Why does Hollywood even bother casting actors other than Meryl Streep in ANY role? At this point, Meryl really does play #AllTheCharacters. So, what real-life person is Meryl going to play beautifully this time? According to Page Six, Meryl is going to be playing famed opera singer (and real-life tragic mess) Maria Callas in an HBO film adaptation of the play Master Class. Here’s more:
Meryl Streep — the Oscar winner who’s transformed herself into Margaret Thatcher, Anna Wintour and Julia Child — will play opera legend Maria Callas in a film version of Terrence McNally’s play “Master Class” for HBO, Page Six can exclusively reveal. Mike Nichols will direct the adaptation of the Tony-winning play about iconic diva Callas teaching students at Juilliard in 1971.
Hollywood sources say filming will begin in January after Streep tackles another juicy musical project — director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Diablo Cody’s “Ricky and the Flash,” in which Streep plays a fading rock star who tries to reconnect with her estranged kids. “Meryl is learning the tricks of the guitar trade from none other than legendary Neil Young” for that movie, a source tells us.
“Master Class” debuted on Broadway in 1995 starring Australian actress Zoe Caldwell as Callas and co-starring Audra McDonald. Others who’ve tackled the role include Patti LuPone and Tyne Daly. In the play, Callas reminisces about her storied career and personal life, which included being dumped by Aristotle Onassis for Jacqueline Kennedy.
One review after the play’s 1995 opening said of Onassis, “The Greek multimillionaire is so rudely and viciously recollected that he virtually becomes an onstage character.” But, “For all of its gossipy tidbits, ‘Master Class’ is an unembarrassed, involving meditation on Callas’s life and the nature of her art.”
Well, I trust Mike Nichols and I trust the combination of Nichols and Streep. I wonder if this is just going to be Meryl talking to students, or if they’ll tell part of the story in flashback. If it’s told in flashback… who would play Aristotle Onassis?! That’s the real question. As for Meryl – who is a WASPy blonde – playing one of the most famous Greek women of the 20th century… yeah. There’s an element of white-washing happening here. That being said, I’m sure Meryl will do everything to honor Callas with her portrait. And yes, Meryl will collect all of the Golden Globes, Emmys and SAGs. Just give them all to her now.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I think if anyone can pull this off then Meryl Streep can. It definitely does smack of white-washing, though I don’t see her being anything but amazing in the role.
I love Meryl, but this seems like a total miscat.
I love her, but what about Idina Menzel or something?
Perfect! She looks better for the part too, although her singing is wrong.
How on earth did Aristotle Onassis manage to get involved with such beautiful women? I can’t imagine waking up next to that each morning or worse seeing naked! All the money in the world would still not be enough to cover a lifetime of nightmares
I’ve read somewhere he was a very funny and charming man.
Callas adored him, divorced her husband for him and he promptly dumped her for the ultimate trophy wife, Jackie Kennedy. A move he supposedly regretted for the rest of his life. He did eventually go back to Callas, but by that time, he was dying.
He was a very intelligent, charming and witty man by all accounts and frankly would take those qualities any day over some pretty face with a one dimensional personality.
He also had lots of money, huge yachts, and a private island or two. For Jackie, he provided luxurious privacy & security she couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.
No shade on Meryl, but geez, give someone else a chance at this part. I could see Zeta-Jones in this part and she can sing.
Onassis was horrible to Callas, just horrible.
CZJ is also genius! Did they not see Chicago?
Not even Meryl can pull this off. Way off the mark with that casting choice. She should have known better. I think Meryl’s amazing but I really don’t want to see her do, what will end up being, some kind of charades like imitation of Callas….
NO NO NO! Yes I love Meryl, but for f*ck sake!
I CANNOT stand Meryl Streep but I love Maria Callas, this news is killing me…I feel like Meryl Streep overacts and doesn’t bring any nuance or empathy to the characters that she portrays. I don’t think that I’ll be watching this.
I have always said Streep could sit on a toilet for 120min and people would say it was the most awe inspiring performance ever.
