Dame Julie Walters took inspiration from ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ for ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’.
The 68-year-old actress reprises her role as Rosie in the musical sequel and though she’s always enjoyed the singing parts of the character, the dancing hasn’t been as easy to get to grips with but she found it useful to watch the Latin and ballroom contests, in particular the performances from last year’s finalist and fellow showbiz veteran, Debbie McGee.
She said: "We love the singing and the dancing is getting easier this time. I watched ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ for inspiration. I love it. They were all really good. Debbie McGee was fantastic."
A decade has passed since the first movie and Julie was particularly impressed by how good Pierce Brosnan, 65, still looks.
She said: "Pierce is looking fantastic. Far too handsome. Fabulous actually.
"I think people will love it. It is fantastic and we have a great script."
Though the ‘Harry Potter’ actress admitted it is "hard" to find good roles as an older woman, she still thinks opportunities are there and she’s happy with the work that comes her way.
She said: "There are more women writing and producing and in positions of power. It’s hard to find a strong central role, but I’m very happy."
Julie recently admitted she had reservations when she heard there was going to be a second ‘Mamma Mia!’ movie – but after getting on board, she now thinks it’s even better than the original film.
She said: "My first reaction when my agent told me they were making ‘Mamma Mia 2’ was, ‘Oh God no, it is going to be awful.’
"But the script was so good. I think it’s fantastic. It’s better than the first one."
Julie Walters: Strictly inspired by Mamma Mia performance
