Having starred in several iconic films and musical productions throughout her monumental career, Julie Andrews is adored by fans across every generation, in every part of the world.
From her first role as Mary Poppins to one of her later iconic roles, as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in The Princess Diaries, Andrews always brings warmth to her performances that fans love. She has a natural stage presence that can cheer anyone up!
Mary Poppins was Andrews’ first film role, and it also marked the first time that she worked with Walt Disney.
Disney’s conduct with actors and others in the business has been questioned over the years, mainly stemming from rumors that he blacklisted Adriana Caselotti, the voice of his first Disney Princess, Snow White, so she couldn’t work in Hollywood and thus share her talent with other companies and projects.
Nearly 60 years after she made Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews reminisced about the experience and what her relationship was really like with Walt Disney.
How Julie Andrews Felt Working With Walt Disney
Julie Andrews’ long and successful career as a movie star began in 1964 when she starred in the Disney adaptation of the P.L. Travers novel Mary Poppins. Looking back at her achievements during a 2019 interview, Andrews gave fans insight into her relationship with Walt Disney.
Disney himself hired Andrews for the role of the “practically perfect” nanny, and her memories of him were nothing but positive.
“He asked me to come to Hollywood,” Andrews reminisced. “And I said, ‘Oh, Mr. Disney, I’d love to come. But I’m pregnant.’”
She then explained that the iconic filmmaker was happy to delay filming until after Andrews had given birth.
“Oh, he was lovely,” she shared. “He was exactly as you would imagine him.” Andrews added that Disney was “very dear and very smart, of course.” She also spoke about his work ethic, revealing that Disney was “the first one in the studio every morning” and he was very “proud” of the film they were making.
While some new actors are thrown straight in the deep end during the experience of making their first movie, Andrews confirmed that Disney was exceptionally kind. “He spoiled me,” she said during the interview.
How Walt Disney Helped Julie Andrews Prepare For The Role Of Mary Poppins
Not only was Walt Disney kind to Julie Andrews while she prepared for the role of Mary Poppins and also during the process of making the film, but he actually helped her to take on the huge part.
While breaking down her career for Vanity Fair, Andrews confirmed that the film was her very first experience making motion pictures, having only appeared in live productions until that point. “Again, it was a brand new thing in my life that I’d never done before,” she said.
“And so, with the kindness of people like the Disney team, little by little by little, I learned the craft of making a film.”
In addition to being there for Andrews while she learned the rope, Disney also helped the British star by hiring her husband at the time to design sets and costumes for the film:
“The wonder of that all was that Mr. Disney not only asked me to do the film, but he asked my then-husband, Tony Walton, to design Cherry Tree Lane and all the interiors of all the homes in the movie, plus the costumes for everybody."
Andrews explained that having her husband present as part of the filmmaking process helped her to better prepare for her role.
“Tony was hugely talented and creating my costumes, he would discuss them with me and he said, ‘You know, you’re very prim and proper on the outside but I think Mary Poppins has a kind of secret life, maybe'.”
Walton then designed Andrews’ costumes for Mary Poppins to include small details like colored petticoats that helped her get into the character. “Big, big help for me,” Andrews remembered.
Why Wasn’t Julie Andrews In Mary Poppins Returns?
In 2018, Mary Poppins Returns, starring Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, premiered in cinemas across the world. While the film received mostly positive reviews from critics, fans of the original film were disappointed that Julie Andrews didn’t make an appearance, even in a cameo role.
According to Variety, Andrews’ reasons for not guest-starring in the film were completely humble and true to her nature as a gracious performer: she didn’t want to steal the spotlight from Emily Blunt, because she felt the movie was “Emily’s show”.
“She immediately said no,” Marshall confirmed at the film’s premiere. “She said, ‘This is Emily’s show and I want her to run with this. She should run with this. This is hers. I don’t want to be on top of that.'”
Fans suspect that Andrews was considered for the role of the balloon lady. The role ended up going to Angela Lansbury in a cameo appearance that was positively received by viewers.
Even though Andrews didn’t appear in Mary Poppins Returns, there is still hope that she will appear in the rumored Princess Diaries 3!
