Director Rob Marshall's Mary Poppins Returns is a movie with a whole lot of whimsy and heart, featuring some great music and performances, but when I think back on the 2018 film, my brain immediately goes the brief role played by Dick Van Dyke. Having previously played Bert the chimney sweep and Mr. Dawes Sr. in the original Mary Poppins, the actor's appearance in the film is delightful in and of itself – but it's what he ends up doing in his turn that makes it one of the best cameos in recent memories, and it apparently had all of his castmates on set in tears.
Emily Blunt is currently doing the press circuit promoting her new 2025 movie The Smashing Machine with Dwayne Johnson, but she took a quick trip down memory lane recently during a recent interview with People. The actress looked back on her experience playing the role originally made famous by Julie Andrews, and her standout memory from the making of the movie was watching the then-93-year-old Dick Van Dyke perform a dance number (which reduced everyone to tears). Said Blunt,
I will never forget Dick Van Dyke leaping onto the desk tap dancing. And Rob Marshall [director] had said that Lin-Manuel [Miranda] and I should help him up. He had to go onto the chair and onto the desk, and we were there to help him up, and he literally pushed our hands away, and was up there, and it made everyone cry.
I think registering the amazingness of Dick Van Dyke's cameo in Mary Poppins Returns comes in two stages. When you're first watching the film, you're impressed how seamlessly he is able to get on top of his desk to dance, and you marvel at the movie magic that must have been executed to make it happen. And then you're bowled over when you read about the making of the movie and read about how he was able to pull of the choreography all by himself. It's remarkable, and it's wholly unsurprising that it got everyone on set to start crying.
And yes, just in case you were wondering, even the famously stiff-upper-lip Colin Firth was emotionally moved by the moment. Emily Blunt added:
Even Colin Firth, who refuses to show emotion, ever, wept watching him. It was just incredible.
In Mary Poppins Returns, Dick Van Dyke makes a special appearance as Mr. Dawes Jr. – and he is technically portraying his own son given that he played Mr. Dawes Sr. in Mary Poppins. He ends up saving the day, as he makes the decision to dismiss Colin Firth's William Wilkins for corrupt practices and the Banks family saves their house.
If it's been a minute since you last had the experience of watching Mary Poppins Returns – also featuring the lovely talents of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters and Meryl Streep – the film is currently available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
