Julie Andrews has taken on a number of memorable roles as a stage and screen star in a career spanning seven decades.
But probably none is more iconic than Mary Poppins, the Walt Disney movie directed by Robert Stevenson, written and composed by the Sherman Brothers.
Combining live action and animation, the 1964 film was actually Andrews’ first full-length feature film in her career and eventually earned her an Oscar for Best Actress.
in a new interview with Vanity Fair† A resident of Surrey, England, explained that it was the music that caught his attention and drew him to the role.
Music in Her Ears: 86-year-old Julie Andrews has revealed that the first thing that drew her to Mary Poppins wanting to play the iconic role was her music written by the Sherman Brothers.
“It was something brand new that I had never done before in my life. It was natural for Walt Disney and Mary Poppins’ songs to have a kind of Vaudeville quality,” the 86-year-old actress explained.
“I think that’s what drew me to the role because all this Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Jolly Holiday kind of music was very similar to the kind of stuff you hear in British vaudeville.”
Given that his parents were vaudeville artists and the kind of education he grew up with, it’s easy to see why Andrews was drawn to the role and the project as a whole.
Along with the familiarity of the music, the actress also revealed how the nanny costume design that came out of the mind of her then-husband Tony Walton helped Mary Poppins understand the magical qualities of her character.
The music caught his attention: ‘It was something completely new that I had never done before in my life. It was natural for Walt Disney and Mary Poppins’ songs to have a kind of Vaudeville quality,” the 86-year-old actress explained in a new interview with Vanity Fair.
What a turn out! Andrews made her film debut with Mary Poppins, for which her performance earned her an Oscar for Best Actress.
Andrews remembered Walton telling him at length why Mary Poppins’ dresses had such cute fabrics in them, but no crazy designs outside.
Because I think it gives him pleasure. It’s very formal on the outside and a little bad on the inside,” said Walton, who at the time proved invaluable to Mary Poppins for Andrews.
“It gave me an idea of his character. It’s great for me, great help, ”the actress admits.
From a screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on PL Travers’ Mary Poppins book series, the film version reached critical acclaim and commercial success in August 1964.
It was the highest-grossing film of 1964, earning 13 Academy Award nominations, a record for any film released by Walt Disney Studios, and five awards, including Best Original Score.
Iconic: A year after starring in Mary Poppins, Andrews played Maria von Trapp in The Sound Of Music, which became an iconic movie in its own right.
A-lister: For 20 years after Mary Poppins, Andrews worked with famous directors such as her husband Blake Edwards, George Roy Hill and Alfred Hitchcock; Pictured with her co-star Paul Newman in Hitchcock’s The Torn Curtain (1966).
Hero: The actress allegedly worked with her late husband Blake Edwards on several films, including Victor Victoria (1982).
After acting as a child actor and singer with her family and appearing in the West End in 1948, Andrews rose to fame with roles in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady (1956) and Camelot (1960).
The role in Mary Poppins (1964) was the beginning of her film career, and was quickly followed by Maria von Trapp’s role in The Sound Of Music (1965) the following year.
Over the next 20 years she worked with acclaimed directors such as her husband Blake Edwards, George Roy Hill, and Alfred Hitchcock, and featured Hawaii (1966), Torn Curtain (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Star! (1968), Tamarind Seed (1974), 10 (1979), SOB (1981), Victor / Victoria (1982), That’s Life (1986) and Duet For One (1986).
Most recently, Andrews voiced the narrator Lady Whistledown in two seasons of the Netflix series Bridgerton (2020-present).
Still Works: Most recently, Andrews voiced the narrator Lady Whistledown in two seasons of the Netflix series Bridgerton (2020-present).
Source: Daily Mail
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
