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Julie Andrews Is Baffled By Her Aquaman Voice Role
Julie Andrews admits she doesn't really understand her recent voice role in the DCEU film Aquaman. Andrews is an iconic actor and vocal performer, with a cinematic and theatrical career that spans seven decades. She is perhaps best known for playing the title role in Mary Poppins, for which she won an Oscar in 1965. She was later nominated for her performances in The Sound of Music and Victor/Victoria, but she is also well-known for her role opposite Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries and its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
One of Andrews' most peculiar roles to date has been in 2018 megahit movie Aquaman, which starred Jason Momoa in the title role, reprising the hero he had already played in Justice League the year before. In the film, she played the DC Comics character Karathen, a powerful, sentient sea creature who lurks in the depths of the Hidden Sea guarding the Trident of Atlan. The character appeared in the film during a key moment for Aquaman, as he attempted to acquire the trident and prevent his half-brother Orm from becoming the Ocean Master. Karathen later joins him in his battle after Aquaman claims the trident.
Recently, Andrews sat down for a career retrospective with Vanity Fair. When the topic turned to her voice acting roles of the past ten years or so, the actor praises the fact that she doesn't have to do her hair or sit in makeup for the performances. She lists some of her recent credits, which include Despicable Me, Bridgerton (in which she voices salacious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown), and Aquaman. She hesitates to mention that last title, however, saying "I play some kind of a sea serpent or something." Read the full quote below:
Quote:
Despicable Me and Bridgerton, and, umm… [laughs] I'm not going to mention Aquaman, where I play some kind of a sea serpent or something.
It's true that the actor, now 86, has taken on a lot of voice work recently, taking advantage of her distinct, widely beloved accent. In addition to the titles she lists above, she also holds voice roles in Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After, and the upcoming Minions: The Rise of Gru, in which she reprises her role as Gru's mother Marlena. She has also narrated several projects, including Enchanted and 2022's The King's Daughter.
Voice actors don't generally have the opportunity to visit the set of the live-action films they are working on, and that was likely the case with Aquaman. Given the fact that it seems unlikely Andrews has followed the storyline of the DCEU closely before that, she likely had no idea about the context of the lines she was reading. Given how little she knows about the role, it's certainly delightful to learn that she took it anyway, as it was one of the most surprising and entertaining elements of the popular superhero flick.
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (2023)
Release Date: Mar 17, 2023
