Somewhere in my youth or childhood I must have done something good, because here I am, standing here saying my next guest is Julie Andrews.

Julie.

So lovely to see you again.

Thanks for being here.

Hello, Stephen.

Very nice to be here to.

You've been very busy.

New podcast, New Netflix, Siri's How are how are you adapting to working from home?

Well, it's very, very convenient.

I mean, first of all, how lucky are we to be able to still continue working at this time on projects that we can dio and working from home has been quite fun because I tried for for the podcasts, particularly which which were thrilled about trying to make the first few from our local wonderful studio here on the island.

But eventually everything got shut down.

So my wonderful grandson, who is an engineering whiz and into everything film cameras, television built me, uh, a sound room in my closet is this.

And I think this might be that is right there.

Julie Sound Booth.

Yes, it's filled with pillows, as you could see.

Like it's on adding on the walls and towels behind it.

And it's quite hot in there.

But then my daughter Emma, with whom I worked, she has one in her house down the road so that both of us go into our closets.

And it's been rather fun and silly.

One of your if not your first was was was Eliza Doolittle your first Broadway role or one of your first?

Now, the first one was a show that came from England, and we were a brand new company that brought it over called the Boyfriend.

And then a 2019 20 sort of little pastiche of the times and the silly story, but very sweet.

And then then came my fair lady and then Camelot.

Yeah, well, my understanding is, And and I believe this story might be in the book that is now available in paperback Homework.

A memoir of Hollywood years, Um, that you learned how to basically break down and approach a character by doing Eliza Doolittle.

How did that?

How did that come about that that wasn't necessarily, um, something that came naturally to you?

Well, no, I mean, first of all, the musical part of the show, I could pretty much manage, but vocally but for thank you.

But honestly, that was a huge role.

I mean, it was everything from from screaming as Eliza and Katatni accent and growing, you know, learning about good diction and language and so on and huge songs.

So I also had no idea how to do George Bernard Shaw or Bernard Shuras.

You would say, here in America s O.

I really was horrible when we first began rehearsals.

And I know that our leading man, Rex Harrison, was not at all happy with me or or or my performance and a wonderful director who waas the great Moss Hart said, Come on, we're going to spend a weekend together and we're going to break down the whole script and everything.

So we went into the theater and he pleaded and bullied and cajoled and showed me, and by the end of the weekend, I had it at least 50% and I thought I was going to be sent home at first.

But of course, over the years, and I did do it for a very long time.

Over the years, I was ableto really learn the ins and outs.

Alan Jay Lerner, who wrote the lyrics My fair lady said.

It's better to do a long run in a really good piece than a lot of repertory in many pieces.

In one respect.

And that is, you get to know how to nail the laughs, how to pull the audience in.

And no matter what the weather is, you know what to do.

And it's just a wonderful learning exercise to keep it fresh and do it every night.

And I did it all together for about leaving or not about 3.5 years between America and England.

H eight shows a week.

I'm guessing you bet.

Oh my God, it took its toll that but what a beginning experience.

I mean, who's luckier the night to have that to begin with?

Well, I want to talk about the transition from theater Thio film, for that matter.

Anything that's captured on even video is that not that I have had your career, but I started off in life theater, and if you have a good show, you could I would run something for over a year.

And then there was that that was in Chicago that was in Chicago.

I I did straight theater, and I was also a member of something called the Second City.

For many years there, I didn't realize that.

But then when I actually came to work in television, you would work just as hard to get the script right.

And then you shoot it once I know and far less time and far bigger an audience and it was all crazy.

It is.

What did it feel like the first time they said, Okay, you got it right.

Let's move on.

After having the opportunity to dive into a character for years, I think that that the pleasant thing about filmmaking is that it's shot in very tiny segments instead of you.

Don't start at the beginning and go right through to the end, as you would obviously in a in a show on, and so you have the time to work it in.

But it's all out of sequence.

And, uh, the other thing is, is that on stage you are all the time in full figure.

But of course, in film you could be a waste shot a closer on a giant cinemascope screen or something, and, uh, there's a lot of new things to learn, and I had some wonderful mentors helping me as I began to I understand the very first I understand from the book that your very first line you ever had to say on film made you tremendously nervous.

It was a very simple line in my system.

It was so simple that I couldn't think how to do it.

And Dick Van Dyke, um, my partner on that particular shot said something like, You look very pretty today, Mary Poppins on guy.

All I had to do was walk past him and say, Oh, do you really think so?

And I thought, How did open your mouth duty?

Just say it.

You know, I don't really think so.

Way actually have that clip.

Let's see how you finally landed it.

Jim.

Mary Poppins.

You look beautiful.

Do you really think so?

Cross my heart.

You do like the day I met you.

You nailed it, kid.

You're a natural, madam.

We have to take a quick break.

But we're right back.