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Let me start out by admitting that I am not a big fan of kids' movies, especially when they're animated. That said, I am a mother and it goes with the job. I find that a steady stream of snacks helps. Plus, I made my husband see Eclipse with me this weekend, so we all have our crosses to bear, don't we?
So, when I was invited to an advance screening of Despicable Me I tried to muster some enthusiasm. Fortunately, my 8-year-old was excited enough for both of us. She's pretty handy that way.
Despicable Me, a Pixar film, is fun and clever with rich animation. We follow Gru, the evil supervillian with mommy issues, as he attempts to out-villian his nemesis, Vector. Along the way, Gru adopts three orphaned girls, hoping to use them to break into Vector's compound and steal some dilly-bob that will allow Gru to shrink and steal the moon. A battle of the wills ensues between the strong-willed little girls and Gru. Gru soon realizes he has met his match in the little girls and, despite himself, becomes what ultimately fulfills him more than world domination: a dad.
Fun and clever, albeit a bit predictable, I would rank Despicable Me somewhere between Cars and Up. It was, as my daughter said, "Awesome ... but, not the best ever".
HOWEVER, it was after the movie when I was offered the opportunity to interview Julie Andrews that the real fun began. Mostly for me. Not so much for Julie.
I had a few days to prepare questions for my phone interview with the legendary and accomplished Ms. Andrews. Unfortunately, up until an hour before the interview I was still staring at a very, very short list of The World's Most Boring and Expected Questions. Plus my family was growing increasingly tired of my repeated joke "Why don't I ask her about a few of her favorite things? Aha ha ha ha ha haaa!"
Anyway.
Ms. Andrews' manager called me directly. He was quite polite and explained that I would have 15 minutes to speak with Ms. Andrews. Then just before connecting me with her, he rattled me by asking if I was familiar with her new book, The Very Very Princess. I admitted I was not (Amazon.com, you failed me in my research!), and he suggested that I may want to include that in my interview. Um ... okay ... wait ... Oh, hi Julie Andrews!
Lena (blurting awkwardly): "I've never interviewed anyone before! This is such an honor!"
Julie Andrews (mercifully warm): "Oh, you haven't? Well, I'll be sure to make it easy for you."
Lena: "I have just a few questions for you here. In your new movie, Despicable Me, you play the supervillian main character Gru's mother. Did you have any reservations about playing such a diabolical mother?"
Julie Andrews: "Well, the interesting thing is that she was unaware how dreadful she was, how self-involved. I thought 'what can I contribute to this character?' It was a lovely chance to indulge."
Lena (hyperventilating slightly less): "Oh, 'indulge' is the perfect word. What was your inspiration for the character's voice?"
Julie Andrews: "Steve Carell, who is so brilliant and talented, had created such an amazing voice for his character, Gru, that his voice influenced my choice of voice. Since they're mother and son, it was only logical that they be similar."
Lena: "Yes, the voices and accents were definitely one of the most entertaining aspects of the movie. Now, how does your preparation for an animated character differ from your normal preparation for a movie role?"
Julie Andrews: "Oh, it is very different. You're in a recording booth alone, and you gradually work into the voice. I had just a picture of the character, and she was no Mary Poppins, so I contributed the voice and they were very open to suggestions and contributions. I had only a story board of scenes, so there was a lot of laughing as it evolved."
Lena: "So, the final product is as much of a surprise to you as it is to the audience ... "
Julie Andrews: "Yes, absolutely, because they need to work the character around what I had done with her."
Lena: "What message do you hope audiences will take away from the movie?"
Julie Andrews: "That even a villain can be persuaded by the power of love to have a heart. Everyone in the movie is
