Meryl Streep

[Deleted]

LOVE HER!!! I think she's one of the only, if not the only, truely respectable actress working in Hollywood. She is the most talented, praised and successful actresses, yet she's managed to keep her private life private, is still married to the same man, and doesn't **** herself out.

[mrpancake]

Question if anyone knows - IMDB is saying Flora Plum is filming. Is that actually true? I've heard about the project for years, but I know they kept running into roadblocks. I haven't heard anything about it, so I wonder if filming is just an error in their reporting. Yeah, Kafka, it was so cool meeting her because, truthfully, if you had asked me if I could meet any celebrity I would have chosen her. And there she was. And she was busy and could have easily blown us off, but she let us ramble to her and gush about her, and then complimented us on how sweet we were. My friend and I always joke about how we're so close with Meryl and that had she won that year, she would have no doubt mentioned us in her acceptance speech. Oh, and, not film, but she was amazing in Angels in America, which was amazing to begin with. Had that been a movie (or two or three, based on its length) I would definitely have loved to see it sweep the Academy Awards. What a beautiful miniseries.

[kafka]

MrPancake, you're really making my evening with all this stuff about Meryl. Thank GOD one celeb/actor ('cuz there is a difference) hasn't disillusioned me by turning out to be a complete louse in real life. It would have broken my heart to hear that about Meryl because she really is one of my favorites. But on top of that, I actually respect her, and I respect few people in Hollywood. Like, yes but respect is a whole other ballfield. (Ballfield? Ballgame? Which is the correct American term? Oh, screw it. who cares. lol)

So, tell me, what does she look like in real life? And was her husband nearby at the time you met her?

BTW, Angels in America.... you're right, it's a shame it couldn't qualify for an Oscar. I didn't like all the performances but some were simply incredible. And, although I'm not a Pacino fan any longer, he made me loathe Roy Cohn even more than I did to begin with.

[mrpancake]

Well, I personally think she is quite beautiful in movies and she looks very much the same as she does on screen. Her skin is like porcelain, very smooth (very white!) and beautiful. Generally, at Academy Award rehersals the celebrities just get in and get out as fast as they can. She was pretty well put together, though, some celebs do a jeans and a T-shirt thing, she was business-casual. I didn't see her husband around, just her "people." She was holding a boquet of flowers (not sure why), and taking pictures of all the setup of the Academy Awards. It was funny to see someone who has been there a zillion times before still taking pictures of all the little things. My friend actually has my hard drive that has my pictures on it, but I took a few pictures of her taking pictures. I'll post those. I'd post the picture of me and her, but honest to God, it's me at the height of an awkward phase, and it isn't pretty (ugly hair, acne, braces, poor dress, the works!). Not sure when I'll have the hard drive back, but I'll definitely put them up when I get it back and when I remember. (Remind me if more than a week passes and if you're interested)

[kafka]

Oh, I am interested, I am, I am, I am!!!! (Urgh, that sounded like something out of "Sam I am" or the Sean Penn film). I have no photoshopping skills but, if you do, and if you are so uncomfortable about how you appear, perhaps you can blur out your face in the pictures? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or forced into anything but, at the same time, I'm sure you are very cute and have nothing to worry about in the slightest! Still, I know what it's like to feel awkward or self-conscious, so please don't feel obliged to post the photos if you'd rather not.

Back to Meryl, I think it's incredibly sweet that she was taking photos of the Auditorium because it shows she isn't blasé. Plus, it makes sense in a way since the sets change every year. She probably wants to save the photos for her children.

I went to check IMDb to see just how many children she had and was surprised to see that she has 9 films in production or coming out. NINE!!!!!!!!!!!! NINE!!!!!!!! Jesus Christ, she must be the hardest working actress around!!!!

Just for fun, I thought I would post some of the Trivia on her from the IMDb site because some I knew, and others I didn't, especially the Madonna fact for the movie I mentioned in a prior post. (UGH, can you imagine how that film would have turned out??). And I wonder why Katherine Hepburn hated her. It makes me like The Great Kate a lot less. Anyway, here's the trivia:

Named Best Modern Actress in an Entertainment Weekly on-line poll, substantially beating out runner-up Michelle Pfeiffer. [September 1999]

Learned to play the violin, by practicing 6 hours a day for 8 weeks, for her role in Music of the Heart (1999).

Has a fear of helicopters.

SNIP

Ranked #24 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Married with 4 children: Henry, Mary Willa, Grace, Louisa

Educated at Yale University. Studied Drama.

Graduated from Vassar College in 1971.

Once engaged to actor John Cazale

Graduated from Bernards High School.

Before making it big, she was a waitress at The Hotel Somerset in Somerville, New Jersey, USA.

Was a cheerleader and homecoming queen in high school.

She left her just-claimed Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) on the back of a toilet during the 1979 festivities.

Replaced Madonna for the lead in Music of the Heart (1999).

