Cannes

Meryl Streep is a phenomenal actress whose work has touched generations. Streep’s list of hits is numerous, including The Deer Hunter (1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Sophie's Choice (1983), Out of Africa (1986), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Mamma Mia! (2008), The Post (2017), and Don't Look Up (2021), just to name a few.

 

Streep was invited to the 2024 Cannes Film Festival to be presented with an Honorary Palme d’Or. Streep won the award for best actress at Cannes back in 1989 for her work in A Cry in the Dark. Otherwise, she has not returned to the festival since. In the 2024 Cannes Film Festival’s Rendez-vous avec Meryl Streep, she recounts her career, some of her most iconic movies and characters, and the transformations of the film industry throughout her time. 

 

To begin the interview, Streep talked about coming to Cannes, French cinema, and her experience watching movies. She admitted that she “hasn’t seen enough films;” she’s been busy with her acting career and raising four children.

 

 

 

Out of Africa (1986) was a blockbuster and career-defining moment for Meryl Streep. The movie won seven Academy Awards, including best picture. This film, as the interviewer discussed, made Streep “bankable.” The interviewer continued, “Did this change anything for you?” Did this change how you navigated working in the film industry? Meryl explained that when she works on movies, she “falls in love with stories.” She wasn’t aiming for a blockbuster in any of her films, even those such as Mamma Mia! or The Devil Wears Prada. Humbly, she added, “I didn’t think they’d be anything but fun.”

 

 

When discussing the changes over time for women in the film industry, Streep brought up the example of Pretty Woman (1990). Pretty Woman was the number one film at US box office on its opening weekend. The star female character, however, was a prostitute. Streep believes the biggest pushback against women in lead roles was men exclusively holding executive positions in the film industry. “Before there were women in green-light positions at studios, it was very hard for men to see themselves in a female protagonist... The first movie I’ve ever made where a man came up to me afterward and said, ‘I know how you felt’ was The Devil Wears Prada.” Now, over 30 years later, women get to play people. They get depth, realism, careers, and independence. There are now more women in executive positions in movie studios, and people have found that female protagonists can be successful and relatable.

 

 

To wrap up the interview, Streep gave her advice for acting students trying to find their way in the industry. “Just keep hope alive,” she said. “It just takes one. If it lands, it will lead to the next one.” Her last insistence before leaving the stage: “Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up!”