‘The Sound of Music’: Julie Andrews Reveals The Main Worry The Cast Had

The Sound of Music is perhaps one of the most well-known and well-loved musicals of all time. Featuring a talented cast, gorgeous compositions, and stunning backdrops, the musical has become a classic that people of all different ages can enjoy. But just because the film is well-loved now doesn’t mean it always was. In fact, when The Sound of Music first debuted, it wasn’t at all appreciated by film critics.

Though viewers and the Academy alike loved The Sound of Music (the film earned 10 Oscar nominations and five wins including Best Picture), film critics had a different opinion. They were highly critical of the adult cast members and took issue with their acting performances. Furthermore, movie critics, unlike fans, found the movie to be too sickly sweet with not enough grit to be believable.

‘The Sound of Music’ cast worried the film was too saccharine

But movie critics weren’t the only ones who feared that The Sound of Music may have been overly sweet. In an interview with NPR, Julie Andrews (who famously played Maria in the film) revealed that the cast also shared the concern that the film might come across too sugary. But, Andrews, herself, felt that she couldn’t turn down such a wonderful opportunity.

“The one worry that I think all of us had was not allowing that story — which features children, and beautiful countryside, and the music — to get too saccharine,” Andrews confessed, reflecting on the feats that the adult cast of The Sound of Music had. “And so I think everybody felt that. But how could I say no to such a lovely author?”

Julie Andrews was worried she’d be typecast as a nanny

But the story being too sweet wasn’t the only fear that Andrews had about starring in The Sound of Music. Having starred in Mary Poppins a year prior, Andrews was concerned that she might be typecast as a nanny if she accepted the role. Ultimately though, Andrews was willing to take the risk because she felt so compelled by the story of the Von Trapp family. “I did worry that I might get typecast and I was for a while, but I couldn’t not do it.”

Ultimately, it seems that Andrews made the right decision. After all, we couldn’t imagine The Sound of Music without her gorgeous singing voice. But which song from the beloved musical is Andrews’ favorite? According to The Princess Diaries star, the answer is an easy one, though not altogether unsurprising.

Andrews reveals which of the songs from ‘The Sound of Music’ is her favorite

“Well it doesn’t feature me, I do sing a tiny moment of it, but of course it’s ‘Edelweiss,'” The Sound of Music star shared. “Sorry to be so corny, but of course it speaks of everyone’s home. It’s not just ‘bless my homeland’ (which was Austria in the movie), but it’s anyone’s homeland. And home meant a great deal to me. And wherever I was — theater, film — I had to make a home and embrace, well, a yearning for love, and finding one’s place in life, and figuring out who I was, so to speak.”

Andrews certainly found her place in The Sound of Music and in the entertainment industry after that. We expect that the popular musical will continue to find its way into the hearts of new fans for years to come.