Overview
- Van Dyke made the remarks during a Nov. 30 Vandy High Tea at his home that raised funds for The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and a planned Dick Van Dyke Museum, produced by Chris Isaacson Presents.
- He told guests he is "probably the last person alive" who knew Walt Disney and said they bonded over a shared childlike outlook despite political differences.
- Recounting his Mary Poppins casting, he said Disney offered him the role after hearing an interview where Van Dyke lamented the lack of quality children's entertainment.
- He said he declined the lead in 1976’s The Omen because it was not to his taste, and he voiced regrets about missing projects with Cary Grant and Sophia Loren, the latter turned down by his agent.
- Discussing past addictions, he noted a 1972 hospital stay for alcoholism and said quitting smoking was even harder, adding that dropping both habits is a key reason he expects to reach his 100th birthday on Dec. 13.