Julie Andrews wasn’t among the 18.5 million people who tuned in to NBC’s event program “The Sound of Music Live” last week — but it wasn’t because of any bitterness about Carrie Underwood taking over her old role.
Andrews, who starred as Maria in the 1965 movie “The Sound of Music,” told the Associated Press on Monday that she hadn’t had a chance to catch the special, which cast “American Idol” favorite Carrie Underwood in Andrews’ old role.
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“Alas, I did not [watch the special],” the actress said during the U.S. premiere of “Saving Mr. Banks.” “I had a speaking engagement and I couldn’t. But my kids did record it. I’ll get around to it.”
While the live performance drew huge numbers for NBC — enough to convince the network to order a second live musical for next year — the critical response was mixed, with many reviewers opining that, as an actress, Underwood makes a pretty good singer.
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Many in the Twitter community also took exception to Underwood’s portrayal. Taking issue with Underwood’s accent on the special, actress Lindsay Hollister wrote, “BECAUSE IT’S PERFECTLY NORMAL MARIA HAS A SOUTHERN ACCENT IN 1940’S NAZI GERMANY.” (All caps, people; serious business.)
Underwood appeared to address the negative criticism on her Twitter account Friday, writing, “Plain and simple: Mean people need Jesus. They will be in my prayers tonight…”