Her son, Henry W. Gummer ("Hank"), is a student at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. [2001]

SNIP
Tennessee Williams wanted her for a film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in the 80s. When Streep proved unavailable, the project was refashioned for television and the role of Blanche given to Ann-Margret.

She is the most nominated actor ever for an Academy Award, with 13 nominations.

Has a deviated septum which she refuses to have fixed. Directors work around it by avoiding straight-on close-ups.

Has 4 children; Henry Gummer (aka Harry Gummer) (b. 1979), Mary Willa Gummer (aka Mamie Gummer) (b. 1983), Grace Jane Gummer (b. 1986), and Louisa Jacobson Gummer (b. 12 June, 1991)

Measurements: 34B-26-36 (from film SFX torso mold done in 1982), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

The children's TV series "Sesame Street" (1969) has featured a character named "Meryl Sheep", in her honor.

Was originally supposed to play the role of Iris Hineman is the film Minority Report (2002), but had to back out. She was replaced by Lois Smith.

Her character Karen Silkwood from her 1983 film Silkwood (1983) was ranked #47 on the American Film Institute Heroes list of the 100 years of The Greatest Screen Heroes and Villians.

Presented Paul McCartney with the 1990 Grammy Lifetime Achievement award. Attended the Beatles concert at Shea Stadium in 1965 with an "I love Paul" sign. which she mentioned when presenting the award to McCartney.

SNIP

Spent a year as a transfer student at Dartmouth College where she participated in theater.

Applied to Law School.

Sigourney Weaver was a fellow classmate at Yale Drama School

Back at the Drama school, she and Sigourney Weaver appeared in a play staged in a swimming pool together. The play is called 'The Frogs'.

Diane Keaton calls her "my generation's genius."

May 27, 2004 was proclaimed "Meryl Streep Day" by Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields. [May 2004]

She was voted the 37th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

As a young actor, she performed at the Yale Repertory Theater with Christopher Lloyd.

According to Katharine Hepburn's official biographer A. Scott Berg, Meryl Streep was her least favorite modern actress on screen: "Click, click, click," she said, referring to the wheels turning inside Streep's head.

Has only been turned down for two roles. Patsy Cline in Sweet Dreams (1985) and Miss Kenton in The Remains of the Day (1993).

SNIP
Mentioned by first name only (with two-time co-star Jack Nicholson) in Michael Crichton's 2004 novel "State of Fear".

SNIP
She was voted the 46th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.

Born and raised in suburban New Jersey.

Took serious singing lessons.

SNIP
Is the second of 4 consecutive winners of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar to have the initials "M.S.". The others are: Maggie Smith - California Suite (1978), Mary Steenburgen - Melvin and Howard (1980), and Maureen Stapleton - Reds (1981).

Received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Middlebury College during her nephew's graduation in 2004.

She attended Harding Township Middle School, in Harding, New Jersey for 1 or 2 years

Sold her New York City townhouse for $9.1 million in February 2006. She was forced to slash the asking price for the eight-bedroom Manhattan property from $12 million to secure a sale. Streep bought the house for $2.2 million in 1995, according to the New York Post.

Early in her career, Streep received a letter from Bette Davis, whom most critics and cinema historians ranks as the greatest American movie actress ever. Davis told Streep that she felt that she was her successor as the premier American actress. Ironicaly, Katharine Hepburn despised Streep as an actress. Davis, a double winner who was nominated 10 times for an Academy Award, all of them Best Actress nods, set the record for most acting nominations with her tenth in 1963 for _Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" , a record later surpassed by Hepburn with her 11th nomination (and 3rd win) for The Lion in Winter (1968). Hepburn extended her record with her 12th nomination (and fourth win) for On Golden Pond (1981), a record ironically eclipsed by by Streep -- the actress anointed Davis' successor -- with her own 13th nod for Adaptation. (2002).

[Mutagen]

In addition to the obviously great films mentioned already, one of my guilty pleasures is the fact that I stop to watch The River Wild every time I see it on TV. What? WHAT?!

Meryl was also engaged to John Cazale, Fredo from the Godfather movies, when he died young of bone cancer. I don't know many details but that story always makes me very sad.

[MrsCatHead]

She looked amazing up there with Lily Tomlin. Her hair, dress, makeup...all perfect. For ANY age!

[Deleted]

I love that Katharine Hepburn despised her. I think Hepburn was a terribly nasty woman. That only raises Meryl in my mind.

[Mutagen]

Oh dish, why did Hepburn despise her?

[kafka]

mutagen said:

Oh dish, why did Hepburn despise her?

The IMDb trivia I quoted above only says this: "According to Katharine Hepburn's official biographer A. Scott Berg, Meryl Streep was her least favorite modern actress on screen: "Click, click, click," she said, referring to the wheels turning inside Streep's head."

"Click, click, click" Excuse me, Kate, but I don't see Streep acting robotically or having to think before she acts. She acts naturally and smoothly; things just flow.

In fact, imo, she acts in a manner that is a lot less contrived than some of Katherine Hepburn's performances.