'Girl on the Train' Author Paula Hawkins Says Emily Blunt Is 'Too Beautiful' for the Main Role
Paula Hawkins, author of the acclaimed novel The Girl on the Train, recently revealed that she doesn't think Emily Blunt has the right look to play the lead character in the upcoming film adaptation of her hit book.
Blunt stars as the eponymous "girl," Rachel Watson, an overweight, unemployed, alcoholic divorcee -- a description Hawkins feels Blunt really doesn't fit, telling the Daily Mail, "She's too beautiful to play Rachel."
"They've done their best, I mean, to sort of make her look a bit s***, but you know," Hawkins added.
WATCH: Emily Blunt Is Frighteningly Perfect in First 'The Girl on the Train' Trailer
Casting criticisms aside, Hawkins had nothing but praise for the 33-year-old actress' performance, stressing that she did an "extraordinary job" in the thriller.
Hawkins’ comments come on the heels of Blunt opening up to The Guardian on Wednesday about the need for people to be less judgmental toward each other.
"I think we all need to be much kinder to each other, whether you're a man or a woman," Blunt said. "There is a tendency in women towards being a bit judgmental of each other, particularly in the domestic environment. Whether you can 'Keep a man' – a phrase which I hate – or whether you breastfeed or don’t, whether you want to have children or you don’t, whether you can have children."
WATCH: Emily Blunt Calls Out Mom Shamers: 'Women Can Be a Bit Cruel About Each Other'
"Women are sometimes made to feel to be rather defensive about their decisions," she continued. "I don’t think that's right. Nobody knows the ins and outs of decisions and we can't be too harsh about them."
Blunt also addressed why she was attracted to playing the lead role in The Girl on the Train, saying it's rare for a lead female character to have as many flaws as Rachel Watson.
WATCH: Emily Blunt Glows on the Set of 'Girl on the Train' Following Pregnancy Announcement
"It's so unusual to have your lead protagonist be female and a blackout drunk," Blunt said. "Women are often required to be an ideal of some description: pretty or likeable or witty. But with this character, you feel you just don't want to breathe the same air as her. And that sort of toxic persona, physically and mentally, I'd never explored before."
The Girl on the Train hits theaters Oct. 7.
WATCH: How 'The Girl on the Train' Movie Differs From the Book