The answer to the title's question could be harder to answer than you might think. When people are surprised to learn that I have a blog about Meryl Streep, the typical question is "what do you like so much about her?" It's easy to say I like her movies, or just think that she's a great actress. But of course it goes further than that. The combination of skill and being able to tap into the humanity of characters, and then somehow managing to display that in a way that draws in viewers is probably the grandest appeal for me. I love her versatility. I love her humor. I love that she's a thinker, a person of the world. I love that she doesn't always do a great job of pretending she's not the best. I love that she sees people.
So when I came across this new video that was posted Friday, I was so pleased to see someone cogently break down what it really is about Meryl that makes her such a big deal to a lot of people. You have to watch:
Kudos to 'Be Kind Rewind' for this great video. We get a good background on beginnings in the theater and how it all went back to the fact that she's just a very skilled actor. People can scoff at her frequent implementation of accents, but I agree with Meryl that if you're playing someone else, how can you do that and always sound like yourself? Also, as she says, "if you capture someone's speech, you capture them."
One other thing I really enjoyed about this video is the comparison done between Meryl and some of her peers. We all know there's is always a paucity of great roles for women, especially over the age of 40. With Meryl's versatility, she's managed to avoid being typecast. I've heard her say that this was a conscious effort on her part, so as to maintain a enduring career. Of course she first has to possess the ability to perform in a variety of roles, but she's never been boxed into "the Meryl Streep role," with maybe the exception of someone who often plays a character who doesn't sound like herself.
Overall a great take on Meryl as a person and as an actor. She's carved out a niche for herself as both a revered artist as well as a box office powerhouse. Here's hoping she's got even more up her sleeve as she enters her eighth decade!
...a candid blog devoted to the incomparable American actress, Meryl Streep.
She's peerless!
ReplyDeleteI did come across an interview quite some time back when she said she was lucky to showcase her accents during the 80s when it was not such a common norm and generally not expected of actors. That of course became part of her technical prowess. She added that when someone like Cate Blanchett did all those accents in the aughts and 2000s, nobody batted an eyelid anymore simply because actors are now expected to carry a performance with the appropriate accent. David.
I like the video for not just praising Meryl but also being objective. Eg. they talked about Huppert for risk-taking and being fearless compared to Meryl with roles like Piano Teacher and Elle. But I must say Meryl is special in her own way that Huppert is not (more accessible to the core of humanity for example, more relatable, a much better comedian in my opinion). David.
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