Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady, a kindly old woman who sells balloons at the park. The part was written to be a cameo role for Julie Andrews who portrayed Mary Poppins in the original film, but she turned the role down as she felt her presence would unfairly take attention away from Emily Blunt.
Director Rob Marshall recalled to Variety how quickly Andrews turned down the offer to appear in Mary Poppins Returns. Marshall stated Andrews felt the film was "Emily's show" and didn't want to hog the spotlight.
Julie Harris, Angela Lansbury, and Bette Davis were considered for the role of Mary and Cary Grant was Walt's favorite choice for the role of Bert, Laurence Harvey and Anthony Newley were also considered for Bert.
Why was Julie Andrews not chosen for My Fair Lady?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, lyricist Alan Jay Lerner had his eye on Andrews for My Fair Lady's film adaptation. "I so wanted you to do it, Julie, but they wanted a name," Lerner shared. This was in reference to Hepburn's status in the film industry compared to Andrew's.
Julie Andrews Almost Turned Down Iconic ‘Mary Poppins’ Role For This Reason
Who turned down My Fair Lady?
Cary Grant turned down a lead role.
However, he turned it down believing he couldn't play a dialectician. He jokingly said, “I sound the way Liza does at the beginning of the film.” Rex Harrison won an Oscar for his film performance.
How old was Julie Andrews when she was in My Fair Lady?
When My Fair Lady opened on Broadway 60 years ago—on Mar. 15, 1956—TIME's reviewer called it “a delight” and noted that “Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews play Higgins and Eliza to perfection.” As related by the article, the then-20-year-old Andrews had been singing since the age of 8.
The film's songwriter, Disney Legend Robert B. Sherman, who co-wrote the songs for the film told us, “Originally Walt wanted to cast Bette Davis for the part of Mary Poppins. Davis was (Mary Poppins books author) Pamela Travers' first choice, too.
What did Julie Andrews think of Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins?
“Mary Poppins” tells the story of a magical nanny who offers music and adventure to two neglected children in hopes of bringing them closer to their father. “I admire her enormously,” the 82-year-old told Closer Weekly Thursday of Blunt.
Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way – but it wasn't her perfection that drew Julie Andrews to the role. She says it was the vaudevillian feel of the music.
Was Julie Andrews supposed to be the Balloon Lady?
When this movie was announced, history repeated itself as Emily Blunt was also pregnant and the movie was postponed to accommodate her pregnancy. Dame Julie Andrews turned down a proposed cameo appearance as the balloon lady, fearing that it would be too distracting from Emily Blunt's performance.
Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady, a kindly old woman who sells balloons at the park. The part was written to be a cameo role for Julie Andrews who portrayed Mary Poppins in the original film, but she turned the role down as she felt her presence would unfairly take attention away from Emily Blunt.
Dawes Sr. is the main antagonist of the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins and the overarching antagonist of its 2018 sequel Mary Poppins Returns. He was the former director of Fiduciary Fidelity Bank who served as George Banks's former boss until his death.
Singer and actress Julie Andrews has long been famed for her perfect pitch and impressive vocal range. From her 1954 Broadway debut as Polly in “The Boy Friend,” she has received rave reviews from critics and lasting devotion from music fans.
Julie Andrews has five children and has been married twice. She shares one biological daughter with her first husband Tony Walton, and has two step-children and two adoptive children from her marriage to Blake Edwards.
Mary Poppins was a triumph at the 1965 Oscars, winning five awards and being nominated for eight others. So enduring is the film's legacy that it inspired a hit stage production that opened in 2004.
When Audrey Hepburn (Eliza Doolittle) was first informed that her voice wasn't strong enough and that she would have to be dubbed, she walked out. She returned the next day and, in a typically graceful Hepburn gesture, apologized to everybody for her "wicked behavior."
Julie Andrews is the matriarch of a large blended family. The Sound of Music star has three daughters: Emma Walton Hamilton, 61, Amy Edwards, 49, and Joanna Edwards, 48.
Famously, Grant rejected the opportunity to star in Billy Wilder's Sabrina because he had heard that Wilder had a dislike for actors. That wasn't the only role he rejected, having passed on David Lean's 1957 epic The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Does Audrey Hepburn actually sing in My Fair Lady?
Unlike the 1964 musical My Fair Lady in which her sings were dubbed by legendary ghost singer Marni Nixon, Audrey Hepburn sings the songs herself in the 1957 musical Funny Face, which was her first musical. Hepburn performs one solo, "
