Dame Julie Andrews talks Mary Poppins meltdown and losing out on My Fair Lady role to Audrey Hepburn

You rarely hear a bad thing about the beloved actress Dame Julie Andrews, but she has revealed she once had a surprise moment on the set of Mary Poppins which included a few explicit words.

While filming the 1964 film – in which she infamously flew through the air using her umbrella – the star said that one of her stunts was so painful and dangerous that it brought out a surprising side of her.

Speaking to US magazine, Closer, the 87-year-old star recalled the stunt she had to perform while playing the iconic character saying, “I landed hard and was quite shaken. I have to admit, I let fly a stream of colourful expletives.”

The star was reportedly left with multiple bruises as the stunt included wearing a harness while being dropped from a height.

Despite the out-of-character reaction, Walt Disney was a big fan of Andrews’ acting ability and let slide the explicit comments.

Elsewhere in the interview, Andrews recalled telling the American animator, film producer and entrepreneur, ahead of filming that she and her then-husband Tony Walter were pregnant with her first child – Emma Walton Hamilton – meaning she had to turn down the role.

Instead, Disney postponed filming until she had given birth and went on to hire Walter as a designer on the iconic film. “He spoiled me,” Andrews said.

During the interview, the iconic actress recalled the moment she missed out on the role of Eliza in My Fair Lady to Audrey Hepburn.

Although the Mary Poppins star had won rave reviews for the role on stage, Warner Bros’ Jack Warner opted to cast Hepburn in the lead for the feature film.

Andrews told the magazine: “Though I totally understood why Audrey had been chosen for the role [I’d never made a movie and was a relative unknown compared to her worldwide fame], I felt sad that I would never have the chance to put my version of Eliza on film.”

Despite missing out, Andrews had industry success when she received an Oscar and Golden Globe for Mary Poppins and used the opportunity to make a cheeky dig at Warner during her acceptance speech for the Globes.

She said: “My thanks to a man who made a wonderful movie and who made all this possible in the first place — Mr Jack Warner.”

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.