I've written a second novel! This is not purely a shameless plug for people to check it out. Like my first book, The Cypress Club, there is a character in Lodi that was sort of inspired by the possibility of seeing Meryl playing it onscreen. It's a supporting character in Lodi, and if you read it, you'll have little difficulty identifying who it is. I've included the cover blurb below the photo.
After his brother's brush with death, Luke Hanlor is pulled back to the Minnesota farm he fled thirty years ago. Every acre reopens old wounds: a neighbor's mysterious death, estrangement from his daughter, and the disappearance of his youngest brother-a wound that has shaped every choice Luke has made, and a guilt he has never found a way to outrun.
As a predatory megafarm closes in, Luke allies with a grassroots movement fighting to save family farms, only to discover its local leader is a trusted family friend who may know more about Luke's past than she's ever let on, and whose knowledge threatens to unravel everything Luke believes he's escaped.
Lodi is a novel about returning home-to land, to family, and to the truths we spend our lives avoiding. With quiet humor and emotional precision, Jeff Wiemiller captures the beauty, burden, and stubborn grace of small-town America.
When I completed my original recasting project in 2021, and then the supporting series a year later, both of the final entries were roles that won the original actress an Oscar. Perhaps it's fitting that I conclude this updated series with Weapons. The great Amy Madigan of course secured the supporting win for her thrilling performance as Aunt Gladys.
With the exception of my recasting addendum to include The Silence of the Lambs, I don't think I've selected a horror film for this series. Or really anything that's sort of supernatural in theme. But I just couldn't pass up this role. The premise of the movie is that all but one kid from an entire class disappears at the same time in the middle of the night, running from their homes with their arms spread wide. It turns out that Aunt Gladys, who is a witch, had been invited to the home of Alex (the lone child who did not run away) by his parents, only to bewitch them and to force Alex to collect items from his classmates for Aunt Gladys to then bewitch the kids, effectively feeding off their energy. There are a handful of side stories that all play out from different characters' points of view (Julia Garner as the class's teacher, Josh Brolin as the determined father of one of the missing children), with the story culminating in Aunt Glady's ritual being used against her and the kids all ripping her to pieces.
One of the creepiest things is when someone you know or suspect is sinister acts almost excessively nicely. It's a manipulative and disarming tactic that so often works because other people have such a hard time being anything close to unkind to them, even if they're suspicious of said person's intentions. Madigan showcases this brilliantly in her interaction with the principal (Benedict Wong). One thing I'll mention is that we know Meryl isn't historically thrilled with portraying witches. Although she played the Witch in Into the Woods, she has stated that since it's a Sondheim musical it's a "complicated" witch, and therefore okay to play, versus the "oh I'm over 40 now, women are old and ugly after that age so these are the parts I'm going to get offered" kind of witch. Aunt Gladys is a little bit of the latter, but I'd argue that her character, particularly in the context of this story, has more layers to her beyond simply wanting to hurt people. I'm reminded of a Vanity Fair interview from writer/director Zach Cregger, where he stated that he gave Madigan the option of choosing between two options for Gladys's origin:
...one where she was a regular person using witchcraft to prevent her dying from an incurable condition, and one where she was instead an immortal creature performing an approximate simulacrum of a human being, but that he did not ask her which one she chose.
I think Meryl could empathize with the former example; a human being trying to extend her life by whatever means she knows, even if it happens to hurt others. That could be an interesting complication to try to work out in a character. I of course don't know which version Madigan chose (I don't know if she's ever commented on it), but if I were to guess, I imagine it was the human example.
Weapons did extremely well with critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic). The box office receipts were rather staggering as well, grossing $270 million worldwide against a $38 million budget. Horror sort of feels like it's having an auteur resurgence in recent years, which makes the prospect of the news from about a year ago at this time about director JT Mollner having penned a horror script for Meryl. Given the right character, I would be thrilled to see Meryl cast in a true, smart horror film.
Below you can see the full updated lists of both lead and supporting recasting selections, including the number of roles originated by specific actresses. Hopefully I'll update again in another five years!
