Emily Mortimer says stepping in for Sally Hawkins in third Paddington film was 'nerve-wracking'

Taking over a role from another actor is stress-inducing no matter what, but doing so in films as beloved as the Paddington series comes with extra pressure.

Such was the task facing Emily Mortimer when she agreed to take over the character of Mary Brown, originated by Sally Hawkins in the first two films in the series.

"It was nerve-wracking, and I had some trepidation," Mortimer tells Entertainment Weekly of joining the cast of Paddington in Peru. "Because Sally embodies the character of Mrs. Brown so perfectly in those first two films, and it's so much part of what you think of in those first two films. That [family] unit is so perfectly rendered."

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In the new film, the Brown family travels alongside Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) to visit his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) in Peru. But when they arrive, they are startled to discover that Aunt Lucy has disappeared from the Home for Retired Bears, setting in motion a quest to find her and an adventure none of them anticipated.

While Hawkins didn't return, the rest of the core cast did, including Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown, Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown, Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown, and Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird.

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"She has a very maternal warmth," says director Dougal Wilson on why Mortimer was the right choice to step in for Hawkins. "She has a lovely British sensibility; she just feels a nice fit for the Paddington world. She's very funny and smart. She did a lot of ad libs while we were filming, which seemed to slot in quite nicely. It was a shame that Sally couldn't be involved. We were all very sad about that. But Sally totally gave Emily her blessing to fill her shoes."

"I felt nervous," Mortimer adds, "but I also felt like it was one of the great honors of a lifetime to be asked to be in Paddington — and one that you can't really turn down. Sally had very graciously handed the baton over to me and blessed the fact that I was taking over. So, I was feeling nervous, but it was something I had to do."

But Mortimer needn't have worried as the cast and crew welcomed her with open arms. "Actually walking onto the set and walking into the world of this Paddington universe, it was immediately so embracing," she gushes.

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Adds Bonneville: "Emily joining the gang was a seamless transition, and within literally seconds, we all felt like a family. A new family, but the same family with a slightly different shade. It was glorious."

Mortimer also found comfort in the familiarity of Mrs. Brown's circumstances in the film. "I could very much relate to what this particular version of Mrs. Brown was going through," she notes. "Because I have children who are — one of them has left home, and one of them is a teenager who's preparing to leave home. I very much relate to the agony of having to let your kids fly the nest. So, I felt like I could get under the skin of this Mrs. Brown in a way that felt like, 'Oh, maybe I know how to do this.'"

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Mortimer wasn't the only one stepping into big shoes. Wilson took over for director Paul King, who wrote and helmed the first two Paddington films. "That felt nice," she adds. "We were both newbies together."

Though it was perhaps not quite as calming a prospect for Wilson. "It was incredibly daunting, horrendously daunting," Wilson says of taking over the franchise. "I was a big fan of the first two films, too, and I wasn't expected to be invited to step into Paul's shoes. But he was off doing Wonka, and they needed somebody, so I got the opportunity. For about 10 seconds I was flattered and then pretty quickly I became incredibly terrified because they are highly beloved and I didn't want to mess it up."

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Still, Mortimer thinks that they were all ultimately buoyed by the ethos of Paddington Bear in the end. "It's such a kind and embracing one environment," she muses. "Maybe that's because Paddington's presiding over it all somewhere. It's a very thoughtful, careful, kind, generous, tolerant place."

Paddington in Peru hits theaters on Feb. 14.

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