Green carpet for Shrek stars

Monster magic: Antonio Banderas with wife Melanie Griffith
11 April 2012
The Weekender

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London put on a monster party last night as stars the hotly-anticipated sequel Shrek 2 turned out in force for the film's UK premiere.

Julie Andrews, the voice of Queen Lillian, Antonio Banderas, the man behind Puss in Boots and John Cleese (King Harold) were just some of the stars to grace the green carpet - in homage to the colour of the Shrek ogre - in Leicester Square.

The actors had only met up as a team during the Cannes premiere last month, as most of their parts were recorded in tiny booths across different parts of the world.

Last night they were greeted by fans of the movie which has taken more than £200 million, more than five times the amount it cost to make, since it was released in May in the US.

Some of the stars of the animated movie, like Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), who reportedly picked up £5.5 million for their parts, failed to make it.

Banderas said he took his inspiration for Puss in Boots from animals belonging to his mother-in-law.

The 43-year-old said: "We had a lot of creative input into the script. They demanded information from us about the characters, and now I know why the first movie felt so fresh."

The Zorro star added: "I have two cats at home but more dogs. My mother-in-law has 72 big cats and that's how I did my research."

Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music star Dame Julie said: "You never set out to make a flop, but it's been such a huge success, I'm delighted."

Dressed in a black suit, she said it was great to meet up with fellow Brit John Cleese.

"He's someone I've always admired but never met, and when we did one afternoon we had a terrific laugh. We talked about England, what we love and miss."

The 68-year-old told a news conference earlier today that at first she was in two minds about playing Princess Fiona's mother.

"At first I wasn't sure. I've never done an animated character before. Mary Poppins involved animation but there were no animated characters in it," she said.

"Initially I wanted to make my voice sound animated or sub-normal. Eventually they said 'Please be yourself, that's what we wanted.'

The star added that she "couldn't wait" to see the forthcoming Mary Poppins musical.

Cleese, 64, said: "I asked them what voice they wanted me to use, and they said we just want you to use your normal voice, and that was great. It made my life easier than if they had wanted a Bulgarian or Danish accent."

Rupert Everett, the voice of Prince Charming, and Jennifer Saunders, the Fairy Godmother, were also at last night's event.

Other celebrities at the Sky Movies Charities Premiere included Oasis star Liam Gallagher and his son Gene, Jade Jagger and Ulrika Jonsson's husband Lance Gerrard-Wright, with her son Cameron.

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