The co-star Diane Keaton described as “transporting”
A key fixture of Hollywood in the 1970s, Diane Keaton had a key role in elevating a number of late 20th-century classics. Rubbing shoulders with such other contemporary stars as Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Marlon Brando and Olivia Newton-John, Keaton thrived in such movies as Manhattan, Radio Days and The Godfather, working with some of the industry’s finest filmmakers.
Starring in a number of minor TV and movie roles in the early ‘70s, Keaton’s first big break came in the 1973 ‘Best Picture’ winner The Godfather, helmed by Francis Ford Coppola. Playing the key role of Kay Adams, the wife of Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, Keaton brings class and innocence to this brutal tale of crime and capitalism that toys with the concept of the American dream.
The Godfather was far from Keaton’s only hit, however, later collaborating with director Woody Allen for a number of projects, including Sleeper, Annie Hall and Manhattan. Finding sustained success through to the end of the century, Keaton also gained an Oscar nomination in 1996 for her performance in Marvin’s Room, where she co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro.
Enamoured by her fellow female co-star in the movie, Keaton revealed her plaudits for Streep in an interview with Film Scouts from 1996.
When asked how it was working with the actor, Keaton replied, “transporting,” before adding: “Just to look at her face whips me up and whisks me onto a better place as an actress. She gives you a tremendous amount, she’s there, she’s always there. And the miracle is that…you just get lost in her eyes. I do, anyway. And that’s a wonderful thing to do, when the camera is on you and you gotta say those lines and be thinking about this, and suddenly you look at her face and it’s like… this attention! She’s so present, she’s really there – for you!”.
Widely known as one of the best female actors of all time, Streep has earned three Oscars throughout her career and a remarkable total of 21 nominations. Collaborating with such filmmakers as Robert Benton, Spike Jonze, Steven Spielberg and Michael Cimino, Streep is a fearless performer who has played a variety of roles and continues to innovate the art of cinematic performance.
Take a look at a clip of Keaton and Steep side-by-side in Marvin’s Room below.
