Interview with Scooter

Early on in the life of Word on the Streep I had thought of interviewing my friend Scott (Scooter) at some point because he and I met and sort of bonded over a mutual interest in Meryl. Our friendship certainly goes beyond that, but it was a fun icebreaker at a queer party years ago. As you've read in previous posts, he and I saw The Iron Lady together yesterday, then watched the Golden Globes, and today we spent the whole day being lazy watching the miniseries Angels in America in its entirety. Here we go.

WOTS: Hey Scooter.

Scooter: Yes, what can I do for you?

WOTS: Readers know you're a fan of Meryl. Give us an idea why.

Scooter: Boy. One of the many things I admire about Meryl is that she plays a variety of characters and escapes in the role and a lot of times she plays people that you don't necessarily think are good people like in Marvin's Room but you can't help but think that's not Meryl Streep. It's somebody else.

WOTS: You and I always see new Meryl movies together. Do you think others are jealous?

Scooter: Yes. They often tease me that we get cheesecake and see Meryl, but there's a little bit of jealousy in their voice.

WOTS: What did you think of Iron Lady yesterday?

Scooter: I really liked it. It's one of my favorite Meryl performances. You forget it's her. When they flashback to prior to when she became Prime Minister you can see a bit of Meryl, but after that it's like holy cow. And even though it was just an ok movie, I feel it was also respectful to Margaret Thatcher.

WOTS: Today we watched Angels in America. In between foaming at the mouth over Patrick Wilson naked, thoughts?

Scooter: It was very good. I've never sat down to watch a miniseries all at once. I was surprised it was really the young pups who really stole the show and Meryl and Pacino were sort of supporting in it. My favorite was her role of Hannah Pitt. It was nice at the end to see this liberal, loving woman who was such a 180 from the woman who lived in Utah. Can we assume she's a lesbian now? I would assume that.

WOTS: I'm not sure. I never really assumed that. You've never gone on the blog and listed your favorite Meryl film. Do so now.

Scooter: I can't while while you're on the computer.

WOTS: Tell me now and I'll type it here you dingbat.

Scooter: I don't want to give a cliched answer but I have it. The Devil Wears Prada. I know a lot of people would say that because it was kind of her regeneration and introduced her to a new generation. Probably her first blockbuster in several years. It's one of those movies I could watch again and again. It's campy funny but also such a great performance that gets respect, which is a hard combination.

WOTS: What do you think Meryl's chances are this year of getting her third Oscar?

Scooter: Um, about the same as they were for her to win for Doubt. I think it's Viola's year. Then it was Sandra's year. Here's the thing: The Blind Side and The Help were such huge hits. Like audiences and critics loved them and usually it's one or the other. If The Iron Lady were this box office juggernaut, it would be Meryl's year, but it's not. That's why it's Viola's.

WOTS: Ok, it's getting tough for me to keep up with my bum shoulder, so is there anything else you'd like to add before I wrap things up on this brief, yet enlightening interview?

Scooter: (clears throat) I love Meryl movies whether they are campy (She-Devil or Death Becomes Her), or heartbreaking (Sophie's Choice or The Bridges of Madison County). She is always good and a thrill to watch.

WOTS: Thanks, Scoots.

Scooter: You're welcome!