Emily Blunt has some very big shoes to fill when she steps into the role of Mary Poppins in the upcoming Mary Poppins Returns. But the actress, who will begin filming the sequel early next year, has already been given the backing of the legendary Julie Andrews, who first played the role in 1964.

Emily Blunt Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins is Julie Andrews approved

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly Blunt said that Mary Poppins Returns director Rob Marshall had spoken to Andrews and she’d given the actress her stamp of approval. “Rob said he was in the Hamptons, and he saw [Andrews], and he said, ‘It’s top secret, but Emily Blunt’s playing Mary Poppins and she went, ‘Oh, wonderful!’” Blunt revealed.

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“I felt like I wanted to cry,” she added. “It was lovely to get her stamp of approval. That took the edge off it, for sure.” But even with Andrew’s approval, Blunt still has anxieties over taking on the iconic role.

“I feel a little more trepidation with this [character] because she’s so emblematic of people’s nostalgia,” Blunt continued. “It’s such an important character in people’s childhood.”

But while Andrew’s Mary Poppins is remember as sweet but firm, Blunt says her magical nanny will be closer to the character from P.L. Travers’ original series.

“We’re delving into the books a lot more which is a different version of the character, I’ll say that much.” she said. “She’s a little meaner, yeah.” The film will take place 25 years after the original and see Poppins revisit the now adult Banks children.

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The film's full synopsis reads: "In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael's three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives.”