Meryl Streep’s ‘Worst Single Interview’ Led to Her First Oscar Win
Meryl Streep is one of the most iconic actors of all time. However, she didn’t always get the astonishing star treatment that she currently gets. Just like anybody else, the actor had her share of bad auditions. However, one of them ultimately led to Streep’s first Oscar win and remains a highly memorable story.
Meryl Streep’s ‘pushy’ agent got her in the door for ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’
Erin Carlson’s Queen Meryl explores Streep’s most iconic roles and moments in her life. She came into the Hollywood scene with a high amount of buzz. The project Kramer vs. Kramer came along, which follows a Manhattan advertising executive (Dustin Hoffman) after his wife (Streep) leaves him to find herself. He’s left to raise their young son alone. However, a nasty custody battle deepens their relationship wounds when she returns and decides that she wants to take her child back.
A “pushy” agent got Streep through the door and on director Robert Benton’s radar. Production initially wanted Charlie’s Angels star Kate Jackson, but scheduling conflicts made that impossible. Streep’s inclusion would ultimately earn the first Oscar win of her career. Now, it’s difficult to imagine any other actor in this role.
Meryl Streep’s had her ‘worst single interview’ with filmmaker Robert Benton and actor Dustin Hoffman
Queen Meryl taps into the casting process, as Cohn asked Benton if he would take a look at Streep. The Kramer vs. Kramer director ultimately agreed as a favor to meet with the actor. However, things wouldn’t go quite as planned. She won the role by simply walking out the door.
“Meryl showed up and she sat there,” Benton said. “I don’t think the interview took more than 15 or 20 minutes maximum, and it was … the worst single interview I have ever had with an actor in all my years in Hollywood. The worst. The worst. She walked out the door, and Dustin looked at me, and I looked at Dustin and we said, ‘That is Joanna Kramer.’”
However, this is the type of iconic behavior that fans love to see from Streep. She understands her worth and knows the wealth of talent that she brings to every project.
‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ is a controversial Oscar winner
Kramer vs. Kramer remains one of the most controversial Oscar winners. Queen Meryl details how feminists slammed the film. The story is only told from the man’s point of view and demonizes the female character. They called it a “male nightmare … plaguing husbands anxious that the women’s movement of the 1970s would lure their wives away from home, leaving behind chores, child-rearing, and other unpaid labor.”
Nevertheless, Streep earned her first Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer. However, she earned her first nomination with the previous year’s The Deer Hunter. Since this role alongside Hoffman, Streep went on to earn another two Oscars for Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady.
