Julie Andrews almost died filming the iconic umbrella scene in Mary Poppins

Actress Julie Andrews appears in the title role of the musical-fantasy, Mary Poppins. Photo / Getty

It's one of the most memorable movies of all time, but Julie Andrews has revealed filming Mary Poppins almost killed her.

The 80-year-old, who played the titular character in the iconic 1964 film, appeared on The Late Show over the weekend where she told Stephen Colbert about a near-fatal accident that happened while she was wearing a painful harness during the scene where she flies in holding an umbrella.

"There was a very dangerous day right at the end of filming when I was in this excruciatingly painful harness," Andrews told Colbert.

"And I was hanging around up there for the longest time with the umbrella."
She said after a little while, she felt the wires giving out on her.

"I thought I felt the wire leave and drop about six inches. I was nervous ... and very tired," Andrews explained.

"So, I called down and I said, 'excuse me, when you do let me down, could you let me down really gently, because I felt myself slip and I just don't feel too safe up here.'"

She was reassured by the crew that they'd be able to ease her down gradually - but they were wrong.

"I plummeted to the stage," Andrews said. "I did. And there was an awful silence for a minute and I did let fly with a few Anglo-Saxon four-letter words, I have to admit."

Julie Andrews appears on The Late Show

In case it's been a while since you've watched the Disney classic, you can watch the moment Mary Poppins flies in with her umbrella here:

Mary Poppins Flying Nanny Scene