By CARA BUCKLEY

Lin-Manuel Miranda, at an Oscars event last week. Of working with Meryl Streep on “Mary Poppins Returns,” he said, “It’s very surreal.”

With his Academy Award nomination for best song, for “How Far I’ll Go” from the Disney movie “Moana,” the Broadway sensation Lin-Manuel Miranda is very close to gaining entry to the most exclusive performing arts group: EGOT holders, people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. (He has already won an Emmy, two Grammys and three Tonys, along with a Pulitzer and a MacArthur fellowship).

Mr. Miranda has been working in London this winter on the film “Mary Poppins Returns,” polishing his Cockney accent to play the chimney sweep Bert’s apprentice opposite Emily Blunt. He chatted with the Bagger by phone about how “Moana” kept his ego in check as “Hamilton” blew up, and the transformative effects of “The Little Mermaid.” Here are edited excerpts from the conversation:

How’s it going in London? Are people asking you all the time what’s going on in America?

I’m in the middle of a dream job dancing with Emily Blunt all day, and extremely grateful to be here. They’ve got their head around America — they’re going through Brexit at the same time, so there’s similar uncertainty in their future.

When is the first time you heard the word EGOT and when did you set your sights on it?

I never set my sights on it. The best way to not get an EGOT is to set your sights on it. I knew about it early, because I remember reading that Rita Moreno, the patron saint of Puerto Rican kids, had won all four prizes. But the first time I heard EGOT itself was when Tracy Jordan reintroduced it on “30 Rock.”

Can you talk about how “The Little Mermaid” influenced you?

It launched my own musical career. When Sebastian broke out into the calypso number, I was sort of never the same. It was just so contemporary and unexpected and delightful. I remember feeling dizzy seeing that number, the weightlessness of being transported. “The Little Mermaid” is the reason I became an Oscars nerd. I remember recording the Oscars that year. I had skin in the game.

And now you’re working on a live-action version of “The Little Mermaid,” right?

That news leaked super early. We haven’t formalized anything. I would say that I’m invested emotionally but not attached.

Did Disney approach you or did you approach Disney, for “Moana”?

I interviewed in the winter of 2013 and got the job in the spring, seven and a half months before “Hamilton” opened at the Public. I’d sent them a six-song demo, stuff that emphasized going between languages. I knew a component would be working with Samoan and being able to thread that needle gracefully.

The “Moana” people must have been so amped after “Hamilton” took off.

I think it was mixed. Our producer was like, “Yeah, he’ll finish his founding father musical, and then we’ll have him to write these songs.” For me, “Moana” was an ego check and an oasis in my life as the “Hamilton” phenomenon kept growing. I had to say no to a lot of stuff that would have distracted me. That’s when I wrote songs for “Moana.” I stayed a writer and my head never got too big.

What’s your “Mary Poppins” accent like? Dick Van Dyke got pilloried for his.

I would describe the accent as just shy of Cockney east. More Anthony Newley than Stanley Holloway. That’s a very musical-theater reference. I’m watching British stand-up comedy — East End guys — and I’m also listening to a lot of music, like Billy Bragg. The East End accent now is very different from in the ’30s. You’ll see that mistake on both sides a lot. I’ve seen British productions of American shows and it’s like, “Yeah, that’s a New York accent, but I’m not sure what decade.’” I asked Meryl Streep, who’s in the film, what her favorite British accent is. She said Thatcher. Thatcher was a self-created persona. [Thatcher] took elocution lessons, and made up her own accent.

And now you get to say things like, “I asked Meryl Streep about it!”

I did it with full humility, knowing my best accent wouldn’t touch her work. It’s very surreal to work with her. She’s a joy, a delight.

Your Editor Asks: Is it real that Lin Manuel is considering politics?