The only actor who bullied Meryl Streep

(Credits: Far Out / TCM)

Wednesday 1 January 2025 2:45 PM, United Kingdom

Anyone who enters a film set with Meryl Streep You’re guaranteed to be intimidated. Even her daughter, Mamie Gummer, who appeared with her when she was three in the 1986 film. Acidityhe must have been absolutely terrified standing in front of the Oscar winner. And no matter how quiet and stone-faced Clint Eastwood seems, there’s no doubt that man was shaking in his boots when they filmed. Madison County Bridges together.

It doesn’t matter how modest or affable Streep is. She is one of the most respected actresses of her generation and that carries the weight of being intimidating. His list of awards is too long to list, and he has delivered powerful performances for six decades, from Kramer vs. Kramer to The devil wears Prada to Little Women.

Any time Streep appears in a movie, you can guarantee it will be worth watching, even if her performance is the only saving grace. He had the good sense to avoid a role in catsbut even if she had been forced to wear a genderless leotard, it would certainly have made that cinematic catastrophe as entertaining and chaotic as it should have been.

Today, Streep is synonymous with virtuoso acting. Like the best directors, other stars play film roles. just to have the opportunity to work with her. She’s probably too busy impressing people to be impressed by anyone these days, but early in her career, she could be dazzled, too. During a 2007 interview with Emanuel Levy, the 21-time Oscar nominee revealed that when she worked with Robert Redford on the 1985 romantic film Out of AfricaI was a little terrified.

“Back then, he was kind of a huge, gigantic star,” he said. saying“And I was, I don’t know, a little in awe of him.”

At that point, Redford was at the top of his game. He rose to fame as Paul Newman’s young sidekick in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The bite in the 1960s and 1970s and won an Oscar for the latter. When he played Streep’s free-spirited lover in Out of Africahad already established himself as a serious producer with All the president’s men and director with Common People. It made sense in this context for Streep to be hinted at, at least until you consider her resume. He had five Oscar nominations and two wins to his credit and had already made several of his most acclaimed films, including Kramer vs. Kramer and Sofia’s choice.

In other words, she and Redford were more or less a perfect fit for the film. In Out of AfricaStreep plays a Danish plantation owner in early 20th century Kenya who falls in love with an independent bachelor, played by Redford. Directed by Sydney Pollack, it had a spectacular pedigree and, as expected, swept the Oscars. Streep was nominated for yet another award, while Pollack won for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture’. She may have been intimidated by her co-star at first, but Streep bested him in the film and during awards season.