Dick Van Dyke reflects on Mary Poppins ahead of 100th birthday

Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke is celebrating his upcoming centennial by looking back at one of his most iconic roles – Bert the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins.

Van Dyke revealed his favourite number from the musical classic in a recent interview with People.

"I think the first number, when we go into the fantasy thing," he shared before crooning, "Ain't it a beautiful day? Day? Brighter the moment in May. I feel like I could fly."

The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor said the combination of music and dance made it ‘just fun’.

He also fondly recalled working with child actors Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice.

"[Matthew Garber,] this little guy, he was ordinary. Oftentimes we'd have to stand there while they lit and he would get bored and he used to bite me on the butt," the actor laughed as he shared the playful anecdote about Garber.

He praised Julie Andrews’ soprano voice.

Van Dyke also admitted to struggling to keep up with the star vocally.

"My problem with Julie was I'm not really a singer, and Julie had not only had that beautiful soprano, [but] she sang just a little on top of the note, a little sharp. I don't know how many takes I had to do in the pre-record. I finally got there, but it was hard."

However, he confessed that he cherished his partnership with Andrews.

"I don't think we ever even had an argument. We just had a good time. Doing a musical is fun. I don't care what you're doing, it's just fun. You never get tired of it,” he continued.