Lead:
1976: Hester Street (Gitl)
1977: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Jillian Guiler)
1978: Julia (Julia)
1979: The Rose (Mary Rose Foster)
1980: American Gigolo (Michelle Stratton)
1981: Reds (Louise Bryant)
1982: Frances (Frances Farmer)
1983: Romancing the Stone (Joan Wilder)
1984: A Passage to India (Adela Quested)
1985: Agnes of God (Dr. Martha Livingston)
1986: Crimes of the Heart (Rebecca Magrath/Babe Botrell)
1987: Anna (Anna)
1988: Gorillas in the Mist (Dian Fossey)
1989: Dangerous Liaisons (Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil)
1990: The Grifters (Lilly Dillon)
1991: Fried Green Tomatoes (Evelyn Couch)
1992: Blue Sky (Carly Marshall)
1993. The Piano (Ada McGrath)
1994: Dolores Claiborne (Dolores Claiborne)
1995: Copycat (Helen Hudson)
1996: Dead Man Walking (Sister Helen Prejean)
1997: As Good as It Gets (Carol Connelly)
1998: Primary Colors (Susan Stanton)
1999: American Beauty (Carolyn Burnham)
2000: Requiem for a Dream (Sara Goldfarb)
2001: The Contender (Laine Billings Hanson)
2002: In the Bedroom (Ruth Fowler)
2003: Panic Room (Meg Altman)
2004: Vera Drake (Vera Drake)
2005: Elizabeth I (Queen Elizabeth I)
2006: Notes on a Scandal (Barbara Covett)
2007: Frozen River (Ray Eddy)
2008: Grey Gardens (Edith Bouvier Beale)
2009: The Last Station (Sophia Tolstaya)
2010: The Kids Are All Right (Nicole Allgood)
2011: The Debt (Rachel Singer)
2012: Saving Mr. Banks (P.L. Travers)
2013: The Hundred-Foot Journey (Madame Mallory)
2014: Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge)
2015: Hello, My Name is Doris (Doris Miller)
2016: Julieta (Julieta)
2017: Feud (Joan Crawford)
2018: The Wife (Joan Castleman)
2019: Catherine the Great (Catherine the Great)
2020: Nomadland (Fern)
2021: Mass (Linda)
2022: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (Ada Harris)
2023: Nyad (Diana Nyad)
2024: The Room Next Door (Martha)
2025: The Summer Book (Grandmother)
Roles by originating actress:
Helen Mirren (5)
Jessica Lange (4)
Kathy Bates (2)
Anette Bening (3)
Glenn Close (3)
Frances McDormand (2)
Sissy Spacek (2)
Emma Thompson (2)
Sigourney Weaver (2)
Joan Allen (1)
Ellen Burstyn (1)
Judy Davis (1)
Judi Dench (1)
Ann Dowd (1)
Melinda Dillon (1)
Sally Field (1)
Jane Fonda (1)
Jodie Foster (1)
Helen Hunt (1)
Holly Hunter (1)
Anjelica Huston (1)
Lauren Hutton (1)
Carole Kane (1)
Diane Keaton (1)
Sally Kirkland (1)
Melissa Leo (1)
Lesley Manville (1)
Bette Midler (1)
Vanessa Redgrave (1)
Susan Sarandon (1)
Imelda Staunton (1)
Emma Suárez (1)
Tilda Swinton (1)
Kathleen Turner (1)
Supporting:
1976: Marathon Man (Elsa Opel)
1977: Jesus of Nazareth (Mary the mother of Jesus)
1978: Coming Home (Vi Munson)
1979: All that Jazz (Angelique, The Angel of Death)
1980: Ragtime (Mother)
1981: On Golden Pond (Chelsea Thayer Wayne)
1982: Annie (Grace Farrell)
1983: The Big Chill (Meg Jones)
1984: Witness (Rachel Lapp)
1985: Clue (Miss Scarlet)
1986: The Clan of the Cave Bear (Iza)
1987: Empire of the Sun (Mrs. Victor)
1988: Working Girl (Katharine Parker)
1989: Parenthood (Helen Buckman)
1990: Goodfellas (Karen Hill)
1991: The Prince of Tides (Lila Wingo Newbury)
1992: Damage (Ingrid Thompson-Fleming)
1993: In the Name of the Father (Gareth Peirce)
1994: Bullets Over Broadway (Helen Sinclair)
1995: Rob Roy (Mary MacGregor)
1996: The Birdcage (Louise Keeley)
1997: The Ice Storm (Janey Carver)
1998: Pleasantville (Betty Parker)
1999: Tea with Mussolini (Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan)
2000: Almost Famous (Elaine Miller)
2001: The Royal Tenenbaums (Etheline Tenenbaum)
2002: White Oleander (Ingrid Magnussen)
2003: The Station Agent (Olivia Harris)
2004: Sideways (Maya)
2005: Alexander (Queen Olympias)
2006: Children of Men (Miriam)
2007: Hairspray (Velma Von Tussle)
2008: Rachel Getting Married (Abby Buchman)
2009: Animal Kingdom (Janine "Smurf" Cody)
2010: The Fighter (Alice Ecklund-Ward)
2011: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Harriet Vanger)
2012: Mildred Pierce (Lucy Gessler)
2013: Top of the Lake (GJ)
2014: Snowpiercer (Minister Mason)
2015: Trumbo (Hedda Hopper)
2016: The Wizard of Lies (Ruth Madoff)
2017: I, Tonya (LaVona Golden)
2018: Sharp Objects (Adora Crellin)
2019: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (Marilyn Miglin)
2020: Succession (Nan Pierce)
2021: Mare of Eastown (Helen Fahey)
2022: Everything Everywhere All at Once (Deirdre Beaubeirdre)
After it was announced that Glenn Close was set to star in an adaptation of Tove Jannson's novel The Summer Book. I decided to get a copy from the library and read it. My interest was of course the fact that it was an adaptation with one of its central characters being of a certain age. It was a quick read, and I have to admit that I was a little curious as to how the hell they were going to adapt it to a movie. But they did!
