Meryl Streep was close friends with the late Carrie Fisher. Meryl starred in the “Carrie role” in the film adaptation of Carrie’s wonderful faux-memoir, Postcards from the Edge. They knew each other for decades and Meryl attended Carrie’s joint funeral with Debbie Reynolds. Meryl even spoke and sang at the funeral. And it seems like that was where Meryl said her goodbyes to her friend, and she doesn’t want to continue mourning for Carrie in a public display at an awards show. This is according to Star Magazine – they claim the producers of the Emmys asked Meryl to do a special tribute to Carrie and Meryl has refused:
Meryl Streep is wishing the Emmys committee would let her rest in peace instead of badgering her to help with a tribute to Carrie Fisher.
“Meryl was asked to make a speech, but she doesn’t want to go through the hassle of finding a dress, writing something and doing interviews for hours,” revealed a friend close to Streep. “In fact, Meryl’s annoyed they asked her – she feels like she’s done enough.”
Streep honored Carrie Fisher at the joint funeral when she sang “Happy Days Are Here Again” with Billie Lourd, Carrie’s daughter. “Meryl had so much respect for Carrie, but privately she thinks all the memorials for her are going a little far.”
[From Star Magazine, print edition]
I mean… I guess Star is trying to make Meryl sound like an a–hole, but I really believe that Carrie and Meryl were friends. Would you want to go on an awards show and have to “perform” your grief for your late friend in front of an audience of millions? Plus, Meryl literally has to attend about a dozen of these awards shows every single year, because she cannot even fart on camera without that fart being declared the fart of the year, and a special Fart Oscar being made up especially for Meryl. Meryl’s 68 years old. Let her watch the Emmys from home in Connecticut.
Photos courtesy of Getty and WENN.
She wouldn’t have to “perform” grief. With simplicity and eloquence she could communicate something about Carrie to Carrie’s—- and her own—- fans, who will be watching the Oscars. I think that would be appropriate and a sign of respect for the fans from a celebrity whose career (not to mention mega income) is dependent on those fans.
Meryl did that beautifully in her Oscar’s speech. To do so again would be redundant.
“Take your broken heart. Make it into art.”
–Meryl Streep quoting Carrie Fisher
Oscars 2017
Have you lost a close friend? Have you tried to “communicate” how great they were? I have, two months ago. I did it because his family asked me to and they were the only reason I managed to hold it together and get the words out. Why the hell should Meryl Streep share her grief with the world. She commemorated her friend at her memorial, where it really mattered. Why should she be expected to tear open a wound and expose her grief on TV. The Emmy’s are an awards show not an episode of reality TV.
Agree, she’s honored her friend among Carrie’s relatives and friends. The Emmys are just looking for ratings by getting Meryl to appear. Let Meryl grieve and honor her friend the way that’s most meaningful to her not by demanding an appearance and performance at the Emmys. Surely there are other friends who can memorialize Carrie in just as poignant a manner equal to Meryl.
I agree with both of you. She has honored her and said farewell. She doesn’t need to offer us her grief for public consumption.
Meryl Streep is not the only individual in Hollywood. People hardly think of her as a TV actress. The Emmy people only want ratings, and some pain porn acted out live by the industry’s top actress. Enough.
Call Harrison Ford and ask him to sing smthng. If you dare… Or ask her daughter Billie. She is a proper TV actress who can say a few words about her mom and grandmother and thank people for their never-ending support.
Yes, the Emmy producers only wanted to get Meryl to attend and they are willing to use CF death to do so. And now they are shaming her for declining? The tribute should be about CF and not, as you perfectly stated, acted out pain porn.
I loathe the idea that entertainment industry workers owe their fans a damn thing other than the performance, and basic courtesy if encountered on the street (if shown that courtesy to begin with themselves, I may add).
None of us, as far as I know, knew Carrie Fisher. Meryl Streep did, and lost a friend. She has every right to remember her however she likes. The idea we are somehow owed a special tribute like this makes me squirm. The people who knew Carrie Fisher and cared for her get to make these choices, not media execs looking for ratings.
Why would the Emmy’s need to honor Carrie Fisher?
I don’t know much about her TV roles prior to Catastrophe but she did appear in all 3 seasons of the show and she is excellent.
I don’t doubt that she was excellent, but it’s not like her most prominent work was on TV. If the Emmy’s stuck with that, it would be a short tribute. Though I guess they could bust out the Star Wars Christmas Special.
She is nominated this year for her performance in “Catastrophe”
Ratings grab.
Yes, I’m sure it is. And I’m sure that Meryl Streep considers TV appearances (except for those in support of her film releases) beneath her.
Well, she’s been doing television since 1969, and has some 40 credits to her name. These include acting, voice acting, writing and producing. Her Catastrophe nomination would be her second of her career.
