Julie Andrews is enjoying somewhat of a comeback – or rather her voice is.
The 86-year-old actress – famed for lead roles in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins – portrays the unseen narrator Lady Whistledown in Netflix period drama Bridgerton. But the Andrews has revealed that she’s never even met her co-stars, due to the role being a voice part that is recorded ‘far, far away’ from the set..
Andrews told the Today show: ‘[Showrunner] Shonda Rhimes and the whole gang, they’re terrific. It’s a joy and I’m thrilled that they asked me. But I’ve never met the company in person.’
‘Of course, I see them on the show sometimes,’ she added, ‘but I do all my own recording far, far away from them.’
For the past two decades, Andrews has primarily stuck to voice acting roles, lending her unmistakable vocal chords to Shrek 2, Aquaman, Enchanted, and the Despicable Me franchise.
She’s featuring in the upcoming Despicable Me spin-off, Minions: The Rise of Gru, where she will reprise her role as Marlena, mother to genius supervillain Gru.
When asked if she enjoys portraying villain roles, Andrews said it was a ‘delight’ to unleash her villainous side. Speaking on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she explained: ‘Gru’s mum is one of the worst characters you could possibly imagine. She is the worst role model for a mother and she’s terrible to Gru. It was a delight to get my teeth stuck into it, I have to admit.’
Last week, Julie Andrews was honoured with the AFI Life Achievement Award in recognition of her 75-year career. Previous recipients include Hollywood greats Bette Davis, Gene Kelly, Alfred Hitchcock, and Barbra Streisand.
Did you know you can visit the Bridgerton mansion in real life?
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