I don’t dislike her BUT she is not someone I personally find to be the best ever in acting.
This is how I feel also.
I like Meryl, but I saw Master Class with Patti Lupone and Audra McDonald. It should be Patti Lupone. Period. It was the best play I’ve ever seen – because of the actresses.
I like Meryl but can’t any other older actress get a chance? The handful of decent parts out there for women all go to a collection of about 6 actresses.
The problem is, Maria Callas died at mere 53 years of age – so even Streep is waaaay too old to play her (not that it couldn’t be done).
P.S. Oh, I see I overlooked the “other” (as In. any other older actress) in your post.
First, we have a Brit playing country musician Hank Williams, now this. Love you Meryl but I’m afraid I’ll have to say “ugh”. Cast someone who is Greek or Italian. We do not have a shortage of actors with Mediterranean blood. I know she was chosen b’c she can pull the audience and
I believe she can successfully pull this off but let’s give others a chance.
This is a terrible casting job. I like Meryl, but why do we have to whitewash everything hollywood? Are they just going to slap a wig on her and call it a day? Put on the excess pounds? Dye her eyebrows and put on a fake nose? Just NO. No no no.
How about Marina Sirtis or Shohreh Aghdashloo? They both have the right look and the acting chops. I’d also recommend folks see Franco Zeffirelli’s Callas Forever. Great movie.
I understand why Mike Nichol would chose Meryl.. she’s MERYL for f**k’s sake. It’s a good way to get eyeballs watching that first night. She is WRONG for the part… but it was NEVER about the part. Face it, this is less about the production and more about the awards it may get.
It should have gone to someone with olive skin and naturally dark hair (being of olive skin and naturally dark myself). L – you are spot on with Marina Sirtis. Another plus is that Marina CAN SING (she was in Rocky Horror in the West End long before she became Deanna Troi) – too bad she’s not a big enough star now to get the part.
This is awful casting, I don’t care what anyone says.
Why would you choose anyone but the best for the role, and she is unquestionably the best. Plus she can sing.
Im worried about the Casting BUT BUT BUT I’d love to see this story on Tv … Maria Callas Life story was super extra intense and dishy
Exactly. Couldn’t they find a Greek actress? There are plenty that speak English and sing too! I love Meryl too, but she should not have agreed.
Couldn’t they get a Greek actress instead of white washing? Like Jennifer Aniston?
There is a PASSING resemblance and Streep is a great actress… Why not?
Saw this on Broadway. Meryl won’t sing but instruct an opera class (master class =when a pro comes in to teach students) with lots of shade and bitchiness, and have flash backs to her glory days. Maria’s voice was very weak at the end of her career (circa this class) bc she was so carefree and powerful with her notes. But when she could sing, it was an event. I wish she had a happier life, she was a beautiful artist.
What happened to the Faye Dunaway adaptation? Faye Dunaway was directing a Master Class film adaptation with her as Callas. She even posted a still on her Twitter.
How could this be whitewashing when Greeks are white people?
All the Greek people I know are white white and only have fuller dark hair and eyebrows.
They are really pale.
Even if it were an extreme case like Istanbul Turks looking northern European and Anatolian Turks looking “southern”, it’s still not whitewashing.
That said that’s a role (opera stunner) that Monica Bellucci would be great in, even though her looks don’t fit.
It’s ‘whitewashing’ when the term ‘People of Color’ (thanks Tumblr!) refers to EVERYONE who is not Privileged White. If that makes sense… This is regardless of whether people in question consider themselves White or a POC. It’s a very thorny issue, but it’s more to do with why they chose a white woman and not a Greek actress (or, because it’s Hollywood, anyone from the local vicinity. Greek, Italian, Spanish etc…) In the same way that a woman from Mexico will have better luck in Hollywood if she has pale and blond hair.
I’m probably not making any sense… But Monica Bellucci would have been a far better fit really.
Salma Hayek did well.
noooooo please. Yes Meryl is wondeful, but La Divina was a greek goddess!
