Some of Meryl Streep’s most stunning character transformations happened well into her decades-long career when she took on two very influential and different real-life women. Streep portrayed pioneering chef and cookbook author Julia Child in the 2009 film, “Julie & Julia.” Child’s former protégé Sara Moulton told The Daily Beast that Streep correctly captured her former boss’s distinctive voice, awkward body language, and assertive attitude.
For Streep, taking on the part of the celebrated cook didn’t come naturally. In an interview with The Telegraph, Streep said, “To cook well takes practice and to be honest I feel much more confident about my acting skills than my cooking skills.” However, Streep admitted to “Fresh Air” that she became a better cook after taking the part.
In 2011, Streep played another powerful woman, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in “The Iron Lady.” For Streep, portraying the divisive 20th-century figure was not just about the grand moments of Thatcher’s political career, but also about capturing what happens when it’s all over. The film examined, according to Streep in conversation with Film4, “What it’s like to be an old lady and ignored by society in general. What it’s like to lose power.” For her uncanny physical and emotional transformation into Thatcher, both Streep and her long-time makeup artist Roy Helland won Oscars.
