The actors Meryl Streep modelled her career on: “They were just women being women”
Few words haven’t been written about Meryl Streep, with hundreds of critics praising her character work and chameleon-esque ability to adapt to any story. After starring in The Deer Hunter, Kramer VS Kramer, The Post, and Devil Wears Prada, the actor has become an unstoppable force in Hollywood and received 21 Oscar nominations for her work, evolving into something of a running gag that whenever she performs in something, she will likely be included in the prestigious category.
After studying at the Yale School of Drama, Streep had one of the best introductions to her craft, but despite this, she has named the actors that she most looked up to at the beginning of her career.
Streep has been very vocal about the challenges she faced early on in her career. The actor was told that she was “too ugly” for a role in King Kong and experienced doubts about her future in the industry. She has also described herself as a less conventional Hollywood heroine, but this is partly what has defined such a unique legacy on screen, with no one else being able to match what she brings to the table.
But there have been other actors with a similar presence, with Streep describing those who most inspired her and displayed a similar level of authenticity, saying, “I liked Liv Ullmann, Liza Minnelli, Irene Worth, Geraldine Page, Colleen Dewhurst. They weren’t women who were preoccupied mostly with how they looked or were they appealing; they were just women being women. I saw myself, and I still see myself, as a character actor, as a person who fits what I know into the skin of someone who doesn’t look like me necessarily or hasn’t been raised like I was”.
Ullmann was one of the most talented European actors of all time, building a career through her work with legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. After starring in the haunting 1966 film Persona, as well as Scenes from a Marriage and Cries and Whispers, Ullmann was praised for her emotional bravery and clarity in each role, allowing for deeply moving and complex performances.
Minnelli has had a varied career on stage and on-screen, being one of the few performers to be awarded the elusive EGOT status. With an extensive credit list of Tony award-winning musical performances and film roles in the likes of King of Comedy and New York New York, Minnelli is one of the last Hollywood legends and one of the true stars that has graced the stage.
Dewhurst, Page and Worth, meanwhile, all enjoyed glittering careers in very different roles, working with the likes of Woody Allen, David Cronenberg, Don Siegel and Sidney Lumet. It can be hard to forge your own path if you haven’t seen it attempted before, but all of these women were fearless in their creativity and authenticity, which led them to explore new cinematic territories that changed the landscape of film forever. While it may have been challenging for Streep to find her niche, her commitment to staying true to her strengths and what most interested her has led to an incomparable career that has lasted for many decades.
