Julie Andrews Feature Story

JulieAndrewsUSE 12/1/06 6:33 PM Page 32

Winter 2006 SCREEN ACTOR | 33

A LIFETIMEACHIEVEMENT

of

JULIE ANDREWS, a beloved and honored stage, film,television and recording star for more than half a century, as wellas a celebrated author and dedicated goodwill ambassador, willreceive the Guild’s most prestigious tribute—the Screen Actors

Guild Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarianaccomplishment. Andrews will be presented the Award, given annually toan actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” at the13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

IN MAKING THE ANNOUNCEMENT, Screen Actors GuildPresident Alan Rosenberg said, “Julie Andrews is a woman of greatgenerosity, creativity, courage, elegance and wit. She embodies andtranscends the memorable roles she has created. Julie has been a positivepresence in my life and continues to inspire multiple generations. I believeit is exceptionally significant to be recognized by people who do the samework you do. Julie seems genuinely touched and thrilled to be receivingan award from her fellow actors. I have assured her the honor is ours.”

MA

RY

PO

PP

INS

© 1

964

DIS

NE

Y E

NT

ER

PR

ISE

S.

INC

.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34


34 | SCREEN ACTOR Winter 2006

Julie Andrews was already a Broadway legend when shemade her feature film debut in 1964’s Mary Poppins. Her iconicperformance in the title role as the magical nanny brought her anAcademy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award. Thefollowing year, she earned a second Oscar nomination and wonanother Golden Globe for her unforgettable portrayal of MariaVon Trapp in The Sound of Music. Shereceived her third Academy Awardnomination and won another GoldenGlobe for her “dual” role in 1982’sVictor/Victoria. Today’s young filmaudiences may be more familiar withAndrews as a queen trying to train herteenaged granddaughter to be a princessin The Princess Diaries, and its sequel, ThePrincess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.Andrews also voiced the character ofQueen Lillian in Shrek 2, and she iscurrently reprising her role in Shrek 3,due out in the summer of 2007.

Andrews’ other motion picture creditsinclude The Americanization of Emily,Hawaii, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Star!,Darling Lili, Torn Curtain and 10, toname only a few.

Andrews was born and raised inEngland, where she first came to fame asa young musical performer on stage andon radio. She was still in her teens whenshe made her way across the Atlanticand to Broadway, where she made herdebut in 1953 in the musical The Boy Friend. She went on to createthe role of Eliza Doolittle in Lerner and Loewe’s Broadwaymusical My Fair Lady in 1956, which became an instant classic andthe longest-running musical of its day. Andrews won a New YorkDrama Critics Award and garnered a Tonynomination for her performance. She receivedanother Tony nomination in 1961, when sheoriginated the role of Queen Guinevere in the Lernerand Loewe musical Camelot. Thirty-five years later,Andrews returned to Broadway to star in the 1996stage adaptation of Victor/Victoria. Her career camefull circle last year when she directed a revival of The Boy Friend,which toured throughout North America.

Andrews has also been honored for her work on television,beginning in 1957 with her Emmy-nominated performance in thetitle role of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Cinderella. Shelater won an Emmy for her own musical variety series, The JulieAndrews Hour, and also earned Emmy nominations for Julie andCarol at Lincoln Center, with her close friend Carol Burnett; her

appearance on The Andy Williams Show; and her performance in thespecial Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas. Andrews’ more recenttelevision work includes Eloise at the Plaza and her Emmy-nominated performance in Eloise at Christmastime. She alsore-teamed for the third time with James Garner in the telefilm OneSpecial Night, starred opposite Christopher Plummer in the CBS live

production of On Golden Pond and hostedthe Emmy-winning PBS series: Broadway:The American Musical.

