Never in my life would I imagine sitting across from the legendary Julie Andrews, but during the “Despicable Me” press junket, my dream came true! We started with a standing ovation from all the mom bloggers to which she politely commented, “I think it’s all of you ladies who deserve that.” Sigh.
From “The Sound of Music” to “Mary Poppins,” Julie Andrews has always been the mother that you wish you had. That is, until now…..
In “Despicable Me,” Julie plays the mother of Gru (Steve Carell) and this is one mother you would not want to meet in a dark alley. Nothing is ever good enough for her and from the time he was a young boy, Gru has been seeking her approval and he’s always been left disappointed. At one point in the movie she calls to taunt her son, “That was you wasn’t it, or was it a villain who is actually successful?”
Andrews admits that “they broke the mould with that girl,” but she believes her character doesn’t necessarily mean to be mean – she just has absolutely no idea she’s totally appalling and self involved.
In order to pull off a totally unique accent that matched Gru’s, Andrews says she worked with Steve Carell to create a unique voice of Eastern European descent. She says it was truly an emancipating feeling to just “go for it” and says a lot of people didn’t realize it was her. If you’ve never imagined there could be a dark side to Julie Andrews, then you will have to see this movie and watch her play her meanest character yet!
Listen in to the entire interview with Julie Andrews and then take a look at this behind the scenes featurette on the making of Gru’s mom!
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