I really think it’s a subtle example of ageism and sexism in Hollywood. Meryl is a beloved actress so they went with her because it was a safe choice, and that way they didn’t have to deal with trying to cast a more appropriate actress. It’s lazy and they’re sticking their head in the sand. I’m just glad they didn’t try to have a 24 year old play her or something.
And frankly, considering how much opera singers have to act anyway, I don’t know why they didn’t just go for someone who could sing.
But who could sing like Callas?
She will do an Oscar-worthy turn as “Meryl Streep plays Maria Callas.” Unfortunately, Meryl doesn’t completely disappear into her roles. It’s those little facial tics and mannerisms that she can’t seem to rid herself of.
+1 I’m always aware that she’s acting, and she doesn’t usually come across to me as someone who is comfortable in her roles. She always seems to be searching for things she can throw in for the character rather than letting things happen organically.
I both agree and disagree. In her earlier roles, she absolutely did disappear into her roles but her latter roles not so much. Devil Wear’s Prada, Doubt, Iron Maiden were all as you said, ‘Meryl Streep plays, ‘insert character’. The only exception to this in recent memory was her turn as Julia Child. I honestly forgot it wasn’t the real Julia and I thought she and Stanley Tucci had mad chemistry in that film.
That’s true, she kind disappeared into Julia for awhile until one point when she burlesqued the accent for deliberate comic effect and it took me right out of the movie. She’s phoning it in for these biopics and doesn’t seem to reach inward to find the empathy. Her characters become like one-note cartoons. I wasn’t surprised to read that her early ambitions leaned toward opera. The stage, the opera, musical theater, all seem like better matches for that hammy style.
I love Meryl Streep and think she will be fantastic as always and give it everything from every part of her being. And she did study opera anyway.
At this point, choosing Meryl for this kind of role is anticlimactic. There will be no surprises. And, as Kaiser said, just hand her all the darn awards now. Meh.
If the Master class happened in the early 70s, Callas was 46 or 47 at that time.
Streep is what 65,66? It’s not only the whitewashing but the age bracket that seems off.
Callas was born in December 1923, so she was only 53 when she DIED.
Uh Zoe Caldwell, Patti Lupone, Faye Dumaway and Tyne Daly are all white. So the casting is pretty consistent and not surprising.
Patti Lupone is Italian. And her great-grand-aunt was the celebrated nineteenth-century opera singer Adelina Patti.
Italians aren’t white? This is news to me. Can you change your race like you can change your gender? This is great. I’m purple now.
Streep and Nichols have worked together before: “Silkwood,” “Heartburn,” “Postcards From the Edge,” (in which she sang) and “Angels In America” for television. So they have a successful history. Personally, I’d like to see how Streep tackles this one. She has said she likes complicated characters the most. And she studied voice professionally. IIRC, Beverly Sills was a coach, but I may be mistaken.
…and I’m sure Daniel Day Lewis is in talks to play Kirsten Flagstad in the upcoming Spielberg biopic.
Patti LuPone would be so great!
In a way she gets treated like Callas did, respected up to a point but not enough.
What about the forever-in-production Faye Dunaway film?
HEY DON’T FORGET THE GREAT CATE BLANCHETT!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE MERYL BUT I THINK SHE’S NOT THE RIGHT AGE FOR THIS ROLE
This is just….wretched.
Nothing against Meryl Streep, but in the world of opera Callas is hallowed ground. The woman’s been dead for 40 years, and she still has devotees that will cut a bitch if any ill words are spoken against her. She’s like the alpha and omega of twentieth century opera, an icon as well as a spectre casting a shadow over everything that has followed her.
The singing, ironically, is less of an issue. It’s a Masterclass. She will be instructing going singers, not singing herself. Any singing that has to be done is going to be voiced-over. Maria Callas was immaculately trained and had an remarkable timbre that is immediately recognizable, impossible to duplicate.
I swear, you’d think Meryl was the only working actress over the age of 50 with the way they toss roles her. I like her, but not for this. At all. Callas was shrewd, unrelenting, passionate, and a larger than life personality who basically sacrificed herself for her art. I just don’t know if Streep can capture that without making it look like a caricature.