Emily Blunt Says She Regrets Saying American Citizenship Was a Terrible Mistake

Shortly after becoming an American citizen, Emily Blunt received somewhat of a backlash after making a joke about regretting her decision in light of the Republican presidential debate.

The Sicario actress appeared on the Today show on Thursday and apologized for her verbal gaffe.

“It was so not the intention to hurt anybody or cause any offense, so I really apologize to those that I caused offense,” she said. “It was just an offhand joke. I think I’ll probably leave the political jokes to late night or something.”

On Tuesday, at a special New York screening for her new film, Blunt told PEOPLE that the first GOP debate scared her after becoming a citizen.

“That scared me more than this movie,” the 32-year-old said, referencing the action-packed film in which she plays an FBI agent investigating the drug trade at the U.S. and Mexico border.

Just one day before, Blunt told The Hollywood Reporter, “I became an American citizen recently, and that night, we watched the Republican debate and I thought, ‘This was a terrible mistake. What have I done?'”

Despite telling PEOPLE that she will always consider herself only “half American,” the mother of one continued in the interview saying that after taking the citizenship test she probably knows more about American history than British history.

Jokes aside, Blunt said becoming a citizen was special to her.

“It’s really meaningful,” she said. “You know, I mean, my two favorite people in the world are American – my husband [John Krasinski] and my daughter. It was kind of a special day. Yeah, it was great!”

This article originally appeared on people.com