The role that changed everything for Meryl Streep: “It was a quantum leap”
Meryl Streep is associated with her iconic performances in the likes of Kramer vs Kramer, Bridges of Madison County and perhaps most importantly, The Devil Wears Prada, with a career forged from dangerous creative choices and a chameleon-esque ability to blend to the demands of any production, while remaining effortlessly blasé about the depths she achieved.
Like many actors, Streep had her beginnings on the stage, starring in the 1975 production of Trelawney of the Wells, with a Tony-winning performance for a double bill of 27 Wagons Full of Cotton and A Memory of Two Mondays the following year. However, while this career path is often romanticised, Streep later spoke about the reality of life behind the red curtain and the on-screen role that changed everything.
There has always been a divide between the world of acting on-screen and off-Broadway, with performances on the stage being separated from those in front of the camera and adding an edge that some would associate with ‘serious’ actors.
To work on the stage is a rite of passage that many of our greatest actors have been through, with the likes of Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Daniel Craig and Cate Blanchett starting their careers in the theatre. However, while it seems like a world of raw creative energy and passion, with an upside-down schedule that reflects the excitement of creating something from scratch every night.
Streep has highlighted the challenges of this lifestyle and how this changed after her first feature film role, saying, “Acting has never been agony for me. I don’t understand people for whom it is because I feel we are very privileged to be actors. When you start in the theatre, it doesn’t really seem like you’ll ever get famous. I mean, I was so familiar with that unemployment line on Lower Manhattan, and then to be plucked from the theatre and cast in Julia with Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave, it was really like Never-Never Land. It was a quantum leap, from making Broadway minimum, $235 dollars a week, to $2,000 dollars. I just couldn’t believe it.”
Julia, directed by Fred Zinnemann, tells the story of a playwright who attempts to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany after being encouraged by an old friend. Starring Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave, the film went on to receive eleven Academy Award nominations, which became the first of many decorated projects in Streep’s career.
She went on to star in The Deer Hunter the following year, along with Manhattan, Kramer vs Kramer and Sophie’s Choice. This marks an impressive streak that is nearly unheard of during the beginning of an actor’s career, with continuous performances that were lauded with critical praise and award nominations.
Working in theatre can be an experience that sets apart the truly dedicated actors, showing a level of fearlessness and vulnerability that many would be afraid of. Because of this, it’s unsurprising that many performers are discovered through their resilience on stage, with casting directors discovering some of the greatest actors on off-broadway stages and theatres, finding those that are willing to test themselves for their art and expand their craft in the most exposed format.
