Julie Andrews has arrived.
As scheduled, exactly two weeks after *The Princess Diaries* began filming, the biggest star in the entire cast, Julie, arrived on set.
The entire crew erupted into excitement!
It wasn't just the young actors like Annie and Anson—more than two-thirds of the crew had all admired Julie's presence on the big screen. Regardless of age or gender, for anyone working in the film industry, it's unlikely that anyone wouldn't know of *Mary Poppins* and *The Sound of Music*.
In fact, back in 2005, for the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, Mickey Mouse appointed Julie as a goodwill ambassador for an eighteen-month term. This shows that even among the younger generation, Julie still holds deep influence. Her on-screen image has long since become an eternal classic.
After all, for children growing up, whether it's the magical Mary Poppins or the kind-hearted Maria, they both represent warmth, happiness, and boundless imagination.
Though time has passed, these classics have continued to be passed down from one generation to the next.
Being able to see her up close, or even work with her, is nothing short of a dream come true. It's something that no one could refuse.
This was true for everyone.
However, it is incredibly unfortunate that Julie had not appeared in mainstream movies for many years. For those in the film industry, the opportunity to work with her had become increasingly rare. Even for the director Gary, it took three visits, along with repeated expressions of his desire to collaborate, to finally persuade Julie.
——Understandably so.
When Julie arrived at the resort where the crew was staying, the entire set was abuzz. In the film, Julie plays the queen of a fictional small country. In reality, the crew welcomed her with the same royal treatment.
At that moment, everyone, including Gary, became like adoring fans, their eyes glued to Julie. One glance, one gesture from her was enough to thrill them all.
As the saying goes, "Distance creates beauty."
The same applies to idols, especially Hollywood superstars.
Once you get close, it's possible that the magic will be shattered, and the idealized image you hold in your mind will crumble. Instead of getting too close and destroying the beauty of your imagination, it's sometimes better to keep a distance and let your imagination fill in the blanks.
But!
Julie was different.
The way she appeared on screen and stage was exactly how she appeared in real life.
Julie was now sixty-five years old. Wrinkles crept around the corners of her eyes, and her temples had turned gray. In the film *Sunset Boulevard*, the main character, a fifty-year-old woman, was considered washed up, looking almost like a vampire on camera. According to Hollywood's age standards for women, sixty-five might as well be one hundred.
Yet, Julie showed no signs of aging or decline. Instead, she exuded a serene and effortless elegance, a calmness that came from within. The traces of time left on her body only added to her charm. Every movement she made was filled with an energy that was light and airy, transporting everyone back to the world of *Mary Poppins* in an instant.
"Aging gracefully."
It turns out this is real. She didn't have to do anything at all—just sitting there quietly drew every gaze towards her.
At first, there was doubt. Perhaps it was just the "Julie Andrews halo" at work. After all, how could anyone not be focused on Julie Andrews? But gradually, it became clear that Julie possessed a truly comforting aura. Like a pearl, she wasn't overly bright, but she quietly glowed from within.
And soon, Anson realized that watching Julie perform was a delightful experience.
For Anson, it was a bit of a regret that throughout the entire movie, he didn't have any scenes with Julie, and the only time they would share the screen was during the final ballroom scene. However, this didn't dampen his enthusiasm.
From the day Julie joined the crew, Anson resumed his old habit of visiting the set daily, even when he didn't have any scenes to film. He would watch the shooting process and observe Julie's performance up close.
To be honest, Julie Andrews was a superstar from the era of musical films. With the decline of musicals, Julie's career also gradually slowed down. Although she gained attention again in 1982 with *Victor/Victoria* and even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress the following year, it was still for a musical.
In other words, Julie's acting carried the distinct mark of musicals. Just as silent film stars were often replaced when sound films emerged, Julie's style of acting seemed out of place in films after the 1970s. As a result, she became more active on Broadway.
So why was Anson observing Julie's performance?
It was because of her *presence*.
There was a certain elegance—a subtle, intangible quality that was undeniably real. When Julie appeared in front of the camera, her poise and bearing were noticeably different.
On one hand, it stood out; on the other hand, it was captivating.
But the screen became slightly unbalanced—
Because Julie's style of acting differed from everyone else's. It was almost as if she was playing on a slightly different frequency from the rest of the cast, like a band member playing just a fraction offbeat.
It might only be an eighth of a beat, or maybe a quarter of a beat. Most ordinary viewers wouldn't notice it at all, while a few might sense something was a bit off but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Only a very small number of professionals would be able to catch that subtle misalignment.
So, was it important?
It seemed important, yet also unimportant.
In other films or roles, Julie's elegance and restraint might come across as too "held back," but in *The Princess Diaries*, where she played a royal figure—a queen—the poised dignity that her character exuded felt entirely natural. Even when she stood out from the rest of the cast, it made perfect sense.
There was even a subtle, humorous dissonance in the way she stood out.
Anson wasn't sure if this was Gary's intent in casting her, but whether it was or not, the results were remarkable.
Anson had been observing—how did Julie's performance convey such subtle yet complex messages?
The world of acting was mysterious and fascinating to Anson. Right now, he was still an amateur, navigating this new world through instinct, fumbling his way forward with curiosity. He stood outside the doorway of the craft, cautiously peeking inside and taking tentative steps toward finding his own path.
Everything was new and exciting.
As a result, observation became a natural instinct.
In fact, Annie was in a similar position. Transitioning from an inexperienced high schooler to an actress, despite having some experience performing in stage plays at school, the world of cinema was completely foreign to her. After spending two weeks as a green newcomer, she was now preparing to face Julie Andrews.
Unlike Anson, Annie had many scenes with Julie—many, many scenes. In fact, the person she shared the most scenes with in the entire movie was Julie.
For Annie, every scene with Julie was an opportunity to learn—how to manage her nerves, how to get into character, how to deliver a performance. Every step was a chance for her to grow and transform, and such a precious opportunity wasn't something that just anyone could have.
Annie, like Anson, was seizing this chance tightly.