The character Meryl Streep called an asshole: “You are not going to want to do it”
For decades, Meryl Streep has played a wide array of characters, scooping up more Oscar nominations than any other actor in the history of the Academy Awards. The star, who began her career on stage, started appearing in films during the late 1970s, earning an Oscar nomination for one of her first ever movie roles in The Deer Hunter.
Streep arguably reached the height of her career in the 1980s, but that’s not to say that her career has simply waned in the years since. Rather, the ‘80s saw Streep appear in countless critical hits, from The French Lieutenant’s Woman to Sophie’s Choice, Silkwood, Out of Africa, and Ironweed.
By the end of the decade, however, she showed an interest in more comedic roles alongside dramatic parts, resulting in performances in the likes of She-Devil and Death Becomes Her. While this was balanced by plenty of serious roles, too, by the 2000s, Streep’s filmography looked incredibly varied. She picked up roles in comedy-dramas like Adaptation., The Devil Wears Prada, and the musical Mamma Mia!, unafraid to push herself into roles that were laced with silliness or a little over-the-top.
Streep isn’t afraid to play characters that are challenging in their nature, whether that be because of a complex backstory, or simply because it requires her to tap into a specific kind of tough personality. With her role in The Devil Wears Prada, Streep was cold, sarcastic, demanding, and terrifying, something she managed to execute incredibly well.
So, when Ryan Murphy came to casting the main roles in his musical comedy The Prom, he knew who to turn to. A master of playing complex roles while also naturally well-equipped for comedy and musicals, Streep seemed like the perfect choice to play the role of DeeDee Allen, an award-winning Broadway star with a career taking a downward spiral. The film was based on a Broadway play of the same name, in turn, inspired by a real incident in which a lesbian high-schooler, Emma, was told she wasn’t allowed to bring her girlfriend to prom.
In the film, a group of narcissistic actors –desperate for their careers not to die out – head to Indiana to try and lend a hand in helping Emma attend prom. DeeDee Allen is performed excellently by Streep, although the film received mixed reviews and hasn’t been remembered as fondly as Murphy’s other projects, such as his television shows Glee, American Horror Story, The Watcher, and Pose.
When Streep’s agent found out about the part, he was initially unsure if Streep would accept the part. She told The Hollywood Reporter, “ I remember when he said, ‘Now you’re not going to want to do this. It’s this thing. It’s been on Broadway, but you are not going to want to do it.’”
However, Streep immediately accepted, believing it would be a good time and also a poignant story to tell. She added, “Because it’s just … you’ve got to have some fun. This is based on a real thing that happened to kids in Indiana, and has a happy ending, everything we dream of in 2020. I wanted to do it. So, the character is a big asshole. I tried very hard to bring that part of me forward.”