Already an accomplished best-sellingauthor (The Last of the Really GreatWhangdoodles, Mandy, Little Bo, Dumpy theDump Truck), Andrews has joined talentswith her daughter, Emma WaltonHamilton, to pursue the publishing ofbooks committed to stimulating a sense ofwonder in children and young readers. TheJulie Andrews Collection, an imprint ofHarper Collins Publishers, was launched inOctober 2003 and has released 22 books todate. The Collection includes newlydiscovered authors and re-purposingbooks out of print. The Dumpy the DumpTruck franchise is currently being readied(with the Sesame Workshop) as a televisionseries for PBS, with an initial launch in2007. Andrews and Hamilton’s most recentnovel, The Great American Mousical, wasreleased earlier this year to superb reviewsand within one week became numberseven on the New York Times bestseller list

for children’s books. This whimsical tribute to Broadway is serving asinspiration for a newly built revival at Macy’s Thanksgiving DayParade of the Parade’s historic “Storybook” float, which carriedAndrews and Hamilton in this year’s 80th annual parade on

November 23.Andrews received her honors as a Dame of the

British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II onNew Year’s Eve 1999 for Lifetime Achievements in theArts and Humanities. For her exemplary achievementsin the performing arts and American culture, she wasnamed a 2001 Kennedy Center Honoree.

As a Goodwill Ambassador for the United NationsDevelopment Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for 15 years, Andrewstraveled as an advocate for women’s human rights and economicsecurity. With her husband, Academy Award-winning filmmakerBlake Edwards, she is a founding board member of OperationU.S.A., which has provided privately funded worldwide reliefand development assistance since its inception in 1979. Andrewsand Edwards, who have been married for nearly 37 years, have fivechildren and seven grandchildren.

As a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations DevelopmentFund for Women (UNIFEM) for 15 years, Andrews traveled as an

advocate for women’s human rights and economic security.

Julie Andrews, continued from page 33

CO

UR

TE

SY O

F T

HE

BIL

L H

AR

RIS

FA

MIL

Y

KEN BERRY AND ANDREWS

MAKE LIKE ASTAIRE AND

ROGERS ON

THE JULIE ANDREWS

HOUR (1972-1973).



Julie, you had your Broadway debut at 19. Do you remember theproject which earned you your SAG card?

JULIE ANDREWS: It has to have been something that I did fortelevision because I didn’t make a feature film until late in 1962.

You became a Broadway and film star at a very early age. What doyou think is the most challenging aspect of handling that kind ofattention?

JA: Well, I think probably it remains as true today as it was then, that ifyou’re fortunate enough to be successful as a youngster, there is anenormous amount of publicity that follows. It’s very challenging for youngpeople who suddenly find themselves in the spotlight. It’s challenging forall but the most grounded. I know it toppled me a little bit.

Having worked on stage, film and television, do you have a favoritemedium?

JA: No. I just love the fact that I’m allowed to play in all these differentarenas and sandboxes. Stage is such a different medium from film. Stage isfull figure every moment. You really have to think of the total image thatyou’re creating. You’ve the immediate contact with an audience, which isso exciting. But, I couldn’t say which I prefer. In movies there are full figureshots, but there are, of course, medium shots and close-ups. A movie is acloser medium which is projected in a very large way.

Do you find that there’s anything that you have to consciously adjustif you go from one to the other?

JA: I think the adjustments are small. It’s better to try not to be too busyon film. At least that’s what I’ve found, especially in close-up shots. Ilearned that valuable lesson from Robert Wise when we were doing TheSound of Music.

Do you have a suggestion for younger actors?

JA: I often say to young actors the chances are that at some point you’regoing to get a break and be very lucky. You had better have done yourhomework and be ready. Never stop thinking, learning, watching,listening. It’s invaluable.

“ I f you h e lp , l e t ’ s s ay , 400,000women , t h en a t l e a s t

a m ill i on ch ildr en au toma t i call y benefi t .

Mother s i n t h i rd wor ld count r i e s

n e ed suppor t and education

and empowermen t .”

Q AJULIE ANDREWS

with&ANDREWS received sage advice from the real MARIA VON TRAPP

whose life provided the story line for The Sound of Music.CO

UR

TE

SY O

F T

HE

BIL

L H

AR

RIS

FA

MIL

Y



38 | SCREEN ACTOR Winter 2006

Are there any young, up-and-coming actors that you enjoy watching?

JA: There are too many to mention. It’s really exciting to see the youngtalent that is out there. It’s not merely about glamour these days. We’reseeing true talent. The young stars of today are there for a reason.

