The role Meryl Streep spent a year preparing for and never played: “I could rip her throat out”
Most actors can only dream of achieving the kind of success that Meryl Streep has acquired over the course of her long and illustrious career – one that doesn’t show any signs of stopping. The actor began, as many performers do, on stage before making her film debut in 1977’s Julia.
It didn’t take Streep long to prove herself to be an icon of the silver screen, however, appearing in The Deer Hunter in 1978 and swiftly earning her first Oscar nomination. The following year, she appeared in the divorce drama Kramer vs. Kramer alongside Dustin Hoffman, which then landed Streep her first Oscar win. Over the course of the next few years, she was a consistent nominee, earning six Academy Award nominations in the 1980s alone, winning one for Sophie’s Choice.
Streep’s legacy as one of Hollywood’s most impressive stars, able to embody any character you put in front of her – in seemingly any genre, too – has not tarnished in the decades she has been appearing in movies. In fact, with each new movie she takes on, she proves her diverse range even further. In the 2000s, for example, Streep played roles that might not have been expected of her back in the ‘80s like the darkly comic Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada and Donna in the musical romance Mamma Mia!.
Yet, she is able to lead emotionally-driven and serious dramas as much as she can impress in a humorous musical – she’s just that good. In fact, Streep was set to play Evita in the musical drama of the same name, directed by Alan Parker, until the plans fell through. She was devastated, not only because she wanted the part, but because it had instead gone to Madonna – a singer whose previous acting credits were not exactly impressive.
Evita began as a concept album penned by musical theatre icon Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, which subsequently became a West End production. It then took many years for the film version to enter production, with various directors and actors being considered before Madonna was eventually given the part. Even Ken Russell was hired at one point, quitting when it became apparent that his pick to play the lead, Liza Millenni, would not be possible.
When Oliver Stone was brought in to write the movie in 1989, he chose Streep to play the lead, and she began prepping for a year. Yet, when Weintraub Entertainment Group dropped the film, it became clear to Streep that this wasn’t going to be a smooth-sailing production. She left the project before changing her mind, but it was too late.
Stone left the project and the movie’s development continued with Madonna now taking the lead. It was a “bitter disappointment,” Streep told The New York Times. In reference to the singer’s casting, Streep even went as far as to say, “I could rip her throat out. I can sing better than she can, if that counts for anything.” After dedicating herself to the part, she was incredibly disappointed that it would no longer be hers, but sadly, that’s the harsh reality of Hollywood.
