If Julie Andrews was just the cloyingly sweet Mary Poppins or Maria from The Sound of Music, that probably would have gotten old many moons ago. But while she does seem like a genuinely good person, she's also got a little bit of snark to her that keeps the sweetness from becoming overwhelming. Consider for a moment that after she won a Golden Globe for Mary Poppins, defeating Audrey Hepburn (who replaced her when My Fair Lady was brought to the big screen), she thanked the producer (who rejected her for the project despite her originating the role on Broadway because she didn't have enough "film experience") in her acceptance speech. Come on. That's a fist pump moment if I've ever heard one, a lovely little dig done with style and dignity. Later that year, she went on to win an Oscar for the same role, proving once and for all that you never bet against Julie Andrews. She's always managed to come off as a real class act, as much an English institution as the Queen or James Bond. She's maintained a career spanning over sixty years, and has never lost the audience's good will.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
