Ben Whishaw felt a pressure to "honour" the original ‘Mary Poppins’ movie with the new sequel.
The 38-year-old actor stars as Michael Banks in the Rob Marshall-directed movie, and Ben has admitted he was eager to make a film that compared favourably to the original.
Speaking at the European premiere of ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday (12.12.18), Ben told BANG Showbiz: "[The biggest challenge was] to pay homage in some way to the first and to honour it. But at the same time, not too much.
"To have the courage to make this new one our own as well – and it’s not a remake, it’s very much a sequel. It’s happening 20 to 30 years after the first. It’s very much its own thing."
The new movie boasts a star-studded cast that includes the likes of Emily Blunt, Dick Van Dyke, Dame Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep.
But Ben was particularly pleased to have been given the opportunity to work with actress Emily Mortimer, likening her to a "sister".
The actor – who previously played Q in the James Bond films ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre’ – said: "One of the things I loved most was being with the actress who plays my sister, Emily Mortimer, who I just adore and I’m so happy I know.
"She really is a bit like my sister – not that I have a sister, but I feel like I could tell her anything."
Ben was joined at the premiere by some of his ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ co-stars, including Emily Mortimer, Colin Firth, and Emily Blunt.
Ben Whishaw hopes Mary Poppins Returns ‘honours’ the original
