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Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Streep nominated for Critics Choice Award
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Adam McKay project dropped
At the end of October, it was revealed that Meryl may be in the running for a supporting role in Adam McKay's Netflix project, Average Height, Average Build, a comedy about a serial killer who wants to change the laws so that it's easier for him to kill. There was very little info on what the role may have been nor whether or not Meryl was actually attached.
Yesterday, it was announced by multiple outlets that the project was scrapped by Netflix, following McKay's decision to move on to a different project about climate change. Meryl of course starred in McKay's satirical climate change allegorical film, Don't Look Up, two years ago (her last film project to date).
I'm not super bummed about this, considering it was likely going to be a smaller role and that we knew so little about it to begin with that I didn't get my heart set on seeing her in something specific. But my God at least is was something.
Still waiting.
Monday, December 4, 2023
Streep honored with Icon Award at Academy Museum Gala
Meryl was honored with the Icon Award at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles last night. The award was given to "an artist whose career had a notable influence worldwide. The event had been scheduled for October, but was postponed due to the Israel-Hamas war. In addition to Meryl, the evening honored Oprah Winfrey, Michael B. Jordan, and Sofia Coppola.
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Nicole Kidman appears to confirm a third season of "Big Little Lie"
the third season of big little lies is coming, according to nicole kidman 🤍 pic.twitter.com/ezQVnV1IvM
— nicole kidman daily (@dailykidman) November 18, 2023
I have to admit I'm a little surprised by this. The first season of the show (which was likely planned as a standalone limited series until it was so universally acclaimed) is one of the most perfect television projects I've ever watched. Meryl of course was added to the cast in the second season in a role that was written with her specifically in mind. She garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her supporting role, and although the season was generally considered inferior to the first, it was still well-received.
There is no word on whether or not Meryl will be involved in this third season (if it does truly come to fruition). Also no word of course on what the third season would be about. I expect that Liane Moriarty has already written some version of a template for the script. Whether or not David E. Kelley would write the actual script is of course still unknown also. Will they have a third director for this third and (likely final) season? All good questions.
While I generally prefer to see Meryl participate in new things, if the script were very solid, I wouldn't mind seeing her in the last season. Same goes (I guess) for Only Murders in the Building. I just don't want supporting roles in TV series to eat up time she could be spending on potentially fresher and more interesting characters/projects. Time will tell, as usual. At least there's a tiny bit of new of potential new projects.
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Streep narrates "Tom Lake" and revisiting "State of Wonder"
Which brings me back to State of Wonder. I had posted a Wish List entry back in March 2022, suggesting that this Patchett novel might be a good project for Meryl. The novel had been picked up for a limited series back in 2018, with later news a year later that William Oldroyd (Mary Magdalene, and the soon-to-be-released Eileen, which is getting excellent reviews) had joined as the director. Covid hit a few months later, so it's anyone's guess what happened to this project. It's still listed on IMDb as "optioned," with Oldroyd's name listed as director.
Friday, November 10, 2023
Streep nominated for Grammy for Best Audio Book
It's sort of weird timing that I was working on a post about feeling like I was a bad Streeper for not knowing that Meryl had narrated Ann Patchett's newest novel, Tom Lake (that post is still coming because I have a few things to share on a related topic), when the Grammy nominations were announced this morning and Meryl was nominated for Big Tree. Apparently it came out this spring.
Written by Brian Selznick, it's an illustrated novel that tells the story of two Sycamore seedlings that are trying to navigate their way toward eventually laying down roots in the harsh and unpredictable environment that is planet Earth. The story is apparently one of hope, community, and surviving in nature.
Meryl is in tough a category this year, as she's joined by former first lady Michelle Obama, U. S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and William Shatner. This is Streep's seventh Grammy nomination and would be her first win. The full list of Grammy nominations can be found here.
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Results of poll #17
A few weeks ago I posted a poll asking people to vote on what kind of project they think we'll see Meryl do next. I have to admit I was little surprised to see that the #1 choice was a feature film adaptation for original screenplay leading role. I honestly don't remember what I chose, but it was either also this or a lead role in a limited series. Either way, I'd like to see her do a leading role that is not necessarily a biopic. Not that I'd be against the latter, but I'd love something fresh, original, and hopefully complex.
After the 48.4% first choice, the two distant second place vote-getters were a biopic lead role in a feature film and a stage performance with 13.97%. I've had a lot of people mention that they'd love to see Meryl do a stage run again at some point. While I love that idea for her, I selfishly would prefer that she spend her time making something that I can view remotely (and multiple times). Although it would give me a reason to take a trip to New York to see her on stage (or wherever she'd be).
