Meryl Streep is grateful to still be working: ‘Even I’m sick of me’

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It’s no secret that Meryl Streep is a goddess. She’s out promoting her role as Julia Child in Julie & Julia, which will likely earn her another round of awards, and probably her sixteenth Oscar nomination. Meryl sat down with Parade Magazine to talk cooking, acting and the love of butter. It’s a cute interview, and the biggest quote coming out of it is probably when Meryl says, “I’m really glad that I’m still working and that people are not sick of me, even though even I’m sick of me a little bit.” This is so refreshing, I have to say. Meryl’s not out there, lamenting how she’s too beautiful to get roles. She’s not badmouthing anyone. She’s just herself.

Julia Child reminds Meryl Streep of her mother: “Julia’s personality was so much like my mother’s that I felt very familiar with it. My mother had an undeniable sense of how to enjoy her life, and she made every room she walked into brighter. She really was something, and all my life I wanted to be more like my mother. So this is my little tribute to that spirit. Unfortunately, in my own life I can be a real whiner.”

Meryl grew up thinking potatoes came in boxes: “The cookbook my mother used was Peg Bracken’s I Hate To Cook. I remember when I was 10 going over to a friend’s house and she and her mom were seated at the kitchen table and they were doing something with what looked liked tennis balls, these big white things. They said, ‘We’re making mashed potatoes.’ I went, ‘What do you mean? Mashed potatoes come in a box.’ I’d never seen a peeled potato. My mother’s motto was, ‘If it’s not done in 20 minutes, it’s not dinner.’ She had a lot of things that she wanted to do and cooking was not one of them.”

Stanley Tucci (who plays Julia Child’s husband in the film) is a better cook than Meryl: “I’m not so good, but I got better. Julia said you just have do it over and over again, and then you’ll get it right. Finally, I decided to do a test by inviting Stanley Tucci, who plays my husband in the film, and his wife over for dinner. I made blanquette de veaux and it was not done by the time they arrived. Stanley came in and completely took over in the kitchen. He was like, ‘Is that what you’re going to do? No, seriously, I’m just asking. Is that what you’re going to do? I can show you an easier way.’ Boom! It was out of my hands. Stanley’s a great chef and I’m just a cook.”

For the love of butter: “Julia was mad about butter, and who alive isn’t? Butter does make things taste better. For a long time, Julia really resisted the whole idea that you could seriously elevate your cholesterol by partaking of that wonderful substance. Finally, the facts were incontrovertibly presented to her and Julia had to kind of do a U-turn and agree that butter should be used in moderation. She was such a vivid and straightforward personality that it was very difficult for her.”

Meryl thought acting was “silly & vain”: “It was committing to acting and thinking it was a serious enough thing to do with my life. I was like, ‘What are you going to do with your one wild life?’ I thought acting was sort of silly and vain even though it was the most fun thing that I’d ever done, and it remains that. But I was like, ‘If I enjoy it that much it can’t be good for me.’ Finally, somebody asked me, ‘What do you really want to do?’ And I blurted out, ‘I’m an actor.’ I realized I finally had made the commitment. But it took a long time.”

On being unemployed: “I’m like every other actor, I’ve been unemployed more than I’ve been working. Actors just have a lot of down time. So I’ve never gotten used to being out of work. It’s a very uncertain life and there are only a few people that would sign up to be married to somebody who’s an actor. My husband’s an artist and he understands that, the vagaries of the job. I just take every day is a miracle and I’m really glad that I’m still working and that people are not sick of me, even though even I’m sick of me a little bit.”

[From Parade]

My favorite part was the discussion of butter. So many chefs feel so strongly about it! It reminds me of my favorite Food Network cook, Paula Deen. Paula puts butter in everything. And she thinks a sprig of parsley is her “vegetable” for the day. I think Deen is the heir to Julia Child, and I’m really hoping the Food Network does some cross-promotion with this film. I would love to see Meryl and Paula together cooking. My head might explode from the coolness of those two great ladies.

Meryl Streep is shown at the Julie & Julia premiere in NY on 7/30/09. Credit: WENN.com

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11 Responses to “Meryl Streep is grateful to still be working: ‘Even I’m sick of me’”

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  1. Roni says:

    I LOVE her as an actress and just as a person in whole! She’s very classy and down-to-earth.

  2. Mel says:

    Anytime I mess up on a recipe I just add extra butter and my husband says, “Oh you did such a good job,” butter saves the day!

  3. bros says:

    nice write-up kaiser, but I do not think deen (lovely as she is) is the heir to Julia Childs. possibly Ina Garten, since she is more classically trained and french-oriented, and uses just as much butter.

  4. Kaiser says:

    Bros – Oh, yeah – I love Ina too! Ina can really cook, but Paula always makes me laugh. Wouldn’t it be cool to see Meryl and Paula together?

  5. BW says:

    It’s Julia CHILD, not Childs.

  6. Diane says:

    When it comes to cooking I’ll take Giada, and olive oil anytime over Dean and butter. The Medittereanean in me = )

    Meryl is always watchable, even though I haven’t cared for every film. She loves to knit, is a dedicated mom, comfortable in the press just being Meryl.

  7. the original kate says:

    i love nigella lawson – she evenmanages to make fried peanut butter & banana sandwiches seem sexy! as for meryl, i hate to say it but i am really sick of her. she seems like a very nice woman and she is certainly talented but i can never forget i’m watching meryl streep. there are others i think are much more talented, like julie christie, emma thompson, etc. i’ll go see j& j, though – loved the book.

  8. lola says:

    no way dudes. Ina Garten is the new Julia. Her stuff is actually french influence.

    Though my fav of all favs is the food porn that is Nigella.

  9. Lem says:

    amen butter
    amen acting IS silly and vein
    amen Julia!

    Giada is far too pretentious for me. Seems like whatever she’s serving would be cold before she got done futzing with it, and brought it to the table.
    Ina’s sweet, I don’t usually have that kinda time
    I have a few nigella cookbooks.Domestic Goddess comes to mind but her English sensibilities and my American taste buds sometimes disagree. (her stortbread is soo quick and easy)
    I like Paula, I’d like to have me some drinks and spend the day alternately lickin me some chocolate and butters y’all

  10. orion70 says:

    Anyone who thinks Paula Deen is the queen of the butters, never met the “Two Fat Ladies”.

    I’m a fan of Meryl. Kinda wondered about that whole “Mamma Mia” thing though.

  11. Ana says:

    It is refreshing to actually read about a GREAT, TALENTED actress be grateful for her job.
    If anybody was going to be snotty and spoiled, I wouldn’t mind it being Meryl. She makes Jessica and Katherine look bad!