Meryl Streep dated John Cazale, her co-star in The Deer Hunter, for two years, until his death from lung cancer in 1978. Six months later, she married sculptor Don Gummer.
Her (largely invented) cold war with Madonna
Though Streep and Michelle Pfeiffer had also been on the table, in 1996 Alan Parker chose Madonna for the role of the iconic former first lady of Argentina in the musical Evita. Three years later, however, Streep got her revenge on the Queen of Pop when Wes Craven picked her over Miss Ciccone for the film Music of the Heart. Since the role required her to play the violin, Streep spent two months practicing for five to six hours a day.
That said, rumors that Streep had taken the Evita decision badly, snarling to the New York Times that she “could rip [Madonna’s] throat out. I can sing better than she can, if that counts for anything,” were pure fiction. “Why would I say that?” Streep told USA Today in 2008. “I was out of the running by the time they got the movie together. It’s a fabulous story, though. Oh, and I don’t think I can sing better than her. And I certainly can’t dance better.”
She was given Bette Davis’s blessing
At the beginning of her career, Streep received a letter from none other than Bette Davis. In it, the star of All About Eve said that Streep reminded her of herself, and hoped they would have the chance to work together one day. (Could you imagine?)
…but not Katharine Hepburn’s
On the contrary, Katherine Hepburn was not a big fan, suggesting to biographer A. Scott Berg that she could almost hear the gears turning in Streep’s head. (“Click, click, click,” as Hepburn put it.)
On the accents
Known for her ability to mimic any accent—just see her work in Sophie’s Choice, Out of Africa, A Cry in the Dark, The Iron Lady, or August: Osage County, among other great examples—she was asked one day in Belfast how she managed it. Streep replied, in a perfect Belfast accent, “I listen.”
On that speech from The Devil Wears Prada
The decision to use the color cerulean in her iconic speech in The Devil Wears Prada was made after screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna sent Streep a list of blue shades to choose from.
The roles she’s lost
Ron Galella/Getty Images