The magic of Meryl Streep

Time magazine many years ago called her ‘Magic Meryl’. That label has stuck. Except for the very wise Donald Trump who thinks Meryl is overrated, I don’t think there is a single person in the world who is not a fan of Meryl Streep.

As someone who has been gawking at films for a good 50 years, I cannot figure out what this magical actress is all about. Or, what life would have been like if I didn’t get to walk down the 'Meryl Street'.

Simply put, she is to cinema what Einstein was to science and nearer home what Lata Mangeshkar is to music. It is unimaginable that there was actually a time when Meryl was not part of our cinematic heritage. If not she, who would have played The French Lieutenant Woman, Sophie in Sophie’s choice, Karen Silkwood in Silkwood or Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady?

Meryl owns all these parts the way no other actor can own their parts. She steps into the space created for her character and then assumes supreme and unconditional ownership.

There is no question about it. There can never be another Meryl Streep. Not now. Not in the future. And to think Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis had once rejected Meryl Streep calling her “ugly”.

Well, I guess Donald Trump has company. Happy Birthday, Ms Streep. You have enriched our lives beyond measure.

Unknown facts about Meryl

1. When she was just starting out, Meryl was intensely in love with actor John Cazale (Marlon Brandon’s son Fredo Corleone in The Godfather) and when he was diagnosed with cancer she was devastated. They continued to be together until Cazale’s death.

2. After Cazale’s death it was sculptor Don Gummer who helped her put the shattered pieces of her life together. Theirs is one of the most successful marriages in showbiz. They have been married for more than 40 years.

3. Meryl has four children. Her three daughters are struggling to make their presence felt. It’s not easy when your mother is Meryl Streep.