Meryl Streep Says Dick Van Dyke Is Perfect In Every Way

Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep recently got a chance to work with the 94-year-old Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins Returns".

"He is practically perfect in every way so no wonder he was drawn to the material Mary Poppins. He is somebody who is pure I don't wanna say show business because it conjures up the whole other thing but it's a theatrical sense of joy that he brings," Streep said while talking about her co-star.

"He is uniquely suited to this kind of material mostly because he has got the soul of a 9-and-a-half-year-old. I would say he has not lost his inner child and the things that we often lose as we go on in life. He has retained that innocent sense of joy and that's what he brings to this material," she added.

Disney's "Mary Poppins Returns" stars Emily Blunt as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn an ordinary task into a fantastic adventure. The sequel brought back Mary Poppins to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy missing in their lives following a personal loss.

It is an American musical fantasy comedy film directed by Rob Marshall, with a screenplay written by David Magee and a story by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. Based on the book series Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers, the film is a sequel to the 1964 film Mary Poppins, and stars Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep in supporting roles. 

Set in 1930s London, twenty-five years after the events of the original film, the film sees Mary Poppins, the former nanny of Jane and Michael Banks, returning one year after a family tragedy.

Opening up about Blunt's singing prowess, Streep said: "She is amazing but her tenderness in this is palpable. Rob and Marc Shaiman, they wrote it with her in mind so the music sits in her voice perfectly. She is amazing in it!"

The film has grossed over $349 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast (particularly that of Blunt), direction, visuals, musical score, musical numbers, costume design, production values, and sense of nostalgia, although some critics found it derivative of its predecessor. 

"Mary Poppins Returns" will air in India on Star Movies on April 26.