Mary Poppins Returns Press Junket!
Thank you Disney Studios for inviting to Mary Poppins Returns Press Junket and Pre Screening. What an unforgettable and once in a lifetime opportunity and honour to have under one roof Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins”), Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Jack”), Ben Whishaw (“Michael Banks”), Emily Mortimer (“Jane Banks”), Director Rob Marshall, Marc Shaiman (Music by) and Scott Wittman (Music by).
Mary Poppins was released August 1964 (I wasn’t born yet), my first memory of Mary Poppins was in the early ’80s. I was fascinated with Mary Poppins, a nanny that had mystery, allure, a sweetness about her that you gravitated towards. Most of all she had a magical touch, with just a look of an eye she could get everything under control. Could it be that someone like that really exists? I was fascinated, I found Mary Poppins to be exquisite, from her demeanor to the music, it was all enchanting. Mary Poppins is my go-to movie when I want a little magic, so when I realized Disney was releasing Mary Poppins Returns I was unsure.
Let me explain, think of your favorite movie….envision it, the cast, the music, the plot, your favorite scenes ....and now imagine you hear they are making a sequel. That’s right, you feel that pit in your stomach and think, “OMG, what are they going to do.” Yes, that’s exactly what I felt. Now I will not spoil the movie for you, I will say with assurance that Mary Poppins Returns is better than the original for me and from the above statement you know I love Mary Poppins the original. Since I watched the pre-screening right before my birthday, it will become a ritual to watch it every year on or right after my birthday. Mary Poppins Returns is spectacular, in every aspect, the storyline will have your heart racing, the acting is superb, the music, OMG, OMG, the music, be ready to be BLOWN AWAY. The soundtrack is crazy good but then again all Disney movies are.
Emily Blunt is superb as Mary Poppins, there is absolutely NO ONE else who could have portrayed Mary Poppins better, other than Julie Andrews herself, she was exquisite. There are roles that are specifically made for one or two actors and this role is just that, Mary Poppins Returns was made for Emily Blunt. This is one of those moments in life that you have no idea that it’s your leading up to it and when you reach it, it’s a dream come true, this is Emily Blunt's moment. At the Press Junket, Rob Marshall expressed that Emily Blunt was the only actress that could be and is Mary Poppins. I’m not joking with you, when you see Mary Poppins I know you’ll email me and agree. What I found fascinating was how Emily Blunt studies her character and what she drew from.
Do you see what I see?
MARC PLATT (moderator): Rob, you said this is your most personal film. Why is that?
ROB MARSHALL: Because I think that philosophy that I was just describing is honestly how I feel deeply. I think you have to approach; it’s a life choice I
guess. You have to get up and approach your life in a certain way and to look at it from the angle from a different point of view which is in our film too – from the point of view of looking for the light. It’s in the P.L. Travers’ books. It’s about finding that childlike joy in life which might sound trivial to some, but to me it’s very profound. And I honestly was able to explore that idea in making this film. It was incredibly hard work, probably the hardest work I’ve ever had to do on a film, but at the same exact time incredibly joyous for that very reason.
ROB MARSHALL: And can I just add one quick thing and that there is not
another person on this planet who could have played that part but you, no one.
MARC PLATT: Your work is always so sublime and so seamless. I never see you. I see whoever it is you’re playing in such an exquisite way and what did you draw upon? Where did it come from? All the different colors that you
painted with this character because she’s complicated and nuanced and it’s such a sophisticated performance. Where did find it all?
EMILY BLUNT: I found the books to be a huge springboard and enormously
helpful, you know. She leaped off the page at me just in how complicated she is, how unknowable she is in this wonderful way, that duality of the character, you know, that she is stern and she is incredibly rude, you know, and vain and, but like funny, you know, and yet there is this humanity and she has to herself have such a childlike wonder in her in order to want to infuse these children’s lives with it and there must under there be a generosity of spirit to want to fix and heal in the way that she does, you know. So I think for me and certainly for Rob when we talked about it, you know, in the year and a half we spent before we even started rehearsing, you know, we would talk about her so much and we both wanted to find those layers and those moments of humanity and also the fact that she’s probably a bit of an adrenaline junky, like she loves these adventures. It’s like her outlet, you know. So just finding those moments so she’s not just one thing, you know, because she is so enigmatic and it was a great, such a delicious character to play, loved it.
MARY POPPINS RETURNS arrives in theatres everywhere on December 19th! DON'T MISS IT, yes I emphasized this, you'll be enthralled.
See Mary Poppins Returns in theatres December 19!
In Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” an all new original musical and sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss. Emily Blunt stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any ordinary task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure and Lin-Manuel Miranda plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.