Are Meryl Streep’s Oscar-winning days over?
It’s no secret that Meryl Streep is an Oscar champion, with more nominations to her name than any other actor in the ceremony’s history. While Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most wins of any actor with four golden statuettes on her mantel, Streep has been nominated for 21, winning three. It’s undeniable that Streep is an incredible and versatile actor, taking on everything from moving dramas to lighthearted comedies and musicals, but are Streep’s Oscar-winning days now firmly behind her?
Initially starting out as a theatre actor, Streep was inspired to make the leap from stage to screen after watching Robert De Niro’s blistering performance in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. She ended up starring alongside Jane Fonda in her first ever movie, Julia, in 1977, before appearing opposite the likes of Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and her then-boyfriend, the late John Cazale, in The Deer Hunter. It was this film – her second-ever role – that gave Streep her first Oscar nomination.
She might have lost out to Maggie Smith, but just a few years later, it was Streep who got to take home her first Oscar, winning ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for Kramer vs. Kramer. It was the first of several wins, with Streep then earning six more nominations over the course of the ‘80s, taking home ‘Best Actress’ for Sophie’s Choice. In the ‘90s, Streep scooped up three more nominations, before picking up five more in the 2000s. Finally, 2012’s The Iron Lady won Streep her third Oscar for her performance as Margaret Thatcher.
Since then, Streep has earned five more Academy Award nominations, with her most recent being 2018’s The Post. So, it’s been seven years since the actor was nominated for an Oscar, despite the fact that she has appeared in seven movies in the years that have followed. This is the longest gap in Streep’s Oscar streak, leaving us wondering when her next nomination will come – or if it ever will.
Has Streep begun making questionable career choices? Or are her performances simply not up to her usual standard? Since The Post, Streep has appeared in two musical comedies, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Mary Poppins Returns. While the latter picked up several nominations for its music, costumes, and production design, neither are the kinds of films the Oscars typically award acting accolades; thus, it’s not surprising that these films failed to garner Streep any nominations.
Meanwhile, several titles she has appeared in during recent years have been nominated for ‘Best Picture’, including Little Women and Don’t Look Up, but her performances, while good, were not Oscar-worthy. Compared to the previous roles she has been nominated for, Streep just hasn’t given a performance in recent years that lives up to these.
It seems as though Streep’s roles since her last Oscar nomination have been less intense or demanding than the ones she became known for in the ‘80s. We all know that the Oscars favour performances that are incredibly dramatic, portray famous figures, force the actor to undergo a significant physical transformation, or simply appear in highly-anticipated movies by well-known directors. In recent years, Streep has swayed from these kinds of roles, allowing herself to have more fun with her acting, as well as exploring television with parts in Big Little Lies and Only Murders in the Building.
However, there’s no reason for Streep to turn down a substantial leading or supporting role in the coming years, which could very likely win her an Oscar. Whether the Academy will choose to honour Streep for a likely end-of-career showstopper is another question.
