Julie Andrews Thinks About The Joys Of ‘Mary Poppins’ And Why There Are No Other ‘Princess Diaries’ In Her Future

ONE Mary Poppins This one The the sound of music This one The princess diariesJulie Andrews is part of the fabric of the studio. Andrews’ decades-long career is all about Hollywood history.

Andrews received an Oscar for his first feature film. Mary Poppins, and was recognized by the Grammys, Tone and BAFTAs. Ahead of receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on June 9, the actor spoke. THR Operating (literally) on a tightrope Maria Poppins, The movie musicals and their useless proposal to Gary Marshall who came to him princess diaries.

What were some of the pro tips you got at the start of the fun it still has to offer?

From the earliest days when I was a kid – about 12 years old – I was one of those singing kids who seemed to get a lot of attention – my mom used to say to me, “Remember, there’s always someone in the wards I can. Do it better than you. And just be grateful for what you get.” And that was very good advice at the time. I had a few more great tips, but this was the first.

How was the initial transition from stage to film?

Hollywood surprisingly and miraculously meant it. And, of course, it was Walt Disney. I didn’t know anything about the movie when I arrived in Hollywood and many kind people were valuable enough to teach me. And I asked a lot of questions and I observed a lot.

How was the first day of filming? Mary Poppins?

I would say extremely tiring. I remember all I had to do was go right to left or something and say a line. I did and they said, “Okay, print it out.” And I thought, well, I don’t know, I was doing really well at what I was doing. But to be honest, it was a wonderful learning experience and I learned about cameras, close-ups, lenses and all that kind of stuff.

Do you have a favorite scene you filmed?

Probably one of my favorite scenes was in the middle of the movie, when I somehow calmed down and my fears lessened a little. The song “Supercalifragilistic” is a wonderful memory and we had a lot of fun with it.

Watching it feels like a tiring movie.

It was happier than that. They completely saved all difficult flight elements in case of any kind of accident. In this case, most of the items were already in the jar. So I spent hours there in my flight harness, making parts and trucks, etc. And I felt like I was walking around and panicking, like I couldn’t believe it, and I said, ‘I think I’m a little nervous about this today. Can you leave me very carefully when I arrive? And they said, “Yes. Watch out below, watch out below, Joe!” So I lay on the floor like a ton of bricks. Fortunately, a lot of balance devices helped me during the fall, so there was no thunder on stage, but I went through some explanations that I didn’t know if anyone had heard me speak. Then this long silence fell, and suddenly, from behind, the gentleman, who was gently lowering me, said, “Has he come down yet?”

You played a lot of famous people. For you, does your relationship with the characters end when the play ends or does it come to life because the characters end?

Movies come to life if you’re lucky, others don’t. (laughs.) But some of them have. To some extent, there is always a part of yourself somewhere. I don’t think it’s all there is, it’s a character and it’s an exercise in acting. But I don’t know, I spend time with them. .I’m not sure. I don’t think so. I, of course, could have called him if necessary, but I don’t dwell on it, nor do I see him very often. If that happened to me, I might look at him and think, ‘Oh my God, I wish I could do better.’

Were there any roles you played that surprised you with the very strong audience reaction?

Well, positive or negative? I’m thinking of a movie with a title. Star!, which was ridiculously not a success. People responded to the fact that she was an unattractive character and that she was a bit of a strange woman to play. This is the life story of Gertrude Lawrence. And while he was incredibly talented, he wasn’t easy and he wasn’t surprisingly adorable, except for his performances. But I think maybe what you mean is something like The the sound of music, which has remained in people’s consciousness all this time. This was a huge blow to people’s psyches.

Would you say this is the role people want to talk about most often?

I think you’re always in parentheses for what’s most popular you’ve done. If you think of someone like Clark Gable, you’re right. ᲥArtsaghebulni. It was the most popular thing to do. I think that’s why people remember why it’s such a big hit. But nowadays, it is far from just that. Mary PoppinsLittle children know me best princess diaries.

for that princess diaries, I read that you were given the project because you were a fan of director Gary Marshall’s work. What was it about his films that made you want to work with him?

Humor and understanding of human nature. I think that was the idea of ​​the story, of course, but it was incredibly generous. When I met him and I had never seen him before they talked about the role, he asked me some fabulous questions, where do you think Genoa is? What do you think Genoa is famous for? I said something silly, like, “Nuns in the country made lace and exported, and maybe they’re famous for their beautiful pearls and pearls.” Well, we had pears all over the set and lace sets. He achieved what everyone was interested in offering.

Have a story you want to check out?

I think it will be too late to do that now. Many, many years ago, there was talk of a sequel. But I don’t think it ever happened. So Gary left us. [Marshall died in 2016.] [For] Especially me, now it’s too far to go back to that. Wonderful idea, but I don’t think it’s possible.

How did you and your friend Carol Burnett meet?

We were joined by a mutual friend who said, “You love each other.” I was on Broadway once on the mattress. I was on Broadway CamelotI believe, since my beautiful lady. When someone says, “You just love each other,” it’s a kiss of death, you know? I think it was a Chinese restaurant and there were three guys, one of them was my manager at the time and Carol’s producer and stuff like that, but they never said a word. We’ve been great husbands ever since. We often refer to this as discovering someone who has lived in the same building for years and never met them.

How do you find a soul mate in a fellow artist?

We did three big special rallies together, Carnegie Hall, one and then Lincoln Center and then one in Los Angeles, I remember that well. [on the first one] I stood on my side of the stage and watched him from across the stage before we walked in, and we were both so young, so nervous, rooting for each other and clenching our fists. Say, “We can do it!” Back then it was a big gamble. But it is a moment of laughter and a wonderful encouragement for us to work together.

For you, what makes a great stage partner?

Generosity, of course. That goes for every actor I’ve ever worked with. I don’t remember anyone being selfish or involved in any way.

And the director?

ok my husband [Blake Edwards] I was a director, we made seven films together. He was a joy and we can talk or forget at the end of the day, but it was wonderful to work with him because he had six ideas a day and he is charismatic and wonderful to watch. He was very dedicated to cinema and the art form that it is, and he also hated all sorts of tricks out of cunning or insolence. He loved a clean film where you didn’t even know it was a camera. He was a big believer in that. I was thrilled to meet him and tried very hard not to fall in love, but we did. We were married 43 years before his death.

If you’re looking for fun today, what excites you?

There are many good things these days. In ancient times, there was a lot of fashion and fashion for me in my youth. At one point, musicals were huge and all of a sudden people were saying, “Oh, that’s too expensive. We want small, independent films.” I like easy rider, for example. It became fashionable. Then suddenly everything invades you and you come back with the musicals. Nothing is the end because it will come again.

The interview is edited for length and clarity.

A version of this story first appeared in the June 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.