The actor Cher compared to the perfect killing machine: “That’s what she was born to be”
One of the most iconic pop stars who also found success in Hollywood, Cher has had the opportunity to work with the very best. Ranging from Kurt Russell to Nicolas Cage, the actor-musician has experienced the magic of working alongside some of the greatest talents the industry has to offer.
However, despite her lengthy filmography and a long list of distinguished co-stars, only one left an impression on Cher like nobody else. That is, of course, none other than Meryl Streep, the first name that comes to mind when people talk about the most accomplished acting legends who are still alive and active.
For just about 50 years, Streep has been in every movie. Every single one. The timbre of the role, the genre, whether or not she forces us to listen to her sing, whatever. She’ll do anything, and she’s (usually) good at it. Highbrow, lowbrow, action, comedy, drama, she’ll do it with enthusiasm. That said, we’ve seen her in lazy movies, but we haven’t really seen a lazy performance out of her.
Streep got her start in 1975 in theatre, finding starring roles in plays like Trelawny of the Wells, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, A Memory of Two Mondays and other titles that sound made up. Every production won various theatre awards with equally implausible names, and Meryl Streep made her big screen debut in 1977’s Julia. She went on to win an Academy Award for 1979’s Kramer vs Kramer and 1982’s Sophie’s Choice. It wasn’t the last time; more awards and accolades would stack up as time went on.
From Streep’s contemporary work as Hollywood’s resident royalty to her performances in The Devil Wears Prada, Don’t Look Up, or musicals like Mama Mia!, she has done it all. Even at this age, it’s almost impossible to say that age has finally caught up with her since she’s still at the top of her game.
Her peers and colleagues share this sentiment about Streep’s accomplishments, and you’ll have to look hard and squint your eyes to find someone with a negative thing to say about her career. It makes it vexing to write articles of interest about her as there’s nothing salacious to say, really. She’s been in some bad movies? Yeah, a few. However, as stated before, her performance is never the focus of criticism.
To this point, Mike Nichols, the director of 1983’s Silkwood, said, “Meryl is actually great… There is no other performer I would say this of.” Nora Ephron, who did the screenplay, added, “We’re talking genius here.” The film is a biopic adapting the book Who Killed Sarah Silkwood by Rolling Stone journalist Howard Kohn. It follows his investigation into the life of a whistle-blower on nuclear misconduct and labour organiser who died under mysterious circumstances, Meryl Streep playing the character in question.
Even Cher, Streep’s co-star, called her “an acting machine in the same sense that a shark is a killing machine. That’s what she was born to be.” Looking into Meryl Streep’s career, bereft of gossip and scandal – no poor, unenthusiastic performances, no matter the role – that she may be a part of a malevolent conspiracy to make clickbait journalists’ jobs harder. And that’s quite alright.
