Advertisement

Oscars 2012: Meryl Streep’s ready for a whiskey — or two

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Meryl Streep meant what she said when she accepted her lead actress award on the Oscars stage Sunday night: She knows many people are just plain tired of her by now.

“I’m pushing the tolerance,” she acknowledged. “Frankly, I understand Streep fatigue. And it shocked me that it didn’t override this tonight.”

Advertisement

It’s been nearly three decades since Streep last won the lead actress prize for her performance in “Sophie’s Choice,” and the 62-year-old admitted she was surprised by how exciting it was to win the Oscar again.

PHOTOS: Red carpet arrivals | Quotes | Winners | Best & Worst

“I thought I was so old and jaded, but they call your name and you just go into a sort of white light,” she said. “It was like [being] a kid again. I was a kid when I won this, like, 30 years ago. Two of the nominees were not even conceived,” she added, referring to Rooney Mara, 26, and Michelle Williams, 30.

Asked how she prepared to play former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for ‘The Iron Lady,’ Streep said she was unable to meet her but studied archival footage intensely. The actress became so comfortable with the political figure that she finally quit being shocked by her reflection while wearing the award-winning transformative makeup.

“I had become acclimated to not looking at Margaret Thatcher in the mirror, [so] I thought it was me. And that was important to me. That I wasn’t looking at rubber, that I was looking at me,” she explained. “But honestly? When we first had the old-age makeup on, I saw my dad. I looked so much like my dad. Maybe my dad looked like Margaret Thatcher?’

Streep was eager to leave the press room backstage, protesting yet another journalist’s question by responding: “But I’m so thirsty!”

Advertisement

The actress said she was going to start by celebrating with a couple of whiskeys — “And then we’ll see if I can walk on the Ferragamo’s,” she said with a smile, looking down at her high heels.

RELATED:

Oscars 2012: Full coverage

TIMELINE: Eight decades of Oscars history

‘The Artist’ is big winner at Academy Awards

— Amy Kaufman

Advertisement