Yes, because when everyone thinks “Carrie Fisher” they think “that lady from TV” or “I loved her voice acting”.
Carrie Fischer never struck me as being someone who valued ceremony that much. She was a rebel. I doubt Carrie would care and I’m sure Meryl understands that.
Yea I feel like Carrie would also roll her eyes. If Meryl knew her well, she would know best and how she wants to grieve for and respect her friend should be respected. This is a non story. Wow! Magazines still pit actress against actress even when they’re not alive lol.
@alexandria: “Wow! Magazines still pit actress against actress even when they’re not alive lol”
Ohhhh, my god. That is so true, and now I am so, so depressed
Exactly. And she’d be sassy about it too.
Meryl sounds bad here but I wonder if it’s Emmy reps saying this to punish her for saying no
That whole fart thing isnhonestly the funniest thing I’ve read in weeks. I adore Meryl as much as the next person but every little thing she does is not necessarily magic.
If Meryl Streep doesn’t want to do it, she shouldn’t be shamed into it just to prove she and this woman were friends publicly.
They’re trying to make Meryl sound bad. I don’t blame her.
Star Magazine is trash so I’m not surprised by their sensationalizing.
I find this article infuriating. Star magazine and/or the Emmy producers want to shame a woman who mourned her friend, gave a speech at the funeral and probably just doesn’t want to do this all over again? Meryl Streep shared memories and the love she had for Carrie Fisher with friends and family. No need to that in front of a live audience and millions of viewers.
Exactly.
I totally understand why she didn’t want to do it. Some things are dealt in private and being famous doesn’t change that. She has the right to do whatever she feels is appropriate.
I can fully understand wanting to keep that private and not have to put her personal feelings and grief on display. I also suspect she might think it would be all about her, rather than Carrie, which would defeat the purpose. She’s allowed to say no.
“.. but privately she thinks all the memorials for her are going a little far”… WTF??
WTF??? indeed. How did Star get this little tidbit of knowledge? Star and Meryl or her friends are bffs. Sure, I’m buying that. It does sound like they are trying to shame her in to doing this though. Maybe it’s just too hard emotionally to do it now, or maybe she had something else important for that evening. She does have kids and a family, and it’s not like the Emmys are Meryl’s normal award show. I don’t think she owes anyone an explanation, and it stinks this story got out in the gossip mags. True, partially true or totally false it still stinks.
Leonard Nimoy had indicated to friends and family that he didn’t want his death to be a public hoopla. William Shatner cited this when asked why he didn’t cancel an important fundraiser to attend the funeral. He explained that Nimoy had always been supportive of his charities and he would not have wanted him to bow out. This was praised by the media so no, Streep should not be dragged for this. Grief and remembrances shouldn’t be packaged.
Is Meryl even attending the Emmys? She already said her goodbyes. It probably doesn’t make sense to Meryl to keep doing it and possibly make a special trip to do it. I don’t think that’s wrong.
Carrie Fisher isn’t even best known as a television performer, so they would be doing it as a blatant ratings grab. It’s icky.
How shortsighted of the Emmy people. Since Carrie is nominated for Catastrophe, why wouldn’t they have someone from that series do it?
Side note: Carrie really was the best part of that series. Season 1 was fantastic, but the writers went the “angry couple” route, and by Season 3 all they did was fight. They fought before, but it was tempered with affection. We had to stop watching- all the yelling and negativity was just too much.
Real life is aggressive enough. Same with that new series Friends from College? very promising first episode! episode 2, all they did was yell at each other while trying to find a replacement rabbit. It was agitating watching it. Like watching Dora, that kid never just spoke, she always yelled.
Ugh. Those preschool kid shows on PBS are full of yelling characters. Everything they SAY IS SO IMPORTANT! Dont even get me started on Caillou– his constant whining grates on my nerves.
This article and the original source is conveniently leaving out that in September, Meryl will be in the middle of filming the sequel to the film Mamma Mia, in Croatia. So true or not, that’s the real reason she wouldn’t be doing it. I for one thought she was gonna do something at the last Oscars, but seeing that she didn’t, it makes sense that she wouldn’t want to do it at the Emmys either. Plus, it doesn’t even make sense. Luckily Meryl’s reason (if true) doesn’t make her sound very rude, as she is not that type of person at all.
Am I the only one who doesn’t care for Meryl Streep? I’ve always thought she was over-rated as an actress, and I never cared for her personally. AS to the Carrie Fisher thing, I don’t think anybody is clamoring for a memorial. She’s gone. Let her rest. I do agree with Meryl about that.
You’re not the only one.
Meryl refuses to help Emmy organisers boost their ratings, more like.
I’m sure if Carrie’s family asked her, she would. They clearly didn’t.