Meryl Streep was told she was “too ugly” to play the part. In a foreign language. She cut herself off at the same

The unforgettable Jill from Woody Allen’s Manhattan, Zofia from Sophie’s Choice and Margaret Thatcher from the biographical film The Iron Lady have inspired both filmmakers and actors with whom she has collaborated. Some engagements, however, were paid for with difficult experiences – in “The Seduction of Joe Tynan” she played hoping that working on the set would help her deal with the death of her fiancé, actor John Cazale, who died of cancer, and she begged the director for the main role in “Sophie’s Choice”. knees. However, she laughs when she recalls the situation in which her beauty was commented on at the casting.

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“I’m sorry I’m too ugly”

Meryl Streep appeared in an episode of The Graham Norton Show Eddie Redmayne talked about the worst-remembered castings in his career. The actress also took up this topic and shared the story of auditions for the role in “King Kong” of the legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis. The son of the filmmaker saw the then 26-year-old Streep in one of the plays in which she acted at that time, and her skills impressed him so much that he decided to recommend her to his father. The meeting took place in an apartment on the 33rd floor of the Gulf & Western building overlooking Manhattan, but the pleasant atmosphere quickly ended.

I walked into the office, he looked at me, his son was sitting next to him, all excited that he had brought him a new actress. He addressed him in Italian, and I happen to know a little Italian: “Che brutta!”, in other words, “Why did you bring me such an ugly thing?” Yes, it’s very painful for a young girl.

– said the actress with a smile and a considerable distance. The studio audience was amazed.

I replied in Italian: “I understand what you’re saying. I’m sorry I’m not beautiful enough to play King Kong.”

she cut off. The role was given to another actress, whom the world of cinema was just discovering at the time: Jessica Lange. Both ladies managed to lead their careers satisfactorily. De Laurentiis probably quickly regretted his words, however, because in 1978, just three years after the unlucky casting, Meryl Streep received her first Oscar nomination for “The Deer Hunter”.

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The actress is still professionally active. On March 17, 2023, the series with Meryl Streep in one of the significant roles will premiere – “Extrapolations”, created by Scott Z. Burns for the Apple TV+ platform.