Meryl Streep (c) Elisa Leonelli 1983
Meryl Streep turned 75 on June 22, and that milestone made me reflect about the many times I interviewed the greatest actress of my generation and the numerous articles I wrote about her work, in my long career as a film journalist, for the international magazines I corresponded for from Hollywood.
Meryl Streep © Elisa Leonelli 1983
Having admired her acting in The Deer Hunter (1978) by Michael Cimino, Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) by Robert Benton with Dustin Hoffman, The French Lieutenant Woman (1981) by Karel Reisz with Jeremy Irons, and Sophie’s Choice (1982) by Alan Pakula with Kevin Kline, it was exciting to meet this amazing actress in person for the first time and photograph her in 1983, after interviews about Silkwood. She said of director Mike Nichols that he was very funny all the time, and his wit was so alive off camera that it kept things popping on the set.
Meryl Streep (c) Elisa Leonelli 1988
I photographed Streep again in 1988 after interviews about Cry in the Dark with director Fred Schepisi and costar Sam Neill. In 1989 the Italian film monthly CIAK put Streep on the cover with my article about Cry in the Dark.
Meryl Streep (c) Elisa Leonelli 1988
In 1990 CIAK published my article about Postcards from the Edge, where I quoted director Mike Nichols, screenwriter Carrie Fisher, Streep and costar Shirley MacLaine. I remember well those press interviews in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace.
Marie Claire Italy published my interview profile of Meryl Streep in 1989, and again in 1994 about The River Wild by Curtis Hanson. In 2022 I wrote about that unforgettable summer adventure, when journalists were invited to experience the thrill of river rafting in Montana.
Elisa Leonelli, Meryl Streep (c) HFPA 1988
In 1997 the Italian weekly Gioia published my interview with Streep about Marvin’s Room, where a teenage Leonardo DiCaprio played her son.
Elisa Leonelli, Meryl Streep (c) HFPA 1998
In 2001 the Italian magazine Donna Moderna printed my interview/profile of Streep to coincide with the release of Music of the Heart, directed by Wes Craven, about music teacher Roberta Guaspari.
In 2003 the Spanish magazine Cinemanía published my career interview with Streep on the occasion of the release of The Hours, directed Stephen Daldry, costarring Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore.
Elisa Leonelli, Meryl Streep (c) HFPA 2002
I wrote interviews with Streep for the Italian film monthly Best Movie, having served their Los Angeles correspondent since 2005. In 2007 about Lions for Lambs directed by Robert Redford and Rendition, where I said in the preface: “She has been involved in environmental causes and activism, and hopes that young people will bring needed change the world. She recognizes that this task is everyone’s responsibility, not just the politicians.” In 2018 I wrote about her role as Katharine Graham, owner of the Washington Post, in The Post directed by Steven Spielberg.
In 2020, as part of my weekly series of archival quotes from interviews by the journalists of the Hollywood Foreign Press, I wrote what Streep said about some of the directors she worked with: Mike Nichols, Fred Schepisi, Robert Benton and Hector Babenco, who directed her in Ironweed (1987) with Jack Nicholson.
Among her other co-stars, I’d like to mention Robert Redford in Out of Africa (1985) directed by Sydney Pollack, Clint Eastwood who also directed her in The Bridges of Madison County (1995). She also starred in movies like The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Julie & Julia (2009), In fact all of her performance are excellent and too numerous to list them all. And then there’s television…
In April 2023 I mentioned Meryl Streep’s work in my piece about the TV series Extrapolations created by Scott Z. Burns, exploring the effects of the climate crisis.
Meryl Streep (c) HFPA 2017
Meryl Streep holds a record 33 Golden Globe nominations and 9 wins, and in 2017 was honored with the Cecil B. deMille award.
Happy Birthday Meryl, keep up the good work