Julie Andrews retires: "I've given up, I'm retired"

For years, Julie Andrews has not appeared on screen as an actress, but she never truly disappeared from it: in the last decade, she continued to lend her voice to characters in films such as "Minions: The Rise of Gru," "The King's Daughter," and "Aquaman," and of course, became the iconic voice behind Lady Whistledown in "Bridgerton." But now, at 90 years old, it seems that Andrews is making it official — and she is effectively admitting that she is retired.

In an interview with InStyle magazine, Andrews shared that she turned down the offer to return and play Queen Clarisse in "The Princess Diaries 3," alongside Anne Hathaway, who will return to the role of Mia Thermopolis.

"I think I've probably given up... I think I'm really retired, that's probably the best definition for it," the actress said.

According to her, Disney approached her again and again during the last year, and the decision to refuse was not simple:

"It was very, very hard to say 'no', but I did it because I thought I had a wonderful path, and I felt that this film would flourish perfectly well without me, without needing a grandmother of my age to go in there."

Andrews, who was seen just a few months ago in a rare appearance in a special video she sent to the World Parkinson Congress, also spoke in the interview about her work as the voice of Lady Whistledown. According to her, she enjoys the role partly because she can record the lines from home. "I do it mainly to keep my brain alive," she said.

Andrews' doubts about returning to the role were not born now. Already in December 2022, a month after Variety reported that Disney was developing "The Princess Diaries 3," she told Access Hollywood that she was not sure if a return to the kingdom of Genovia was still possible. "I think we know that it's probably not going to be possible," she said then, "I'm much older, and Annie the princess, our queen, is much older. I'm not sure if it will hold up or work."