The testimony of Meryl Streep’s legendary status lies in the fact that regardless of the era one’s born in, it’s a given that you’re her fan. The world first witnessed her prowess in the ‘70s, when she started her acting career with the film Julia, but it was her nuanced performance in her next movie, The Deer Hunter, that put her in the spotlight. With 21 Academy Awards and 32 Golden Globe nominations, few actors, living or dead, come close to Streep’s inimitable legacy.
The performer in Meryl always preceded the star, hence even after almost 50-years in the business, her films serve as a crash course for young enthusiasts trying to make it big. In honour of her 72nd birthday, let’s reminisce some of her most memorable performances over the years.
1. Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979)
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Meryl’s portrayal of Jaona in the film carefully threaded the grey area, confusing the audience about the opinion to form about her. She played a mother and a wife who abandons her family because of her over-ambitious husband. Even in an era like that, she picked a part that sensitively addressed the dilemma of a woman, who also happens to be a human, before she’s put on a pedestal as a mother and a wife.
2. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
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This film earned Streep her first-ever Oscar as the best actress in a leading role. Her riveting performance as Sophie, a Polish Holocaust survivor, tugged at the heart of the viewers. From being thrown in a concentration camp by the Nazi’s and losing her children to landing in Brooklyn and finding herself in a love triangle between her partner Nathan and a budding writer Stingo, the movie maps her tragic journey poetically. Her flawless accent and poised demeanour made her a crowd favourite.
3. The Bridges Of Madison County (1995)
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Based on 1992’s best-selling romance novel by Robert James Waller, the movie departs from the cliché idea around the concept of soulmates. It’s the story of an Italian war bride in her 40s, who lives on a farm in Iowa and falls for a photographer who is in town for an assignment while her husband and kids are away. The four-day affair becomes a lifetime memory for them, and Meryl yet again easily connects with the audience while showcasing a range of complicated emotions.
4. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
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One of the most iconic fashion films that recently completed 15 years is mainly remembered for Streep’s brute performance as Miranda Priestly. She effortlessly played the ice-queen boss who didn’t necessarily have to scream to develop a palpable fear amongst her employees. Her representation of terrifying magazine editor, along with her impenetrable chemistry with Anne Hathway, who plays her assistant, won her many accolades.
5. Julie and Julia (2009)
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The movie follows Julie (Rachel Adam), who takes up the task to cook all 524 recipes from the legendary chef Julia Child’s book, played by Meryl. The two women never meet but are connected by their love for food. Streep’s character starts off as a supporting wife who moves to France to be with her diplomat husband. There she discovers her interest in the scrumptious French cuisine and deals with the resident snobs as she enrols herself in Le Cordon Bleu – a renowned cooking school. As Julia, she’s hearty, funny, endearing and most importantly, a woman’s ally even when she doesn’t know it.
6. Mama Mia! (2008)
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In this musical, Meryl Streep played Donna, who runs a tourist villa on the island. She lives with her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who has never known her father. She finds an old diary and invites three men who she thinks could be her biological dad. In a hilarious turn of events, you see Donna dealing with these contenders, all the while singing and dancing and looking fabulous.
7. The Iron Lady (2011)
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The Iron Lady is a biopic about Margaret Thatcher, the first female leader who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1979 until November 1990. Meryl as Margaret convincingly showcases the journey of a girl who comes from a humble beginning and becomes a political power-weight. Through recession and war, her 11 years in office as a leader who is loved and hated equally is carried effortlessly on-screen by the award-winning actor.
8. The Laundromat (2019)
The film is an adaptation of Jake Bernstein’s nonfiction book Secrecy World, which targets the 2016 Panama Papers scandal. In the movie, Meryl plays Ellen Martin, a widow who is trying to get an insurance settlement, which leads her to Mossack Fonseca, the organisation that is in the depth of it. But here’s the catch (sorry for the spoiler) Streep takes multiple characterisations to a whole new level as she plays not just one but three characters in the film to uncover the mystery. The widow, the office worker and the final John Doe that binds the film together.
