Julie Andrews reveals 'daunting' first meeting with Dick Van Dyke for 'Mary Poppins'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: For Julie Andrews, meeting Dick Van Dyke for the first time was reportedly not an easy one.
The two stars had worked together in the 1964’s ‘Mary Poppins’.
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Dick Van Dyke was ‘really gorgeous to look at’
The veteran actress opened up about it during Thursday's, December 21, two-hour CBS special ‘Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic’, where she shared, as per PEOPLE, “It was a very hot early September if I recall correctly, and the Disney team had built a big stage outdoors on the backlot of the studio and created a roof for shade from a giant tarpaulin.”
She said, “As I arrived on that very first day, Dick was already working with the choreographers and the dancers.”
Andrews mentioned that Dyke was “young, fit as can be, and really gorgeous to look at” when she first saw him.
‘Dick could not have been kinder’
But she also noted, “I'd never made a movie before, and I'd given birth to my lovely daughter Emma nearly six weeks earlier, and I quickly realized that I had better pull my socks up and get in shape.”
The 88-year-old Academy Award-winning actress stated, “I found it pretty daunting, I can tell you. Dick could not have been kinder, more genuinely sweet and helpful. I like to think that we did bond instantly.”
Elsewhere in the special, Andrews recalled the fun time she had with the ‘Night at the Museum’ star.
She revealed, “It was so delightful to watch him imitating the animated penguins or attempting to ride the pony from the carousel. Becoming a magical chimney sweep. Actually, it was a very happy film for, I think, the entire company.”
Andrews added, “How lucky I was to have him by my side for my first venture in Hollywood.”
Dick Van Dyke ‘never expected that kind of recognition’
Meanwhile, Dyke also expressed his feelings after watching ‘Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic’, which as per CBS is “an entertainment special honoring and celebrating the legendary career of the iconic actor and performer for his 98th birthday, Thursday, Dec 21 (9:01-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+.”
He told PEOPLE, “My whole life went before me. I didn't realize I had done so many things while I was 75 years in show business.”
The 98-year-old entertainer shared, "You think, 'I don't deserve this,' but it's difficult to say how I felt.”
“I came home, and I said, 'You know something? It's going to be a couple of days before this actually sinks in that it happened.' I never expected that kind of recognition,” Dyke added.
