Dick Van Dyke may be turning 100 on Dec. 13, but his \u201cMary Poppins\u201d co-star says the legendary actor has always been a mischievous kid at heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so much fun. Especially because of Dick,\u201d Karen Dotrice, 70, told The Post of working on the 1964 Disney classic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe minute the camera wasn\u2019t on him, he was just a badly behaved little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dotrice, who played young Jane Banks alongside Van Dyke\u2019s joyful chimney sweep Bert<\/a> and Julie Andrews\u2019 magical no-nonsense nanny Mary Poppins<\/a>, still vividly remembers her wild first-ever encounter with the Hollywood icon.<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice in \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n Karen Dotrice still remembers her first-ever encounter with Dick Van Dyke.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time I met Dick, I was having a costume fitting at Burbank Studios and arrived there, and he was bent over double, having a plaster cast made of his bottom,\u201d she laughed. \u201cYou can only imagine him sort of peeking around the corner, having a giggle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo that was an interesting first time meeting the legendary Dick Van Dyke,\u201d she joked.<\/p>\n The British actress, who was only 9 when they filmed the enduring musical fantasy comedy, said keeping a straight face around him was almost impossible.<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke as Bert in \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke as Bert, Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins, Karen Dotrice as Jane Banks and Matthew Garber as Michael Banks in \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke attends the premiere of \u201cMary Poppins Returns\u201d in Los Angeles on Nov. 29, 2018. FilmMagic<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was it like to work with him? As I say, he was just a very naughty boy,\u201d Dotrice shared ahead of Van Dyke\u2019s milestone birthday<\/a> Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019d make you laugh so much,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd then the camera light went on, and you had to pull yourself together, which was really difficult, because you couldn\u2019t stop giggling.\u201d<\/p>\n One moment in particular left the cast and crew both amused and terrified. <\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice and Julie Andrews at a party for the 40th anniversary of \u201cMary Poppins\u201d in Los Angeles on Nov. 30, 2004. Getty Images<\/p>\n Karen Dotrice still runs into Dick Van Dyke out and about around their homes in Malibu, California.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the tea party sequence, Dick being Dick, he wasn\u2019t just going to sit there at a tea party,\u201d Dotrice recalled. \u201cHe was doing flips and turns, and everybody down below was going nuts. And my chaperone was like, \u2018Stop it, Karen, stop.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe were having a blast. I\u2019m surprised we didn\u2019t all die,\u201d she noted. \u201cBut he\u2019s about to be 100, so he does something right.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 60 years later, Van Dyke\u2019s joyful spirit hasn\u2019t changed, and Dotrice is still seeing signs of that classic Van Dyke vigor in real life.<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice in \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber and Julie Andrews in \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d LMPC via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s lovely. He actually lives in Malibu,\u201d where she lives as well, she shared. \u201cVery often I\u2019ll see him in our little grocery market down the hill. I\u2019ll meet him in the frozen food section behind the peas. He loves to go out and about, and he loves to meet his public. He\u2019s a super special, legendary American.\u201d<\/p>\n Dotrice believes the \u201cChitty Chitty Bang Bang\u201d star\u2019s boundless energy and a few signature moves are the secret to his longevity.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe just has this joie de vivre,\u201d she said. \u201cThe man is beyond alive and kicking. In fact, he does those sorts of sideways kicks that Dick\u2019s known for.\u201d<\/p>\n Karen Dotrice at the premiere of \u201cMary Poppins Returns\u201d in LA on Nov. 29, 2018. Getty Images for Disney<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke in \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke as Bert in \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n \u201cHe goes to the gym<\/a> every day,\u201d she continued. \u201cHe\u2019s so physically fit, and he has a lovely younger wife<\/a> who definitely keeps him fit. And so he\u2019s got it made in the shade. He\u2019s not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n