Hold on. Make that Dame Julie Andrews.
The 70-year-old legend is at that point in her life and career when she can be choosy about her projects, if she chooses to do any projects at all.
If she decided to give up show business to spend her time with her husband, director Blake Edwards, their five grown children and their seven grandchildren, we might not be happy, but she's certainly earned a rest.
This is, after all, a superstar who began performing at age 6 and has spent
the ensuing decades starring on Broadway, making some of the most beloved movies
in Hollywood history and writing children's books.
But Andrews is not slowing down. In the past couple of years she has
re-introduced herself to a new generation in "The Princess Diaries" movies on
the big screen and the "Eloise" movies on the small screen, hosted PBS
documentaries, served as the honorary ambassador for Disneyland's 50th
anniversary and launched The Julie Andrews Collection, a children's book imprint
of HarperCollins.
She also makes personal appearances and hosts events, which is what she'll be doing Monday, when she and composer Marvin Hamlisch and a supporting cast of Broadway performers take part in "Reach for Tomorrow, Research Today," a fundraiser for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's stem cell research.
The event begins with a black-tie dinner at San Francisco's City Hall, but
those who don't want to pay black-tie prices can still buy tickets to see
Andrews and friends in the entertainment portion of the evening at nearby Bill
Graham Civic Auditorium.
Calling from her home in the Los Angeles area, Andrews' grace, warmth and
regal politeness are apparent from her first, "Good afternoon." You can just
tell she's smiling when she says it.
If you make the mistake of calling her Dame Julie, she'll tell you that plain old Julie is just fine, and her voice is unmistakably that of Mary Poppins, Maria von Trapp and Queen Clarisse.
So why does Andrews keep herself so busy?
"I guess I was raised my whole life to enjoy working," she says. "I love it, and I'm stimulated by it. There's no reason to stop if you're still enjoying it."
Andrews' most recent project is a new book written with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton. It's their seventh collaboration, and it is, of course, part of The Julie Andrews Collection, which also includes the books Andrews wrote in the'70s, "Mandy" and "The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles."
The new book is about a mouse-sized Broadway theater underneath a human-sized Broadway theater. All the mouse characters are named after famous characters in Broadway musicals, and it's illustrated by Tony Walton, the famous theater and film production designer who also happens to be Hamilton's father and Andrews' first husband.
"Obviously this is a book whose subject we adore," Andrews says. "It came easily because it's a world we knew. It was a lovely piece to do, and we had
from Living 1
such fun writing it. It had a life of its own and just grew and grew. We'd
roar with laughter at some of the silly situations."
With Andrews in Los Angeles and Hamilton in Sag Harbor, Long Island, where she runs the Bay Street Theatre, the long-distance communication is aided by technology.
Though she says she's "mostly electronically dumb," Andrews talks to her
daughter via Web cam.
"We were using the cameras just this morning," Andrews says. "I get to see Emma, which is lovely, but I also get to see my grandchildren."
A slice of heaven
Can you even imagine having Julie Andrews as your grandmother? That must be a little slice of heaven for those kids, who call her "Granny Jools." It certainly is for Andrews.
"I'm a fond granny, that's for sure," she says. "It's such a joy to have grandchildren. It's a bonus I never expected ? seeing your own children's delight in their own children."
The release of the new book has brought with it an unexpected surprise: Andrews singing a song.
Marred by a 1997 throat operation that went wrong, Andrews' magnificent
four-octave voice was reduced to a few bass notes, which meant that for all
intents and purposes, Andrews' singing career was over.
Feeling better
She has sung a little since then, but the new song, called "The Show Must Go On," feels more like the Andrews of old.
"I was very tentatively approached about singing a song, and it was too tempting to refuse," Andrews says. "I said if somebody could write something within the five notes I have in my bass voice, we'll try it. If it's no good, we'll forget it. With technology and some tweaking and some sort of over-dubbing and all that, we pulled it off. The best thing, and the thing I didn't expect, was that it would be so much fun to do. It's a bit of a triumph in a way."
With continued interest in her publishing career ? she's looking forward to releasing this fall "The Palace of Laughter" by John Berkeley ? and continued movie work ? she'll be the voice of the queen again in "Shrek the Third" ? Andrews doesn't even need to sing anymore.
Her new voice
Andrews' daughter said something to her recently that made her stop and think.
"She said, 'Mom, since you're not singing anymore, you've found another way to use your voice.' And I realized she was right. I thought, Oh, my God! I can do this and try this. I'm always turned on by different things."
- The "Reach for Tomorrow, Research Today" fundraiser for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine begins at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Rotunda of San Francisco City Hall followed by a black-tie dinner. The entertainment portion of the evening begins at 8 p.m. at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
Tickets for the dinner and performance range from
$1,500 to $10,000. Tickets for the performance cost from $35 to $100. Call
(415) 392-4400 or visit
