In the brand-new Amazon Prime Video and BBC series, the A Quiet Place actress portrays the aristocratic Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke with Pawnee ex-cavalry scout Eli Whipp (performed by Twilight star Chaske Spencer). In 1890s America, the improbable pair joined forces to “cross a savage landscape based on dreams and blood.”
According to Blunt’s protagonist in the enigmatic trailer, “There’s a certain charm to this country.”
Before the show’s debut, Blunt told PEOPLE that her role “shows up appearing like the feminine ideal, clothed in a bonnet and a pink frock, similar to Alice landing in the Wild, Wild West.” She “arrives in this very type of harsh, male environment, looking for retribution for the loss of her son.
As a result, says Blunt, who serves as the show’s executive producer, “she’s hell-bent on identifying the person accountable for her son’s death despite being someone who looks ill-prepared for the road ahead of her, which is likely to be an extremely physically and mentally terrible one.”
As they examine the mystery of a young widow named Valerie Pachner, characters played by Blunt and Spencer will be followed as they investigate a series of odd and grisly unexplained killings.
The teaser quotes Cornelia as saying, “I often wonder if there’s terror in our spirit.” We would be where we are if desires were the reality.
According to a release distributed alongside a First Look at the series on Thursday, Cornelia and Eli both have a distinct feeling of their purpose, but neither is conscious that it is based on a common background.
They must overcome progressively terrible challenges that will push both their physical and psychic boundaries. But as they overcome each challenge, they get closer to their ultimate goal—the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming.
Blunt admits that after reading the screenplay for the first time, she got compelled to appear on the show.