Legendary actor behind Masked Singer 's Gnome on shocking reveal and making people cry
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Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Masked Singer season 9 premiere.
Gnome is heading back to guard gardens everywhere, but not before he made a huge splash on The Masked Singer stage.
The wild disguised celebrity singing show returned for its 9th season on Fox Wednesday night, and the first elimination of the evening was touted for weeks as the "the most legendary, decorated and beloved unmasking in history," and they weren't wrong. After performing Billie Holiday's "When You're Smiling," Gnome was the first to get axed.
After taking off the mask, Gnome was revealed to be Tony, Emmy, and Grammy winner Dick Van Dyke, which sent the audience and panelists Robin Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg into quite a tizzy. Scherzinger in particular started to audibly sob in the presence of the beloved Mary Poppins and Dick Van Dyke Show star.
Ahead of the reveal, EW spoke with Van Dyke — joined by his wife, Arlene Silver, in case of a bad phone connection — about why The Masked Singer was the weirdest thing he's ever done, why he fought to sing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" at the end of the show, what he thinks about people crying over him, and more.
Michael Becker / FOX Dick Van Dyke as Gnome on 'The Masked Singer'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your reaction to getting asked to do The Masked Singer?
DICK VAN DYKE: Well, when they asked me to do it, I had never seen it. So I looked at it on the air and it looked like fun. And I was so positive that nobody would ever guess it was me, that they would have somebody 97 years old on there. And the experience was weird, because they have to keep it a secret from the crew. So I walked around with my head covered with people leading me. They've got a nice crew, but I never got to meet any of them!
Would you say it's the weirdest thing you've ever done?
VAN DYKE: I would say it's the weirdest thing I've ever done. But they didn't put a mask on me. They made a great big like Pumpkinhead thing that I had to do. It was a weird experience. I had two little peepholes I can see the audience with. It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic.
You sang Billie Holiday's "When You're Smiling." Why that song — were there others you really wanted to do?
VAN DYKE: Well, they wanted me to do more current songs, about which I know nothing. So I said I'd like to sing an old familiar song. And they liked that one. And I did too. I didn't realize that Frank Sinatra had even done it. We did more of a kind of a Dixieland arrangement of it. And I was happy to say that some people thought it was Tony Bennett. But then other people thought it was Dustin Hoffman.
Yes, and Robert De Niro.
VAN DYKE: [Laughs] Wait a minute, those guys can't sing...
How did you feel about those guesses?
VAN DYKE: Well, I felt pretty good about Tony Bennett. I wasn't crazy about any of the other ones. But I knew that they couldn't guess who I was. I don't think they expected anybody from my generation to be on that show. So I knew I was gonna fool them. They were so surprised. I stepped out and everybody's mouths dropped open. I think some people thought I was dead.
There was a strong reaction to your unmasking, with panelist Nicole Scherzinger literally sobbing. Do you get that reaction a lot?
VAN DYKE: I have had that happen, yes. You know what is fun now? We're on our third generation and I would get little kids who will see me and say, "It's [his Mary Poppins character] Bert!" And I love that, that kids are just discovering those movies now. And it's great to be on a third generation.
Speaking of, you got to sing fan-favorite Mary Poppins song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" at the end there. What was that like for you, to bring that back?
VAN DYKE: Oh, yeah, actually they wanted me to sing "Feed the Birds" —
ARLENE SILVER: No, it was "Chim Chim Cher-ee"
VAN DYKE: Oh, yeah. And we thought "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" was a little more peppy and more fun to sing. And a lot of the audience started to sing with us, too. It was great, great fun to bring back those memories for people.
Christopher Polk/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Dick Van Dyke says 'The Masked Singer' is the 'weirdest thing' he's ever done.
It must be really special after all this time to see the love for your work.
VAN DYKE: So much fun — the only thing that bothers me is the old Dick Van Dyke Show still runs in reruns. But now, there are twice as many commercials than there used to be, so the shows are chopped all up and I can't even watch them. We put them together so carefully, and now they just don't work too well. That makes me mad.
Other than it being weird, what did The Masked Singer experience mean to you?
SILVER: The whole crew was so awesome. And they all seem like they love their job. And it was just a great environment. Very creative. We loved it.
VAN DYKE: I've got to go back and hang out and see all the guys I worked with. I wouldn't recognize them.
So you'd be open to going back, then? Maybe as a guest panelist?
VAN DYKE: Yeah. Nobody would expect it.
As pointed out on the show, you are a Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winner. That's one shy of EGOT status. How are we going to get you that Oscar?
VAN DYKE: Oh, I don't know. [Laughs] When Julie Andrews got the Oscar, the Mary Poppins crew made me an award made out of nuts and bolts, and it's one of a kind, and I'm very proud of it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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