He played one of the main roles of chimney sweep Bert, however Dick Van Dyke has revealed he had to pay Walt Disney to play a second role in the original Mary Poppins.
As we await Emily Blunts portrayal of the magical nanny, Van Dyke, who will also star in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns as Mr Dawes Jr, explained how he gave Walt Disney $4,000 (£3.1k) to take on a second role of a banker Mr Dawes Snr in the OG offering.
You might say the sound of it is something quite atrocious…
I said, “Ill do it for nothing.” Actually, I had to give him $4,000 dollars. I had to pay him to do the part, he told Lin-Manuel Miranda in Mary Poppins Returns: Behind the Magic – A Special Edition of 20/20.
And Id do it again.
The legendary act, 92, was unrecognisable in the role, which makes his payment even more baffling – considering the value of $4,000 back in 1964 when the film was originally released with Julie Andrews in the titular role.
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He continued: Its funny when youre a kid and you see it, you dont realise that. You dont realise its you in that other part.
But you know when they made me up as the old man in the old one, I had to go to Walt and ask him for the part, he didnt give it to me.
Despite having to persuade Disney to allow him to star in the original, the veteran actor was welcomed to the sequel, returning to the story disguised as Mr Dawes Jr for the next instalment, some 54 years later.
The film has been shown to a few people and so far everyone is loving it sick, with the flick scoring a standing ovation – much to the relief of punters keen on seeing a successful reboot of a much-loved classic.
The film has been described as a salve for these times we live in, and Disney have already decided to submit two songs to the Academy for consideration in the best original song category of 2019s Oscars, Trip A Little Light Fantastic and The Place Where Lost Things Go.
In the story, our beloved Michael (played by Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) are all grown up with children of their own, and after Michael suffers a personal loss, Mary Poppins re-enters their lives.
More: Emily Blunt
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She helps the children, who are played by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and Joel Dawson, rediscover the joy and wonder that is missing in their lives.
Mary Poppins Returns is out in the UK on 21 December 2018.
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