Hopefully the actors' strike gets resolved soon. Not that I expect that the day after we'll get news of five new projects for Meryl, but if there's something brewing, it may be on the verge of getting announced once a deal is struck between SAG and the studios. Which after last night's latest offer rejection over the use of AI, it doesn't look like things will be changing anytime soon.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Streep to be in new Adam McKay comedy?
Thanks to Darcy for sharing info on this news. The website "What's-on-Netflix" posted an article yesterday on the status of Adam McKay's upcoming political satire Average Height, Average Build. After listing the illustrious cast members who are currently filming the movie, including Robert Pattinson, Robert Downey Jr., Amy Adams, Danielle Deadwyler and Forest Whitaker, there was a little blurb (after the secondary characters were mentioned, mind you), saying that Meryl was "at one point in the running for" one of the characters. The character's name is apparently Annabel Jexson, and that's all we know.
According to the article,
Monday, October 23, 2023
Streep honored with Princess of Asturias Award in Spain and...is single?
Meryl has been in Spain this past week to accept the Princess of Asturias Award. The prize is "awarded to individuals, entities or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs." You can find the ceremony on YouTube, including a speech that Meryl gives upon receiving it. I've included an excerpt below of an interview she did with Antonio Banderas as well. It's a little annoying because the translation is pretty loud over the regular speech, but you can make out what they're saying just fine.
Of course, everything is an assumption, because we don't know any real facts. And honestly, it's not necessarily that important to me. If it's truly been six years since they split, I suspect the pair has had ample time to move on emotionally. All the best to those involved. Hopefully we get to see more of Meryl in the near future.
Monday, October 16, 2023
Poll #17: What kind of project will Meryl do next?
You all know how impatient I get when waiting around to find out what Meryl's going to do next. There's been a dearth of projects that showcase her front and center over the past three years. I'm hoping we receive news soon of something exciting on the horizon. A lead role in a film would be great, but also would a juicy limited series. As much as I'd love to see Meryl in a play, we can only watch that once so I tend toward wanting something on screen.
What do you think we'll get from her next?
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Episode 10 of "Only Murders in the Building"
That's a wrap! The tenth and final episode of season 3 of Only Murders in the Building aired last night and it was a doozy. I don't really want to just rehash all the plot points, but (spoiler alert) suffice it to say that Cliff technically was the killer. Donna poisoned him only to take him out of commission so that he couldn't perform and ruin her son's first Broadway production. With the plot sort of centered around these two, the standout in the episode for me was actually Linda Emond (Donna). She had a lot of screen time and some nice moments.
There was a general theme of what mothers would do for their sons. Loretta (Meryl) attempts to tell Dickie (Jeremy Shamos) that she is his biological mother, only for Dickie to reveal that he's sensed it all along. It was a touching moment, as was the moment where Loretta gets to bask in the applause she receives for her stage performance.
Multiple outlets revealed yesterday that the show has already been renewed for a fourth season. It makes sense considering its popularity and the fact they left us with a cliffhanger of Jane Lynch's character, Sazz, being shot at the end by an unknown assailant. I think we're supposed to assume the bullet was meant for Charles, as Sazz is Charles's stunt double and was dressed like him as she went to his apartment to grab a bottle of wine for him.
I may be in the minority in hoping that this was Meryl's only season. I tend to think it will be, as her character was planning on heading out to L.A to do a TV pilot. But you never know. It seemed like the sort of job that was meant to be a one and done like most of the other bigger names that have been guest stars. I mostly want her to move on so that we see her in other stuff. It would be a shame if she were relegated to guest spots in high-profile TV shows for the remainder of her career. But I guess I'd rather see her in season four than nothing.
Early last year, I speculated on a potential project with a great role for Meryl which I've recently started to think a lot more about and would really love to see get greenlit. It's the kind of project that seems ripe for Meryl to simply say "yes" for it to get going. More on that coming soon. Until then, I'm patiently waiting for news on any future projects.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Episode 9 of "Only Murders in the Building"
We're down to the last two episodes. Meryl wasn't in too much of last night's episode, but we got a lot of "plot." The majority of the scenes focused on the three main characters hashing out some final(?) details on who might reasonably be the killer. They don't believe Loretta actually is, and Dickie has a viable alibi. So it's come down to Donna. It may very well end up being her (with the motive of saving the show from ruin after learning of Ben's bad early reviews), but I have a feeling we may get more twists in the tenth and final episode next week.
