The one thing Meryl Streep called a “killer” for her career: “You’re fucking dead”
How does one define greatness? In the world of cinema and acting, there are many different ways.
While nobody has come up with the one definitive metric – and they never will, in case you were wondering – that hasn’t stopped people putting forward their theories. In terms of the names that come up time and time again in discussions of the ‘GOAT’, you’ve got your Daniel Day-Lewises, your Marlon Brandos, your Robert de Niros. However, it’s hard to look past Meryl Streep.
In terms of achievements, Streep is miles ahead of everyone else. She’s a three-time Oscar winner, having achieved this from a record-setting 21 nominations. She’s won four Emmys, two Baftas, nine Golden Globes, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and about five million other miscellaneous trinkets and trophies. Then there’s her output, which contains some of the greatest films ever made. It’s as simple as that.
Unfortunately, being one of the best to ever do it isn’t as straightforward as it seems. At least not according to Streep. During an interview with The Guardian, the publication brought up a conversation the star had with Oprah Winfrey about self-doubt. When asked if she still feels that way after decades of being labelled one of the greats, Streep confirmed that this characterisation of her made things worse.
“When you have people writing these things, that you’re the greatest thing that ever ate scenery, you’re dead,” she claimed. “You’re fucking dead. How can you even presume to begin a new character? It’s a killer.”
This might seem like ungrateful whining from an out-of-touch star, but Streep does have a point. When you’ve given as many outstanding performances as she has across such a long career, people begin to expect a certain level. Other actors are held to different standards, so she has to work much harder to maintain her average. Look at the aforementioned Mr Brando.
Due to the likes of On the Waterfront and The Godfather, his lacklustre appearances in The Island of Dr Moreau or Christopher Columbus: The Discovery seem even worse by comparison, but let’s also not forget that Streep has had to navigate an industry that has been notoriously harsh on women, because ask yourself – ‘How many great female actors have given one mediocre performance and were then never heard from again?’.
There’s also the issue of the actor becoming bigger than any character they are assigned to play. Author Susan Orlean said she found it “almost comical” when she discovered that Streep would be portraying her in Adaptation, and although this was meant as a compliment, it raises an interesting point – ‘How many times have you been watching a movie and struggled to believe that a major actor is playing a character?’ This happens to me with Tom Cruise all the time. Instead of thinking, ‘That’s Ethan Hunt’ or ‘That’s Pete Mitchell’, I’ll think, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Tom Cruise’.
As the old saying goes, ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown’. Streep has managed to overcome the obstacles associated with the very top of her profession, but it certainly hasn’t been easy.
