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Entertainment September 7, 2017
Sing it with us: The hills are alive with the sound of music.
She’s turning 81 years old on October 1st, but that doesn’t make Julie Andrews any less awesome.
You may know her as the blonde singing through meadows in “The Sound of Music” or as the perfect queen from “The Princess Diaries.” But she’s so much more than that and this Woman That Does has amazing staying power in Hollywood.
And if you would like to celebrate her birthday with us, here are five fun facts we found about Julie Andrews.
In an interview with TIME, Andrews shared how people always give her gifts related to her movies. A majority of the gifts she’s received through the years have to do with the song “My Favorite Things” from her movie “The Sound of Music.”
“I do get a lot of gifts. I get a lot of things to sign, too. People do collect the memorabilia. Between ‘Poppins’ and ‘The Sound of Music,’ there were beautiful plates that they made, and I’ve signed a lot of them,” she said. “And they do give me gifts, especially if I go on tour to Japan or something like that, they really shower you with gifts after the show. Mostly for my kids. It’s nice!”
Andrew’s has written many books over the years and says that her book “Mandy” was inspired by her natural environment at the time.
“The first book, Mandy, happened because we were filming on this wonderful old Georgian estate in Ireland. We actually lived on the property as well as filmed there and were able to discover how people must have lived in the old days,” Andrews shared with American Libraries.
She continued, “And the cavernous rooms, they were so beautiful – these glorious Georgian windows that looked out over this vast park. And they did, in fact, have a little shell cottage on the grounds, which is the theme of Mandy.”
When Lady Gaga was set to perform “The Sound Of Music Tribute,” the pop diva was nervous that she wouldn’t be able to hit the high notes. So she called Julie Andrews for advice.
People shared the conversation between Gaga and Andrews:
“Why? They’re very high, even for me,” Andrews responded to Gaga’s nervousness.
“Because I wanted to honor you, so I did them in your keys,” Gaga responded.
But everything turned out alright because Andrews thought that Gaga “hit it out of the ballpark” that night.
If you thought you and your best friend were BFF goals, think again. The actresses met at the 1964 Academy Awards and were both offered the role of Eliza Doolittle in the movie “My Fair Lady.” Andrews turned down the role, but she and Hepburn remained best friends.
She told Parade that Audrey Hepburn was loved by all who met her.
“I don’t think there was a soul who didn’t love her. And my husband adored her, too,” Andrews said. “I think I can honestly say if I hadn’t come into his life, she might have.”
In an interview on the “Late Night With Stephen Colbert” show, Andrews explained that her fears came true when she was filming “Mary Poppins.” One scene, where Mary Poppins flies away with her umbrella, almost killed her.
Colbert asked, “These were all practical effects, you were on wires and stuff?”
Andrews replied, “Yes. There was a very dangerous day right at the end of filming when I was in this excruciatingly painful harness … I was nervous and very tired. So, I called down and I said, ‘Excuse me, when you do let me down, could you let me down really gently, because I felt myself slip and I just don’t feel too safe up here.’ I plummeted to the stage.”
Thank goodness everything was okay, though, because we’ve been graced with nearly 81 years of this amazing woman. Cheers to you, Julie! We hope you have a very happy birthday.