One bit of info I think we can take away from episode 9 is that Meryl will be placed in the Supporting Actress in a Comedy category for the Emmys. She's officially featured in five of the nine episodes thus far, which is beyond the fifty percent threshold (from what I understand) for being in the "Guest" category. And I can't imagine she won't have a good scene or two in the final episode, which will make it an even six out of ten.
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Episode 8 of "Only Murders in the Building"
Well, I think it was worth the three-week wait to see Loretta back on screen in the latest episode of season three of Only Murders in the Building. Spoilers ahead.
Meryl's character is heavily featured in last night's episode. They waste little time in revealing how Dickie (the murder victim's brother) is actually Loretta's biological son. She had given him up for adoption to pursue a career in theater and she's now found a way to get closer to him by participating in Oliver's musical. A few weeks ago, Oliver had found in Loretta's apartment what he thought was a sort of stalker-like collection of photos of Paul Rudd's dead character, Ben Glenroy. As it turns out, at closer look all the photos include Dickie in the background, and that's why she was collecting them.
I think it was a pretty funny episode, on top of the even more complicated scenario we now understand Loretta to be in. This really is a great role for any actor. It's certainly not lost on me that if it's a great role for anyone, it's an especially great role for someone of Meryl's generation. While it's against a backdrop of humor and a bit of farce, it's a character that has to be going through a slew of tricky emotions. Loretta has a long-lost son whom she gave up to pursue a (at the time) promising acting career. She's dealt with the disappointments of that career not living up to expectations. Now she's not only won a good role, but she's doubly triumphant because it gets her closer to her biological child. That child is under suspicion for killing his own brother and Loretta has now confessed to the murder of said brother in order to spare her child going to jail (although we don't know for absolute sure if Loretta is actually not the killer). To top it all off, Oliver confesses his love to Loretta near the end! What more is this woman supposed to take on?!
A lot to unpack there, and therefore a lot to negotiate for an actor. Meryl of course is doing a splendid job in showcasing this tapestry of changing emotions, while at the same time getting to act within an acting role and to sing!
I came across an article last week that highlighted just how rare a character like Loretta is for someone of Meryl's age. To summarize, Loretta is not at the end of her career. She's about to embark on a brand new and promising beginning. How many characters in their 70s do we see depicted in that light? Much less women in their 70s? It's given me a better insight and appreciation for just how special this role for her is right now.
I think that with how many episodes Meryl has been in, she might be more likely to be placed in the Guest Actor category for the Emmys at this point. Regardless of whether she's in that category or in supporting, I think she's making a strong case for herself to not only be nominated, but to win.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
An oral history of "Mamma Mia!"
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Episode 5 of "Only Murders in the Building"
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Episode 3 of "Only Murders in the Building"
Episode three of Only Murders in the Building was released on Hulu last night, and with it, we were given a gem of a musical performance from Meryl that is already making some waves on social media.
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Twelve years of Word on the Streep!
Today marks twelve years that I made my first post on this blog! As always, I'd like to extend my gratitude to any and all readers/participants. It continues to be a fun and rewarding undertaking. Over the past year I completed the supporting recasting project. While it was enjoyable and I'm really glad I did it, it was a lot of work and I'm glad to be done with it. I'm also glad that we're in the middle of a current Meryl project, with Only Murders in the Building. She and the season are getting rave reviews, and I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us in the coming episodes. It's great that she's likely endearing herself to a new generation of fans. Hopefully that turns into new and exciting/high-quality offers for future roles!
Here's to another year!
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Episode 1 of "Only Murders in the Building"
Meryl made her return to the screen (can we even count Extrapolations?) last night with the debut of Hulu's third season of Only Murders in the Building. Over the past week or so, the show has been garnering terrific reviews (currently 99% on Rotten Tomatoes!), with Meryl possibly scoring the most glittering mentions. I can't help but compare her participation in this show to her turn in the second season of HBO's Big Little Lies in 2019. Both shows had tremendous earlier seasons, and while Meryl's performance in BLL was praised, the season on the whole turned out to be less impressive than the almost perfect first. It's natural to have a concern that Only Murders might suffer the same fate, but thankfully that was not to be.
