I had posted back in February that Meryl was announced as a co-producer of Rachel Feldman's movie, Lilly. It's to be a biopic of Lilly Ledbetter, who's fight for equal pay was passed as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. At the time, I found it strange that Meryl was announced as co-producing, but not that she would be starring. Seemed to be up her ally in regard to baity roles.
Cut to a couple days ago, where an interview was released with Feldman and producer J. Todd Harris about the film's status. There was a specific question for Feldman about how Meryl ended up getting involved, and Feldman's response made it clear about Meryl's potential participation as Lilly:
I wrote her (Meryl) an old-fashioned letter, in her mailbox, simply saying that I had written a screenplay about Lilly Ledbetter and asked if she would consider reading it. In a beautiful email, she wrote back saying she was well aware of how important Lilly's story was. She wanted to read the script but made it clear that she would not want to play the role. She read LILLY and loved it. She told me that she was 100% behind me and asked how she could help. What a remarkable woman!
So I guess that's that. I'd be curious to know why Meryl was so sure about whether or not she'd portray Lilly prior to even reading the script, which she apparently loved. Based on Feldman's response, it seems that was the case (that Meryl declined taking the role before reading it).
I read this Friday and thought to myself, "Oh shoot. It would've been nice to hear confirmation of a lead role for Meryl." I'd been thinking about her current filming of Don't Look Up, where by all accounts her role will be supporting. We don't have real confirmation of her involvement in Damien Chazelle's Babylon at this point, but that too would be supporting. I'd thought for a second, "We haven't seen her in a lead role since The Post in 2017." I had to laugh then, as I realized that that very evening I'd be watching Meryl in a new lead role for the second consecutive day. I felt a little less disappointed then.
Either way, I'll be interested to see the full extent of Meryl's involvement in Lilly. It's an important story and I hope it does end up getting filmed.
While I am sad to hear this, I am not surprised. I do often wonder if she tired of play biographical characters (who more often than not fought "the system"). I do hope we get confirmation one way or another soon on Babylon, and new lead announcements too. Unfortunately, I wonder if even the Meryl Streep is beginning to fall victim to Hollywood's mishandling of older women and she may find herself in more supporting roles than lead (even though we know they'll still be compelling with her!)
ReplyDeleteThe fact that she still gets meaty roles is already a miracle. And that alone makes a lot of fans of other elder actresses super pressed about her.
ReplyDeleteVery true, I've seen lots of negative comments which seem to be resentment that she gets the first choice of female roles of older ladies.
ReplyDeleteI counter than none of her peers have Meryl's box office clout or ability to get movies greenlit (Ricki, Julie and Julia, Hope Springs, Florence, The Iron Lady perhaps). Most of those movies made a profit as well.
Compare it with movies starring Glenn, Sigourney, Diane K etc, many of them barely get a significant release or turn a profit.
Even though her role as the POTUS in DLU is technically supporting, it’s seems really baity from the script and I mean, you literally can’t get a better role than the POTUS, even if it’s a Trump type.
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