Arlene Silver Reveals Spat with Famous Costume Designer Over Husband Dick Van Dyke’s Dancing Shoes on Mary Poppins Returns

Dick Van Dyke stole the show in Disney’s 2018 Mary Poppins Returns with a spirited dance sequence that reminded audiences of his timeless charm and boundless energy. 

Reprising his role of Mr. Dawes Jr. in the magical world of Cherry Tree Lane, Van Dyke’s performance was a nostalgic celebration of his enduring legacy — 54 years after the original film came out.

During the third annual Vandy Camp event in Malibu, Calif., last month, his wife Arlene Silver shared behind-the-scenes stories and recounted a dispute with legendary costume designer Colleen Atwood, 76, over the shoes her husband wore during his iconic dance.

“I have a great story about that dance sequence,” Silver shared. “So he was 92, I think, when he did that movie. And I’m with him with everything. I help him rehearse. I do everything for him.”

Silver has been by her husband’s side since their first meeting at the SAG Awards in 2006. After tying the knot in 2012, she’s been helping him rehearse and advocate for what he needs to perform at his best. 

“So the costumer, Colleen Atwood, very like Academy Award-winning costume designer, she was adamant about him wearing these period-accurate shoes,” she shares.

Silver says Van Dyke, now 99, was ready to dance – but only in his trusted jazz shoes, noting that the footwear became “a real…pushing point.” 

“He said, ‘I am not going to be able to dance in those,’” Silver, 53, recalled, referring to her husband’s firm stance on the shoes Atwood wanted him to wear for the film.

Silver had her husband’s back, telling Atwood that “he can’t dance with those heavy shoes. He needs the light jazz shoes.”

In the end, the couple “won” the spat after Silver suggested the use of CGI to fix the issue. “No one’s looking at his shoes, they’re looking at him,” she recalled telling Atwood and her team.

While they could change the look of the shoes in post-production, Silver emphasized that Van Dyke’s dance was all him.

During the scene, she says the had planned several ways for Van Dyke to step onto the desk – some involving staff, some involving props – but he turned them all down. 

“He said, ‘No, no, no, I want to do it, the hardest one.’ And he did,” she revealed. “That is him. That is not CGI.”

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Seven years later and Van Dyke has no intention of slowing down. Back in April, he told PEOPLE exclusively that he still wants to win an Academy Award one day. Although that comes with hard work, he admitted: “I love what I do for a living.” 

Apart from winning five Primetime Emmy Awards, Van Dyke also has a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Bye Bye Birdie and a Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album for Mary Poppins (shared with the cast). Winning an Oscar would earn him the prestigious EGOT status.