Episodes one and two were released last night (the remainder will be released on a one-per-week basis moving forward), but I'm only commenting on the first since (spoiler) Meryl wasn't in the second. Most folks know by this point that she portrays a perpetually hard-on-her luck theater actress who gets a big break in Oliver's (Martin Short) new play. Meryl has a great opening scene, where she delivers a touching monologue in her audition, causing Oliver to ask her "where have you been?" I've always thought that portraying someone acting within a role has to be one of the trickier things to do for an actor. Just how "good" do you let yourself be? In the case of Streep's Loretta Durkin, she's not meant to be a great actor, but Meryl had to manage to showcase someone who's able to make an impression on a director without being too necessarily impressive to the TV audience. They also do a fun parody of Streep, with her character having an apparent penchant for delivering accents in order to provide context to her character's origins.
Loretta is a sweet, rather unassuming woman. With the (double) death of Paul Rudd's character, Ben Glenroy, we at first have little reason to suspect her as the murderer, but a seemingly passing comment from her about how he was an asshole gives us just enough doubt about Loretta as both a person and a suspect. There's also a glimmer of a budding romance between her and Oliver, which will be fun to watch play out in the coming episodes. The two perform a little ditty of a duet on a piano bench, the first of what we're told will be more than one musical number from Streep.
I'm looking forward to the full season. I already like the Broadway feel of the storyline and Meryl doesn't seem like she's sticking out to much or that she's overshadowing the other characters, while still making a great impression with her sort of quirky characterization of Loretta. And as much as I'm thrilled to see Meryl in something new and well-received, I can't help but wish that this were or at least the next thing she's in will be a compelling drama with (another) complex character. For now, we'll get to thoroughly enjoy Loretta each week until October.
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Trailer for season 3 of "Only Murders in the Building"
She's playing a bad actress! Hulu has released the trailer for their upcoming third season of Only Murders in the Building. We've known for some time that Meryl's character, Loretta Durkin, is a theater actress. There was a hint that she may be a bit ditzy based on teasers, but I think based on the full trailer that she's portraying someone who is genuinely a bad actor. This may turn out to be her most challenging role of all time.
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
...and character posters revealed
I should've been more patient. In my lamenting that Hulu didn't include Meryl in the season 3 promotional poster yesterday, today they've revealed character posters that also include Meryl and Paul Rudd.
Posters of the three individual lead performers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) can be seen here.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I wonder if part of the reason Meryl ended up passing on Places, Please was because it would be too similar a character to Loretta in Murders. Murders will be comedic, while I expect Places, Please to very much be a drama. But both Loretta and Lillian are stage actresses who are obviously veterans. It might have just been a little too close of a characterization back to back for Meryl to want to do both. Who knows how long it's been brewing that she'd star in this third season, or what happened with the delays with Places, Please. But it seems reasonable that she wouldn't want to repeat stuff, as she's been open in the past about not wanting to do things that are too similar to each other, particularly in close proximity.
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Season 3 poster revealed for "Only Murders in the Building"
Saturday, July 8, 2023
One month from "Only Murders in the Building"
The third season of Only Murders in the Building premieres on Hulu one month from today. It'll be the first substantial role in which we'll see Meryl in a year and a half. I don't really count Extrapolations because she was barely in it. I suppose I'm making some assumptions in regard to how much we'll actually see her in Murders, but with the minimal amount of promotion we've seen and comments from her co-stars thus far, I think we can expect that Meryl will be a major part of the plot this season. Elle Magazine recently quoted Nathan Lane from an earlier interview:
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Accents Mastered updated
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)--British (specifically Received Pronunciation)
Sophie's Choice (1982)--Polish (in English and German)
Silkwood (1983)--Texan
Plenty (1985)--British (I think it's also RP)
Out of Africa (1985)--Danish
Ironweed (1987)--Irish-American
A Cry in the Dark (1988)--New Zealand (with strong layers of Australian)
The Bridges of Madison County (1995)--Italian (Meryl calls it Iowatalian)
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)--Northern Irish
Angels in America (2003)--Yiddish and Bronx (in separate roles)
Prime (2005)--Manhattan (specifically Upper West Side)
A Prairie Home Companion (2006)--Upper Midwestern
Doubt (2008)--Bronx
Julie & Julia (2009)--Boston Brahmin
The Iron Lady (2011)--British (again RP)
August: Osage County (2013)--Oklahoman
The Homesman (2014)--Central Plains Midwestern
Suffragette (2015)--British (Received Pronunciation)
Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)--Mid-Atlantic
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)--vaguely Russian
The Laundromat (2019)--nondescript Latin (possibly Panamanian Spanish)
Little Women (2019)--Northeastern New England
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Happy 74th, Meryl!
Our favorite actor turns 74 today. I'm sure to a lot of people that seems old. The older I get, the less old anything under 100 feels. It's been one of Meryl's quieter years in terms of screen projects. Hopefully she's been rejuvenated from the time off and is ready to spark a busy streak with work!
