My Favourite Things

With A New Memoir About Her Hollywood Years, Julie Andrews Reflects On A Life Of Playing Dress Up

- Jennifer Ferrise

“I’ve always absorbed my characters from the outside in. Some were more challenging to take in than others. But in hindsight it’s been fascinating to realise how much I’ve been influenced by the costumes, hair and make-up that’ve helped me come as close to my characters as possible. I got my start in the theatre, and when I arrived on Broadway to play Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, all the clothes were so much more detailed and beautifully made than I’d ever expected. The costumes were designed by the great Sir Cecil Beaton, and though we had to make some adaptations, his knowledge of the period [the Edwardian era] was extraordinary. It wasn’t until I had Eliza’s shawl on my shoulders and her silly broken hat on my head that I knew how I was supposed to act.

My first time on live television was in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s production of Cinderella, and I quickly learned you have a lot less time to embrace your costumes than in the theatre. I did get to wear actual glass slippers, though [laughs]. It was all very hectic, especially when it came to Cinderella’s big transformation ahead of the ball. As I changed from rags to riches, the camera was travelling up my body while I was throwing my clothes on and flinging a different hairpiece on my head. I knew that if anything went wrong, I’d only have one shot.