I was told of a Meryl Streep encounter recently where she was approached by a fan at a café while she was enjoying time with friends and asked for a photo, at which point she very graciously declined and said “I’m sorry, I’m not working right now”.

Unlike the modern lot of twats that run that town, Meryl has kept that separation very clear.

Right now in Rome however Meryl is working. She’s promoting Julie & Julia. First at the photo call, then tonight on the carpet – playful, professional, sassy, exuberant…the best.

At the ROM event a couple of weeks ago, Johanna Schneller asked Meryl about this new energy behind her work, her attitude…

She tried to downplay it at first, did not want to address the question head on but by the end, as Schneller cleverly came back to it, subtly but repeatedly, Streep finally conceded that in recent years she has indeed been more inspired by the material, by the wins, but also by the losses. She cited colleagues who are no longer around, she reflected on her time on the stage, in the business, and she said it was about making it count. Always making it count. Like seize the day, but obviously, when delivered by Meryl Streep, totally not cheesy or contrived.

You can see that joy about her in the photos. And you can see it in the performances. Each and every one these days is a contender. They say she’ll get another nomination for Julia.


Photos from Splashnewsonline.com and OLYCOM/Bauergriffinonline.com