Monday, June 19, 2023
The loss of "Places, Please"
I posted about three months ago that it seemed like Glenn Close was now attached to lead Places, Please, a feature film that was announced two years ago and was supposed to star Meryl. Since then, we've learned that Jessica Lange is actually going to be the one portraying Lillian Hall, not Close. More recently, and what prompted me wanting to post more about this, is that Kathy Bates has been revealed as starring as well. The loss of this film burns even more now, knowing that Meryl could've been a movie along with Kathy Bates! Filming is currently underway in Georgia.
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I'm not sure why this film didn't end up getting filmed when they originally said they were going to (summer 2021). I've speculated on the possibilities of why Meryl may have not participated. But it's not like we haven't seen scenarios like this before; something promising gets announced, and then it just never happens with Meryl (and sometimes not with anyone). Examples that come to mind: Evita, Mary Stuart, Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, Dirty Tricks, Mommy & Me, First Man, The Good House.
I honestly think that if I ever had the chance to chat with Meryl and if she were open to my questions, the biggest thing I'd love to ask her is what exactly happened or happens in situations like this (and for each particular film--if she could recall). It sort of all ties into my longstanding fascination about projects of hers that never came to be, or ones that she may have been hovering around but was never announced or cast, or for more juicy gossip, which she was turned down for and had really wanted--the ones we don't already know about (which are few, or course)! Only in my dreams.
Monday, June 12, 2023
Snubs #6: "Plenty"
Now that I've completed my year-long supporting recasting project, I've got a little more time and space to consider some other posts. It's also been a relatively quiet period for project news for some months, and while we await the release of the third season of Only Murders in the Building, I happened to take a quick peek at what I'd previously posted in the Snubs tag.
Plenty, based on David Hare's play, was released in 1985, the same year as Out of Africa. I honestly feel like I can almost stop arguing anything further about what might have prevented Meryl from getting recognized for awards consideration for Plenty other than the fact that she happened to have a more prestigious, showy, and viewed film out the same year. We all know Meryl was nominated for an Academy Award for her lead role in Out of Africa (the film won Best Picture). But what do we think the chances of her having otherwise squeaked in (at least somewhere) for portraying Susan Traherne, a woman who subsequently disassembles after finding life back in England post her participation in the French Resistance during World War II void of meaning.
I happen to think that Plenty is not only a pretty good movie, but also a brilliantly portrayed character study on Meryl's part. Susan is an otherwise stable and strong person, but she struggles with the banality of life after the war that she ends up hurting herself and everyone around her. It's one of the few roles Meryl has done that deeply covers the pain and struggle (for both the person and their loved one) someone can go through when they suffer from mental illness. It wasn't necessarily talked about a lot in that way back then (or even when the movie came out), but those details and nuances had to have been a tricky road to navigate for Meryl, and I expect that few people would've done as good of a job. And as much as I enjoy both the film and Meryl's performance in Out of Africa, dare I say I think the actual character in Plenty is more interesting and complicated. It may have just been easier to get pulled along with all the fuss surrounding Africa than to garner awards recognition than for the much quieter Plenty.
All this isn't to say that there may have been a large crop of people who simply didn't think Meryl's performance was worthy of their vote. 1985 was a crowded year for ladies in a leading role (imagine that), even if Out of Africa and Plenty competed a year apart at BAFTA (they were released in different years in the UK). The film wasn't necessarily a critical darling nor a box office smash, but both Tracey Ullman and John Gielgud happened to get BAFTA nominations for their supporting roles. I just can't help but expect that Meryl would've been pushed harder (or at all) for her role in Plenty for the North American awards groups had she not had the behemoth that was Out of Africa, a film which in addition to its aforementioned Best Picture win at the Oscars, was nominated in eleven total categories, ultimately winning seven.
Monday, June 5, 2023
Results of poll #16
The results are in for the latest poll, which asked readers which role they most wish they could've seen Meryl do. The full results can be seen here, but I thought I'd comment a bit on the top vote-getters. The top five selections (among those which I specifically listed as options) were 1) Eva Perón in Evita, 2) Patsy Cline in Sweet Dreams, 3) Maria Callas in Master Class, 4) Fern in Nomadland, and 5) Martha Mitchell in Dirty Tricks. I was a little pleasantly surprised how high this last option scored (even though it only garnered three votes ha).
