Meryl Streep names the only must-see movies of her career: “They always say that”
Meryl Streep is very good at lots of things. She’s an insanely talented actor, we all know that, but it’s consistency and variety that’s the most impressive thing about her. She’s been so good for so long in so many different roles, from deadly serious dramas to dark comedies to frivolous family musicals. Another thing Streep is good at is winning awards – lots and lots of awards.
She’s the most nominated performer in the history of the Oscars, picking up 21 nods that have yielded three victories across the better part of 40 years. Her nearest competitors, Jack Nicholson and Katharine Hepburn, have a measly 12 nominations each. Pathetic. She’s also won Baftas, Golden Globes, Emmys, SAGs, and about a million other minor awards, too, making her one of the most decorated (if not the most decorated) actors of all time.
Another honour was bestowed upon her by the Coolidge Corner Theatre in 2006. The institution is a non-profit cultural centre that has been a part of the Boston suburb of Brookline since 1933. They began handing out their Coolidge Award in 2005 to artists they believe “advance the spirit of original and challenging cinema”. Recipients include director Werner Herzog, actor and activist Jane Fonda, Martin Scorsese’s long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and, of course, Ms Streep, who was the second ever honoree behind Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.
In celebration of her decades of great work, the Coolidge ran a career retrospective on Streep, showing films like The Deer Hunter and Sophie’s Choice. When asked by the Boston Globe which of her movies she would show if she were in charge, the star jokingly replied, “All of them!” before then providing a serious answer.
“I really don’t know,” she said. “I certainly would include A Cry in the Dark and Ironweed and The Bridges of Madison County and Adaptation.”
Also known as Evil Angels in some territories, A Cry in the Dark covers the infamous case of Azaria Chamberlain, a nine-week-old baby supposedly killed by a dingo in the Australian outback. Streep plays Azaria’s mother, Lindy. Ironweed is a drama set during the Great Depression, while The Bridges of Madison County paired Streep with Clint Eastwood for a story of romance in the Iowa countryside. Finally, there’s Adaptation, which would have been only four years old when this interview was conducted. That film is most famous for Nicolas Cage’s dual portrayal of twins, Charlie and Donald Kaufman.
She was then asked if she would include anything from her run of comedies in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which includes the likes of She-Devil, Postcards from the Edge, and Death Becomes Her. Not only did Streep rule any of these movies out, but she also dismissed the notion that this portion of her career was defined by laughs.
“They always say that,” she said. “But in the string of comedies there was always, you know, The House of the Spirits – which wasn’t that funny – and things like The River Wild.”
With a career as lengthy and rich as hers, asking Streep to choose her own ‘must-see’ films is tantamount to torture. She does a good job narrowing down some of the most essential works, but her filmography is so deep that it’s impossible to cover it all with just a handful of picks.
