Photo: Stephanie Augello/Shutterstock

Emily Blunt ‘The English’ TV Series premiere

Emily Bluntbecame an expert horseback rider to prepare for her lead role inThe English— and so did her family.

The London native, 39, opened up about her filming experience for the six-episode Amazon Prime drama at the show’s New York City premiere Wednesday, revealing that husbandJohn Krasinskiand their children, Hazel, 8, and Violet, 6, were also able to enjoy some time on location.

“They learned how to do the horse and buggy,” Blunt, who spent months getting acclimated on a horse for the show, tells PEOPLE.

“Just practice a lot so that they don’t think you’re a total rookie, because they can smell it,” she adds about her own riding education.

“They can smell your fear,” she continues. “I rode for three months before we started and that helped me feel more at ease because people back then they were like one with the horse. So you had to kind of know your stuff.”

Emily Blunt.Stephanie Augello/Shutterstock

Emily Blunt ‘The English’ TV Series premiere

Blunt served as an executive producer on the Amazon Prime series, which follows the story of Lady Cornelia Locke, an English aristocrat who travels to the American midwest in the 1890s to chase down the killer of her son.

Sadly for Blunt and the rest of the cast and crew, waiting was the one thing they all had to do as a result of the pandemic, which pushed filming back numerous times.

“We were always shooting in Spain but we had to push because of COVID and that was the anxious part because this show was so important to me,” Blunt tells PEOPLE. “I didn’t want it to slip through our fingers because of COVID — we had to push and push and push. So we knew that Spain was gonna be the best location for it. It offered us all the vistas we wanted. Incredible landscapes.”

Diego Lopez Calvin/Drama Republic/BBC/Amazon Studios

The English

“It’s been very moving,” Blunt adds about the experience of filming with co-leadChaske Spencerin the Western. Along withKimberly Guerrero, the formerTwilightstaris one of manyThe Englishcast members to come from Native American tribes.

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“I think everyone who signed on to this knew they were a part of something elevated and special,” adds Blunt. “It was just the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced on set.”

Says Spencer, 47, “She’s just a really professional producer, actor, and she was very passionate about this project.”

“I felt a lot of support from her. She’s just a really nice person. She’s really cool.”

source: people.com