I chose Master Class (Thelma & Louise I think would've been my second choice), mostly because I'm an opera nerd and it would've been so great to see Meryl team with Mike Nichols one last time. Alas it was not meant to be.
The actual second-place selection was "other." I thought I had set up the poll to allow folks to write in their selections, but maybe that didn't work (or maybe nobody wanted to). But I'm fascinated to know if people had other specific roles in mind! It was only six votes, but it tied with Eva Perón for the top spot. For anyone who chose "other" I'd love it if you'd be willing to comment on the rationale for your selections (unless you simply didn't like any of my suggestions and didn't have an actual other project in mind, which is of course fine as well).
Any other suggestions on future polls?
Monday, May 29, 2023
Recasting 2022 (supporting): "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Somewhat unexpectedly, my lead recasting project from two years ago ended up being a tidy 365 days between first and last selections. That timeline worked out pretty well for me as far as getting all my posts completed the way I wanted to. And so it is that I wrap up this supporting recasting project the way I began it last year, on Memorial Day. It's pure coincidence that in both projects the final selection is for a role that won an Academy Award for its original actor, and in a film that was critically acclaimed and went on to win both Best Picture and Director.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is difficult to neatly classify as a film. It incorporates elements of sci-fi, comedy, drama, martial arts, absurdism. I have to admit that when it first became available to stream, I I tried watching it and stopped after about forty-five minutes (which I almost NEVER do with movies). I knew little about it at the time, other than a few comments about the cast and that it was getting great reviews. I was just not in the mood to watch something quite as volatile and wild as this movie turned out to be. I ended up revisiting it of course, much due to the fact that it seemed like the role of IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre (expertly portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis) might be an interesting role to imagine Meryl taking on.
It's very difficult to summarize the plot of this movie if you haven't seen it (or even if you have!). But suffice it to say, as far as the plot goes the film follows a Chinese immigrant family in the United States (Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Kwan as married parents of Stephanie Hsu's character) who are struggling with their marriage and laundromat business, which is being audited by the IRS. Next blurb from Wikipedia:
At a tense meeting with IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre, Waymond's body is taken over by Alpha-Waymond, a version of Waymond from the "Alphaverse." Alpha-Waymond explains to Evelyn that many parallel universes exist because every life choice creates a new alternative universe. The Alphaverse, led by the late Alpha-Evelyn, developed "verse-jumping" technology, which enables people to access the skills, memories, and bodies of their parallel selves by performing bizarre actions that are statistically unlikely.
So, a bunch of universe jumping takes place and Evelyn (Yeoh) and her family are given a reprieve from the IRS, and Evelyn and her daughter sort of make peace, and we're left with some semblance of understanding that life is not meaningless. I think?
It's a pretty wacky ride, but it's fun that Deirdre is not only a very distinctly written character in her "main" universe, but that she (like the other main characters) gets to portray multiple different people in the various universes through which Evelyn jumps. We learn a little about Deirdre and her likely decision to offer the Wangs a reprieve on their audit.
The hot dog fingers are about the limit ha. And I like how in that "hot dog hand" universe, when Deirdre plays the piano with her feet her wrist brace is now on her ankle.
I suspect this might have been a bit too "out there" of a role for it to have been on Meryl's radar. But it actually does remind me a bit of her turn in 2002's Adaptation where there's a "meta" feature to it, even if that one was on a much more sedated level. But what fun it would've been to see her participate in Everything Everywhere, especially considering its critical and box office success. It's not a film that I'll likely revisit over and over, but I'm pleased that a diverse cast and creative team were so successful with both audiences and critics.
The movie earned $140 million at the worldwide box office on a shoestring budget of only $14.3 million. It holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81 score on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim." And whoa did it ever clean up at the Academy Awards this spring. It won seven Oscars out if its ten nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director(s) for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and of course, Best Supporting Actress for Curtis. Curtis also won the SAG award and was nominated by BAFTA and the Globes, among several Critics circles nominations. I think it makes for an excellent final addition to this year-long list of roles.
As I made a point of doing in my lead recasting project, I'd like to take my hat off to all of the remarkable actors who originated the roles in the below list. Their work is exciting and inspiring to me. And although I'm ending this series for now, I plan to eventually add my selections (for both lead and supporting recasting categories) for future years. Thanks to all those who've read these posts and participated in the dialogue around the roles and projects. You've made it a lot of fun for me!
Monday, May 22, 2023
Poll #16: "Which role do you most wish you could have seen Meryl do?"