James Garner won SAG’s Life Achievement Award a couple ofyears ago, and you presented the award. We asked him what was hisfavorite film, and Jim said The Americanization of Emily. He lovedPaddy Chayefsky’s script and working with you. Of all the roles youhave played, do you have a favorite?

JA: The Americanization of Emily was one of my favorites also, and I handthe compliment right back to Jim. Working with him was wonderful. We’vedone three projects together, and each was such a pleasure. He was, and is,simply delicious. Other projects? Too many to mention. Obviously some ofthe wonderful films that I’ve done with my husband, Blake—in particular,a little movie called That’s Life, made on a shoestring budget which we shotin our own home with many of our friends. Everyone contributed. It wasan experimental film and a joy to make.

How is it to be directed by your husband?

JA: It’s great. We talk shorthand, so to speak. Sometimes we discussthings on the way home after shooting—sometimes I wish he’d pay a littlemore attention to me because he always assumes that I know what hewants. Sometimes he hasn’t even mentioned it! Plus, it’s a little dauntingwhen in the middle of a love scene your husband says to you, “That’s finedarling, but I know you can do it better.” On the whole it’s just terrific.Blake’s sets are always fun, and he allows his actors a lot of freedom—onefeels one is really contributing. In spite of his Hollywood “bad boy” image(a legend he enjoys), I think he is one of the consummate directors, onewho never shows off with his camera.

The Life Achievement Award is presented for both career andhumanitarian service. You have donated to so many charities, buttwo of your favorites are Operation USA and the United NationsUNIFEM. You served as a Goodwill Ambassador.

JA: Yes, that’s the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Why is that important to you?

JA: It’s very simple. If you help, let’s say, 400,000 women, then at least amillion children automatically benefit. Mothers in third world countriesneed support, education and empowerment. They’re consideredsubordinate human beings in so many places—the Congo and SoutheastAsia for example. I loved being an ambassador for UNIFEM. OperationUSA is a wonderful, small, but important relief organization that has donephenomenal work around the world and donated millions of dollars inhigh priority relief. Another organization that Blake and I heartily endorseis the Foundation for Heredity Disease. Its main mission is to help find acure for Huntington’s disease. It’s a “marker” disease. If they find the cureto that one, so many others will topple.

“ It ’ s v e ry chal l engingfor young peopl e who

sudden ly fi nd t h emselv es i n t h e spo t li gh t .

I t ’ s cha ll enging for a l l bu tt h e mos t grounded .I know i t t opp l ed me

a l i tt l e b i t .”

LE

ST

ER

CO

HE

N/W

IRE

IMA

GE

.CO

M

JULIE ANDREWS and 2004 Life Achievement honoreeJAMES GARNER greet each other backstage at the

11 th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.




The Screen Actors Guild Foundation has a national literacyprogram. You are a wife, a mother and a grandmother, andyou’ve written 17 books. Obviously you feel strongly aboutchildren reading.

JA: I feel there’s a great place in this world for television and film,and all the electronic games and gizmos that entertain children andkeep them occupied and make a mother’s life easier when she hasso much to do. But if it’s at the expense of reading, and a child iswatching television 90 percent of the time, then it’s being spoon-fedand the child is not being asked to really engage or use its brain orparticipate in any way. If a child hasn’t learned to read properly, thenthat child is going to really miss out on some important essentials infuture life.

You have received many awards including an Oscar, fourGolden Globes and an Emmy. You have been honored at theKennedy Center and named a Dame of the British Empire bythe Queen. How do you feel about receiving the Screen ActorsGuild’s Life Achievement Award?

JA: I’ll tell you exactly how I feel. My, I never could have imaginedthis in a million years. To be honored by one’s peers is justphenomenal. I’m blessed. And very, very grateful. It’s a littleoverwhelming.

Julie Andrews spoke with Kathy Connell for Screen Actor.

PHO

TOS:

CO

URT

ESY

OF

THE

BIL

L H

AR

RIS

FA

MIL

Y

(ABOVE AND RIGHT) ANDREWS on her ABC variety show, THE JULIE ANDREWS HOUR.


Documents

Julie Andrews Feature Story