I hope you checked out yesterday’s Emily Blunt Mary Poppins Interview with some of the little details she let us in on during our #MaryPoppinsReturnsEvent interview with her. If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to do it! She was so much fun to chat with! And I’m thrilled to share more from our Lin-Manuel Miranda Mary Poppins interview today!
Disney provided me with an all-expense paid trip in exchange for sharing about the film.
Photo: Disney
THE LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA MARY POPPINS ACCENT & MORE
If you hadn’t seen or heard, the amazingly talented Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Jack, a lamplighter, in Mary Poppins Returns from Disney. If this sounds like a bit of a nod to Dick Van Dyke’s character in the original, you’re correct!
I think it’s a beautiful nod to the character and the original. It fits right into the flow of the new chapter in the world of a character so many of us grew up loving.
I know that Lin-Manuel Miranda is pretty popular with many people these days, especially after the success of Hamilton. But I grew up in the musical theater world so seeing his success almost feels like watching family find amazing success. That’s the way theater families are.
With the success of Hamilton, we had to ask about what it was like to transition into a project like Mary Poppins Returns.
Photo: Jana Seitzer/whiskynsunshine.com
FROM HAMILTON TO MARY POPPINS RETURNS
If you’ve ever listened to an interview with Lin, you’ll know that he has a way with words that extends beyond stage and screen. He summed up his transition very simply:
“Mary Poppins was a lifeline at the end of Hamilton.”
He has worked so hard to create opportunities for himself. I absolutely love seeing him find the next project and I have to wonder what else Lin Manuel-Miranda has in store for us!
But there was one major difference between Mary Poppins Returns and Hamilton that can’t be overlooked.
ON PERFORMING OTHER PEOPLE’S WORK
We asked him what it was like to perform other people’s work since it has been so long since he’s done that. With the success of his shows In the Heights and Hamilton, he’s really been working on his own projects for quite a while now.
“It’s the fruit of the harvest.”
He started writing In the Heights when he was in college because if you know musical theater, you know that roles are fairly limited if you’re a Puerto Rican male. The most popular ones are Bernardo in West Side Story and Paul in A Chorus Line.
Both require a lot of dance training. Lin knew he didn’t have that so he set out to write his own dream musical.
In the Heights was the beginning of him creating his own opportunities. Hamilton was the extension of that.
Rob Marshall reaching out to tell Lin-Manuel Miranda that he was the first pick in terms of casting for the new movie was the further continuation of it.
The casting is incredible too. Perfection.
Photo: Jana Seitzer/whiskynsunshine.com
THE MARY POPPINS ACCENT
When the original film came out, the question of Dick Van Dyke’s accent was a big one. Lin knew his own accent would be examined very closely too. No pressure there! Nothing like having your performance criticized for the rest of your career!
But he had an amazing dialect coach whispering in his ear as he worked to bring Jack to life.
He also mentioned that he used music from the 1930s (the time setting of the movie) to help him. Music is his language, as we all know. He listened to music in the East End Cockney accent but also just general music from the 30s to help him get into the character.
LIVE MUSICAL THEATER VERSUS A MOVIE MUSICAL
If you’ve ever wondered about the differences between performing in a live musical theater production versus film a move musical, Lin had us all chuckling as he summed it up:
“You finish the eight-minute dance number and you wait a year and a half for applause.”
It’s funny to think about but so true. When you work in live theater, you do 8 shows a week.
He explained that it’s a different energy source. Performing 8 shows a week is like doing yoga. You know you’re going to hit the moves each time but that you will do it differently each time. You have the energy from the audience to feed you and that can change the performance just a bit each show.
Filming a movie musical is more of a once in a lifetime feeling. One day you’re dancing with penguins then the next day you’re singing with Meryl Streep. You’re not coming back to those scenes next week so you have to be in the moment.
WHAT IS LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA MOST PROUD OF IN MARY POPPINS RETURNS
When we asked him which scene he was most proud of, I fell in love with the duality of his answer. There are so many things a person could focus on when it comes to choosing a piece of work to be proud of.
Lin told us that he’s proud of some things because he’s naturally good at them. But he’s also proud of the things that took a lot of hard work.
Two examples from the film:
- Sliding down the banister in “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” (which he considers something he’s naturally talented at)
- Eight-minute dance sequence for “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” – it took a lot of practice because Director Rob Marshall ran it as if it were a live Broadway number during filming.
Whether something comes naturally or takes hours and hours of hard work, I think Lin pointed out something valuable for all of us. There are so many reasons for people to be proud of their work. You just have to find that connection and believe in yourself and where you shine.
Photo: Disney
WHAT ABOUT JACK’S BIKE?
If you’ve seen any clip from Mary Poppins Returns, then you’ve probably noticed that Jack spends a lot of time riding around town on a bike that might have you wondering how he keeps it all balanced.
He called his bike Gertie and rode her all over the set to help him prepare for filming.
It was an old bike that had a 20-lb ladder on the right side. Learning to ride must have been intense! Lin shared that he would just bike everywhere until it was finally second nature to him.
But what about when the kids ride with him?
That’s where technology came to the rescue. In the scenes where the kids and Mary Poppins are riding with jack, they used a pair of training wheels that were later removed with CGI.
But Lin-Manuel Miranda is actually riding the kids on the bike in those scenes! He just had to be careful about how far everything was leaning. With help from the training wheels, everyone was safe!
Photo: Jana Seitzer/whiskynsunshine.com
Spending time with Lin-Manuel Miranda was truly magical. His portrayal of Jack is so enjoyable that I cannot wait to see the movie again with my family! Paired with Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, the magic comes to life again in this new story!
Mary Poppins Returns hits theaters on December 19th! Be sure to mark your calendars! What a fun film to catch with the family during the holiday season!
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