Monday, May 15, 2023
Recasting 2021 (supporting): "Mare of Easttown"
For the penultimate selection in this series, I thought it appropriate to note that of the last ten selections, seven of them have been from television. Of those, five of the shows originally premiered on HBO. I've touched on this phenomenon several times in the past, but I think the trend is an example of where the good parts are moving (or have moved), not only for women over 50, but for women in general. If it's not about a superhero or is a sequel primarily known for its special effects, it's quite possible the project's greatest audience will be found on the small screen.
I've also commented on my affinity for limited series. I enjoy that they have a clear arc from start to finish, and yet they're longer than a feature film and so we get to go deeper into the story and, more importantly, into the characters' lives and minds. Mare of Easttown is one such example of why I'm so drawn to and glad for the reemergence of the miniseries/limited series as a venue for the best performers. I watched it when it came two years ago and found it to be one of my all-time favorites. The great Kate Winlset stars as Mare, a detective in a suburb of Philadelphia trying to solve the murder of a teenage girl while navigating the challenges of her own complex and painful personal life. The role I'm recasting is that of Mare's mother, Helen Fahey, originally portrayed by the splendid Jean Smart.
The very nature of a "supporting" role is that it's not necessarily all about them. The story is all about Mare, and everyone else is an extension of her world. With that in mind, it may seem like Helen's character doesn't have a lot to do, other than to be in the background with a few wisecracks and perturbed looks in response to her daughter's somewhat questionable decisions. After having recently watched the series in full for the second time, I realized I had sort of forgotten that Helen, as a character, has plenty for an actress to showcase. She's a woman who's lost both her husband and adult grandson to suicide, she's moved in with her daughter to help care for her great-grandson (of whom Mare is attempting to maintain custody), and she has to sort of delicately walk the line of trying to fight for keeping the little boy while not alienating his troubled mother so as to lose him forever. In one of the lighter moments of the series, she's outed after a neighbor's funeral as having an affair with the man's husband.
Monday, May 8, 2023
Recasting 2020 (supporting): "Succession"
I never thought I'd picture recasting Meryl in a true series. With the trend in the best parts for women shifting to television over the last fifteen years or so, however, my recent selections have been mostly from that medium. I generally find myself getting attached to fewer and fewer non-limited series. My view is that so few of them really stop at the right time, and that they tend to eventually jump the shark or completely cycle through the original cast to the point that it's barely the same show anymore. This is probably more true with network television in the U.S., whereas a good bunch of cable series do a better job of keeping the show's entire arc to a reasonable limit. HBO's Emmy-award winning powerhouse, Succession is one such show.
There aren't many programs in recent history where I honestly cannot wait to watch the next episode. Game of Thrones comes to mind, The Americans, Schitt's Creek (excluding limited series where I often get to binge them). Succession is definitely one of those. It will go down for me as one of the best television shows I've ever watched. And it seems to just keep getting better. The current and fourth season will be its last, with the series finale wrapping up on May 28. For those unfamiliar, the often-satirical show follows the Roy family, owners of a media conglomerate loosely based on the Murdoch family, which in real life owns News Corps and the Fox Corporation (under which we get the batshit news channel Fox News). Brian Cox portrays Logan Roy, the patriarch and CEO in the show. He is ostensibly trying to identify which of his four children would be an appropriate successor to the "throne." It's difficult not to draw some parallels to Lion in Winter (one of my favorite movies), with the kids all jockeying for the big job.
I'm recasting Meryl in a role that was (mostly) seen in season 2 (and bumping it a year from when it aired in September 2019 to 2020). Cherry Jones plays Nan Pierce, the head of a rival, left-leaning media company named PGM. Logan wants to acquire it, and by episode five of the season, the Roys meet up with the Pierces at the Pierce family estate, called Tern Haven. This is one of the best and most enjoyable episodes of TV I've ever watched. There's so much intrigue and enticing friction between the two families; the Pierces are depicted as a more landed gentry yet progressive-type of wealthy family, compared to the more nouveau riche Roy clan. The way they talk, the things that interest them, their politics, are for the most part vastly different between the two families. There are great moments of both discomfort and humor. The big scene in the episode is the dinner scene. Much like the one in August: Osage County, it's a long scene with a lot of moving parts. Nan is trying to get a feel for Logan's interests, including whom he plans to name as a new CEO upon his departure.
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Does anyone care whether Meryl participates in a third "Mamma Mia!" movie?
Three years ago, I posted that Mamma Mia! creator Judy Craymer had been quoted in an interview that a third film may be on the horizon. Well, as they're on the look for new stars for the upcoming 25th anniversary of the stage musical, Craymer is again saying that things are in the early stages for a new movie. In fact, she's quoted as saying about Meryl, "There is a story there, and I do think Meryl should come back -- and if the script is right, she would, I think, because she really loved playing Donna."
