It’s a bit of twisted irony that Julie Andrews had to turn down a role in “The Wolf of Wall Street”—a movie in which drug use factors prominently—because she herself was too high.
Alas, Andrews (the same Andrews known for “Mary Poppins” and “My Fair Lady”) took up inebriation for reasons far less frivolous than those of Leonardo DiCaprio and co. in that 2013 film. Nevertheless, they still prevented the dame from taking part in the Martin Scorsese blockbuster.
“I wasn’t able to do the movie. I had an operation. I’m a bionic woman and I have a titanium ankle,” Andrews said on an episode of Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live,” speaking to her would-be involvement in the film. “I was so truly stoned from all the drugs that I had to take the pain away. Really, it was mostly the anesthetics.”
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Had she been able, Andrews would have played Aunt Emma, who assists Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) in his efforts to stow away some cash. The role ultimately went to actor Joanna Lumley, and Andrews is still rueful.
“I do regret it,” she adds. “I just wasn’t ready [to work after my surgery] and I wanted to be and I would’ve loved to work with Scorsese.”
Here’s hoping Andrews gets her chance to work with Scorsese someday—and then when that day comes she can simply refer to that post-operation stint as “research.”
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