Julie Andrews Says Life After Edwards 'Is A Struggle'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Life has been less than a jolly holiday for the star of the movie classics "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" since the death of her husband, director Blake Edwards.
"I think every day it's a struggle right now," says Julie Andrews, Edwards' soul mate for 41 years. Edwards ("Breakfast at Tiffany's") died from complications of pneumonia in December. He was 88; Andrews is 75. The two were married and worked together for most of the British actress' five decades in Hollywood.
They first teamed for a big-budget dud, the 1970 musical flop, "Darling Lili." Eventually, though, Edwards and Andrews would deliver big-screen successes: the 1979 box-office smash "10," the biting 1981 Hollywood satire "S.O.B." and their Oscar-nominated 1982 musical "Victor/Victoria" - which Andrews called some of the best work in her career. There was also "That's Life," which the couple made in 1986, "which was such a joy," she says.
Life after Edwards' passing began with something of a party, attended by friends, family and Hollywood pals. "It was a good memorial," Andrews recalls in an interview. "It was. I wanted it to be fun. And I didn't want it to be maudlin or sad, because Blake wouldn't have wanted that."
She has forged ahead professionally, adding to her long list of children's books with the recently published "The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage." And this week, she was honored with the Geffen Playhouse's Distinction in Theater Award.
"I think all of you know that this is been a difficult window of time for me, and one of huge transition," she said as she accepted the award Monday night at the Geffen.
Certainly, Edwards would have wanted her to get on with her life.
"I don't know," Andrews says with a laugh, as she starts to tear up. "I don't have much choice right now -- until I join him somewhere."
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