Fine. But what kind of script is there going to be for a dead character who was originally played by an actor that will be close to twenty years older thatn when she was in the original movie? Maybe they'd figure something that would be believable, but I pretty much don't care if this happens. I do like when things are tidy, and when they say that they originally planned for this to be a trilogy, maybe it makes sense. But I don't think Meryl needs to do this to stay relevant, even if it ended up making a lot of money. Maybe it's true that she'd just like to do it because it was fun and she enjoys Donna as a character.
At this point, I'd rather she spend her time on something new and more interesting. We'll see if it ever comes to fruition, with or without Meryl.
Monday, May 1, 2023
Recasting 2019 (supporting): "The Assassination of Gianni Versace"
For anyone reading the title of this week's post and thinking that 1) the year is wrong, and 2) this series was released before last week's choice of Sharp Objects, hold your horses. Yes, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story was indeed released on HBO a few months prior to Sharp Objects. But as I have done with other selections in this and my lead recasting projects, if there are two projects from the same year that I want to choose, I often place first the one that was filmed first. In this case, it was Sharp Objects, hence Versace coming afterward.
Based on real events, this miniseries follows the life of Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss), who ended a three-month killing spree with the murder of famous Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, his fifth victim. Cunanan's third victim was real estate tycoon, Lee Miglin. Miglin was a closeted gay man who had met the much younger Cunanan, who was an escort at the time, at a party. It is Miglin's wife, Marilyn, whom I have chosen to recast in this production. Brilliantly portrayed by Judith Light, Marilyn, a long-time host on the Home Shopping Network, came back from a business trip to their home in Chicago in 1997 to find her husband murdered. It's the aftermath of this discovery and the sort of mental hoops the character goes through when dealing with police and the press that make for a fascinating opportunity for any actor.
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Season 3 of "Only Murders in the Building" to premiere August 8?
Variety is reporting that Steve Martin casually revealed on stage last night that season 3 of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building will premiere on August 8. Martin is on tour with co-star Martin Short on their You Won't Believe What They Look Like Today! show.
It seems unlikely that they'd randomly reveal a date without it being correct. It's believable, as we've been expecting that the show would likely come back sometime this summer. We'll wait until official word comes from the network, but I think it's safe to say that August is when we'll get to see Meryl in action again. I've updated the countdown on the right of the home page.
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Streep honored with Princess of Asturias award
Monday, April 24, 2023
Recasting 2018 (supporting): "Sharp Objects"
Not long after Meryl starred in the second season of Big Little Lies, I came across an interesting article that bemoaned the paucity of good screen acting roles for women of a certain generation. Specifically, the article honed in on the fact that female characters for which much of the television awards recognition came that year (at least in the supporting categories), happened to be of women one might tend to describe as "crazy." There was Meryl's nutty mom trying to commit her daughter-in-law in BLL, Jessica Lange in The Politician (shocking that Lange took a role as a disturbed person eye roll), Patricia Arquette in The Act. This last one showcases a mother with a psychological disorder called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, in which someone makes someone else, or keeps them, ill for attention. There's good points to consider in the question of why there weren't or aren't better roles than crazy moms for these ladies. It's a debate certainly worth having. That said, I don't think such characters should automatically be removed from the screen. There's definitely some truth and real-life examples that substantiate this sort of depiction, even if in 2019, there happened to be a large number of them all at once, making it seem perhaps a bit like veteran actresses are getting relegated to portraying an archetype of unstable loons.
In director Jean-Marc Vallée's (season 1 of Big Little Lies, Dallas Buyers Club) HBO limited series, Sharp Objects, we see another one of these characters who demonstrates the same illness as that of Arquette's. Based on Gillian Flynn's novel of the same name, Sharp Objects follows a journalist, Camille (Amy Adams), who returns to her southern hometown and to the peculiar mother, Adora (Patricia Clarkson), from whom she is estranged. Camille investigates the death of two teenage girls in her hometown in Missouri, which antagonizes her mother, who's a wealthy owner of a hog factory and is consumed by maintaining appearances of being a refined Southern belle. But as it turns out (spoiler alert), Adora is responsible for the death of Camille's sister years ago and is currently doing the same thing to Camille's younger half-sister, Amma (portrayed by the stellar Eliza Scanlen). Additional spoiler(!): Amma is the killer of the teenage girls in town.