The "story" (and I put that in quotes because there is very little plot to the story) surrounds a three-generation family: Sophia (Emily Matthews), her father (Anders Danielsen Lie), and her grandmother (Close), as they spend the summer together on an island in the Gulf of Finland in the aftermath of Sophia's mother's passing. They never really talk in specifics about how they're all coping or grieving. I think I read somewhere that it's more about the tone of the performances and cinematography than any drama in the screenplay. And wow is it a beautifully shot movie. The setting very much feels like it's own character in the story, which is sort of necessary with how little plot there is. Again, I could not find a clip of an actual scene from the movie, so I'm including one of the trailers here.
One thing that makes me wonder about whether or not Meryl would've been interested in this role is how old it's played. Close is only two years older than Meryl, but if we compare this role with Miranda Priestly, the two actors are basically the same age when they did their filming. And yes, Grandmother is not a New York fashion executive, where everything is all polished and put together. Meryl certainly doesn't shy away from roles that are not glamourous. But she does often play roles where the character is at times ten to fifteen years younger than she is. Partly it's because she can. And partly, I imagine, it's because there just are just fewer roles for women who are truly meant to be pushing 80. The longer you can believably portray someone younger as a woman in Hollywood, the longer you're likely to do it, because it's probably more likely that directors/producers/casting directors can realistically envision you in the role.
Close does a beautiful job in the role, pairing with Matthews as they explore the natural terrain around the island. They get dirty, grow things, make things, celebrate midsommar, navigate some dangers. It's a tender juxtaposition of age and youth, and as mentioned above, it is so beautifully shot with so many of the scenes taking place out doors. Meryl isn't in a lot of movies that feel sort of meditative and quiet. This would have been an interesting and fun opportunity. And she would've gotten to do a Finnish accent!
The film did fairly well with critics, sitting at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes and a respectable 62 on Metacritic. Glenn close garnered the most favorable notices of all. But my guess is that the movie was so quiet (box office of $2 million) that it just didn't gain any traction with awards bodies. Still a lovely watch, regardless.
I would love nothing more than for Meryl to be in a Luca Guadagnino movie. I doubt we'll ever get to see it, but part of the fun of this recasting project is getting to imagine her in roles with directors or other actors that she's never worked with. I was unaware of Guadagnino prior to 2017's Call Me by Your Name. I had really enjoyed the book, so I was excited that the movie was excellent as well. Anytime I see a queer storyline with a great screenplay and top-notch actors, it's a delight.
So, too, was his 2024 movie Queer. The movie is an adaptation of William S. Burroughs's 1985 novella, which follows an American expatriate named William Lee (Daniel Craig) in Mexico City in the 1950s. He becomes infatuated with a younger man named Eugene Allerton (Craig Starkey). Lee is addicted to opioids, and he invites Eugene to join him on a trip to South America in search of a plant called yagé, which is said to provide telepathic abilities. Lee hears about a medical doctor in the Ecuacor who might be able to help him find the yagé, which is where we are introduced to the very eccentric Dr. Cotter, portrayed by the great Leslie Manville. I unfortunately couldn't find a single clip of Manville in the role online, but there's a little bit of it in the second half of the original trailer:
It's a very quirky character, but Manville shines pretty brightly in the scenes we get of her. Dr. Cotter comes off at first as a possible lunatic, but we learn that she's actually a brilliant researcher who has cultivated a close relationship with the native people in the jungle. She has tons of yagé and she brews some for the guys, which causes them to hallucinate in a very graphic and mesmerizing scene.
Lee doesn't hear from Eugene after they leave South America, and the movie ends with Lee and old man, yearning for and remembering his time with Eugene. So not exactly an uplifting ending.
I admit that a lot of the appeal for me choosing this role is the fact that it's a Guadagnino movie, not just the character itself. The role actually reminds me (on paper) of Dr. Swenson from the Ann Patchett's novel State of Wonder. But the real similarities between Dr. Cotter and Dr. Swenson sort of end at the fact that they're doctors and that they do research in a South American jungle. But Dr. Cotter is the kind of small character-actress part that we've seen Meryl do. She's taken glorified cameos in The Homesman, Suffragette and The Giver and Little Women. Had she been offered, I wonder if she would've accepted.
Queer is the kind of film that is easy for me to revisit. Unsurprisingly, it's visually stunning. And I love the setting and styling of that period in Mexico City. The movie did fairly well with critics, earing a 77% o Rotten Tomatoes and a 72 on Metacritic. Manville managed to snag a supporting actress nod from the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards (so prestigious!), and Craig was nominated for everything except the Academy Award.
