been the most profound influence in their lives. Krasinski opened up about the responsibilities he felt following the birth of Hazel, sharing with People,
“I went through some really serious stuff. There is a mirror that is held up to me now. You have someone watching you. You have to lead by example.”
—John Krasinski, Actor
His new role fueled a desire to improve himself daily:
“And it’s made him, he continued, want to focus on becoming a better person every single day.”
—John Krasinski, Actor
Blunt described parenthood as both demanding and fulfilling, telling Harper’s Bazaar U.K. in 2018,
“We are both massively hands-on, and we love it. I’m so lucky with John. But I was colossally unprepared for how life-changing it is. Like all mothers, I think, ‘What was I doing with my day before I had children?’ It’s so full-on and they need you so much; I do find myself in a perpetual state of distraction.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Managing Parental Guilt While Balancing Careers
Emily Blunt has occasionally paused her acting career to focus on family, stressing the importance of presence during critical moments in her children’s lives. Speaking on Table for Two With Bruce Bozzi in 2024, she said,
“I just feel there’s cornerstones to their day that are so important when they’re little,”
emphasizing activities such as waking up, going to school, and bedtime routines.
“I just need to be there for all of them for a good stretch, and I just felt that in my bones.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Blunt also discussed feelings of guilt that come with parenting, admitting,
“I’m very prone to guilt. I think maybe all mothers are. We’re just prone to feeling bad for, God forbid, wanting something outside of being a mother. I’m a huge advocate for it. I’m a huge advocate for women being ambitious. I love the word ambition. It’s just dreams with purpose, that’s all it is.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Krasinski addressed managing the emotional challenges of parenting as a unit on a 2024 episode of Pop Culture Moms, stating,
“There is no mom or dad guilt. It’s us as a family. We’re all in it together. But I will say that it is difficult. We’ve had many conversations with our kids. First and foremost being that when we have to go away for work, there are some people who don’t geographically go away, but their parents’ jobs take them away ‘til 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. or you go on business trips over the weekend. So we’re all in it together just in different aspects as parents.”
—John Krasinski, Actor
Values and Lessons Emily Blunt and John Krasinski Impart to Their Children
Blunt strives to nurture empathy and acceptance in Hazel and Violet, reflecting on her own upbringing and personal values. In 2020, she told Marie Claire,
“I was a really empathetic kid and still feel that’s something I try and lead with.”
Encouraging her children to embrace differences and not fear mistakes, she explained,
“And I encourage empathy in my kids and embracing differences and not being scared of them, or teasing people for them, you know? Making mistakes, or feeling like you have something that causes you to make mistakes, is a good thing. It’s how you learn, and it’s how you grow.”
—Emily Blunt, Actress
Through their intentional parenting, both Emily Blunt and John Krasinski seek to provide their daughters with a grounded, nurturing environment away from the glare of fame, equipping them with resilience and compassion for the world ahead.
