Emily Blunt struggled with the dancing scenes in 'Mary Poppins Returns'.
Emily Blunt
The 35-year-old actress has confessed the moves were a "daunting prospect" for her playing the titular magical nanny in Disney's upcoming sequel to 1964 classic 'Mary Poppins', and although she's proud of her performance she accepts that "no one is going to outdo" the film's original lead, Dame Julie Andrews.
When asked what the most challenging thing about the iconic role is, she told Collider: "The dancing, probably. I feel that I just try to approach her as I would any other character and not be caught up in the white noise of, 'Oh my God, you are Mary Poppins.'
"I think that has been my main focus, is just to approach her calmly, as I would any other character, how I would play her, with what I have given on the page?
"I have not watched the original since I saw it as a child, because I ... no one is going to outdo Julie Andrews. This is just going to be my version her. The dancing has been the most daunting prospect for me."
The 'A Quiet Place' star "took great comfort" in the original flick growing up and admitted that "it's very surreal" to be portraying such a beloved and iconic character in pop culture.
She said: "I think Mary Poppins as a character is so iconic, and I think the film, for me, and I think for most people, is one of those films that is sort of seared into people's memory, an emblem of their nostalgia in many ways.
"So I do remember it very fondly and took such a great comfort in it as a child, that was something that struck me of that person coming in and so capable and so magical, and just sweeping it all up and making it right. I took a lot of comfort in that as a child, so I think we are trying to, obviously, continue that now too with our film. It's very surreal to me being Mary Poppins."
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