Julie Andrews Said Voice Acting Is ‘Sort of Putty in the Director’s Hands’

Julie Andrews’ place in movie history is minted thanks to her roles in two iconic musicals. But younger generations of moviegoers more likely know the actor for her voice-acting in some of the biggest animated movies of the last few decades.

Everyone broadly understands how voice acting works, but the actual details of what goes into a professional performance aren’t discussed as often as on-camera acting. 

In a video for Vanity Fair discussing the biggest moments of her career, Andrews discussed her path to voice acting, how different it is from other performing styles, and the amount of input she received on her character in the Despicable Me franchise. 

Julie Andrews made her name as an award-winning superstar in musicals

Andrews began her career on the stage, impressing in multiple Broadway productions. Still, the choice to pick her as the titular nanny in 1964’s Mary Poppins was a surprising decision considering that Andrews had never appeared in a movie before, let alone a starring role. It proved to be a part she was born to play. 

Mary Poppins was a box office smash and well adored in the film industry. It was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won five, including Best Actress for Andrews. She commemorated the moment by throwing shade at the film adaptation of My Fair Lady during her acceptance speech. The producers had passed over her due to her lack of fame even though she starred in the original Broadway version. 

Andrews headlined another timeless musical the next year, The Sound of Music, and she was again nominated for an Oscar. Andrews also appeared in many non-musicals like The Americanization of Emily, Torn Curtain, and Victor/Victoria. But her singing abilities were a catalyst for her most timeless roles. They made the loss of her voice following a botched surgery all the more devastating. 

Voice acting requires a different approach than traditional acting

Andrews eventually found the resolve to pivot and embark on a new career primarily as a voice actor. She first stepped in the booth way back in 1952 when she was part of the English dub for the Italian animated film The Singing Princess. Andrews picked it back up in the 2000s as Queen Lillian in the Shrek franchise and as the narrator of Enchanted. In her Vanity Fair interview, the 86-year-old explains how portraying a character this way requires a different skillset. 

“I have to tell you it’s an extremely different technique, nothing like making a movie,” Andrews said. “One goes into a studio and offers up every kind of reading of a line that you could possibly imagine. And finally, the director takes the reading that he likes the best and that’s what ends up in the movie. You literally discover it as you go along and you are sort of putty in the director’s hands.”

The lack of control over the final product can be difficult for actors who don’t often do voice acting. It’s a different discipline. But it does mean Andrews can show up to work in a much more relaxed outfit: “It’s very pleasant because you don’t have to go into the studio; you can just go in your dressing gown if you want. But mostly, you don’t have to do hair and makeup, you just have to give a voice.”

Julie Andrew’s most recent projects have introduced her to a new audience

Andrews’ biggest roles in the past decade have been voicing the negligent mother Marlena in the Despicable Me and Minions movies. Illumination actually gave her the latitude to name the character herself. Andrews took inspiration from a legendary entertainer from the mid-20th century. 

“In Despicable Me, the company said, ‘You name her. What’s she gonna be called?’ And she’s such a terrible woman and so full of herself, she thinks she’s the best thing since God knows what,” she recalled. “So I thought she would think of herself as a kind of a Marlene Dietrich. That’s her image of herself.” For those unaware, Dietrich was a German-American actor and singer whose talent, bold style, and confidence in her sexuality made her an iconic figure in classic Hollywood. 

Andrews also voices Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton. She may not be able to sing like she used to, but her voice is still valuable.