Meryl Streep stands as the most respected actress of her generation. While the world celebrates her twenty-one Oscar nominations, her path to greatness involved several near-misses and surprising detours. For instance, she almost became a lawyer instead of an actress because of a single morning mistake. Furthermore, she once considered quitting the movie business entirely after her very first film. Prepare to meet the woman who mastered every accent in history.
Meryl Streep
She originally planned to become a lawyer. She applied to law school after she graduated from Vassar College. However, she overslept the morning of her entrance interview. She took this as a sign that the universe wanted her to do something else, so she pursued drama instead.
Meryl Streep almost quit acting after her first movie. She had a small part in the 1977 film Julia. During the edit, the director took words from one scene and put them in her mouth for another. She hated the experience so much that she told herself she would never make another movie.
She left her first Oscar on a bathroom floor. After she won Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980, the excitement overwhelmed her. She went to the restroom during the governors’ ball and accidentally left the gold statue on the floor. Fortunately, she realized it and ran back to retrieve it.
Dustin Hoffman slapped her for real on her first day. To get an emotional reaction during Kramer vs. Kramer, Hoffman struck her across the face without warning. He also goaded her by whispering the name of her late partner, John Cazale, in her ear. Streep was furious but used the anger to fuel her performance.
She is a trained opera singer. She began taking formal voice lessons at age twelve. Although she chose acting, her musical training allowed her to perform her own songs in movies like Into the Woods and Mamma Mia! without needing a vocal double.
Meryl Streep donated her entire salary from The Iron Lady. She received $1 million to play Margaret Thatcher. Instead of keeping the money, she donated every cent to the National Women’s History Museum. She believes that women’s history remains underrepresented and needs a permanent home in Washington, D.C.
She only kept one item from Miranda Priestly’s wardrobe. The Devil Wears Prada had a costume budget of over $1 million. Despite the high-end designer clothes, Streep only kept the character’s sunglasses. Interestingly, she wore the same sunglasses again years later in Mamma Mia!
She holds the record for the most Oscar nominations in history. With 21 nominations, she sits far ahead of any other actor or actress. Specifically, seventeen of these were for Best Actress and four were for Best Supporting Actress.
She learned the violin by practicing six hours a day. For the film Music of the Heart, she portrayed a real-life music teacher. She refused to fake the hand movements. Therefore, she practiced for eight weeks straight until she could actually play the instrument.
She was a high school cheerleader and homecoming queen. Long before she became a serious dramatic actress, she was the “popular girl” at Bernards High School in New Jersey. She recently admitted that she viewed that role as her first real acting job because she had to “play” a perfect student.
Meryl Streep has only been turned down for four roles in her life. Directors almost always want her for their projects. However, she famously missed out on parts in American Gigolo, Sweet Dreams, The Remains of the Day, and Elizabeth.
She gained 20 pounds to play a middle-aged housewife. For The Bridges of Madison County, she wanted to look like a realistic woman of that era. She deliberately changed her diet to add weight, which gave her character the soft, lived-in appearance she felt was necessary for the romance.
She bought a house based on a map of nuclear plants. After she starred in Silkwood, she became deeply concerned about nuclear safety. She and her husband actually drew 90-mile circles around nuclear facilities on a map. They specifically bought a home in Connecticut that sat outside every single circle.
She wrote her own courtroom speech in Kramer vs. Kramer. She felt the original script made her character seem too cold and “evil.” She convinced the director to let her rewrite the dialogue to explain why a mother would leave her child. Consequently, the new speech made the movie much more balanced and emotional.
Finally, she suffers from “Stage Fright” every time she starts a movie. Despite her decades of success, she claims that she feels like a fraud during the first week of every production. She worries that she has forgotten how to act and that the director will finally fire her for being untalented.
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Emilia Clarke rose from early roles to global stardom as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, combining powerful performances with resilience and versatility. Explore her journey from London-trained actor to Hollywood and stage star.
Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke was born on October 23, 1986, in London, England.
She is best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen, the “Mother of Dragons,” in HBO’s Game of Thrones (2011–2019).
Clarke was cast as Daenerys in her third professional acting role, replacing the original actress after the pilot was reshot.
She received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her portrayal of Daenerys, including one for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2019.
Emilia’s character arc traces Daenerys’s evolution from a frightened girl to a powerful queen, earning critical acclaim.
She earned reports of being one of the highest-paid actors on television, making up to £2 million per episode in later Game of Thrones seasons.
Clarke made her television debut in 2009 with a guest role on the BBC medical drama Doctors.
She has appeared in major films such as Terminator: Genisys (2015), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Me Before You (2016), and Last Christmas (2019).
Emilia made her Broadway debut as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (2013), showcasing her stage talents.
She is an advocate for brain injury awareness, having survived two brain aneurysms during the early seasons of Game of Thrones.
Clarke is multilingual and studied at Drama Centre London, gaining classical acting training.
Her dedication to learning horse riding and combat skills enhanced her performance as Daenerys, especially in dragon-riding scenes.
She lent her voice and likeness to the 2014 Game of Thrones video game.
Emilia has spoken openly about overcoming on-set challenges, including discomfort acting nude in large productions.
Beyond acting, she founded the production company Magical Thinking Pictures to develop original projects and nurture new talent.
David Schwimmer remains one of the most recognizable faces in television history thanks to Friends. Although fans know him as the lovable paleontologist Ross Geller, his career extends far beyond that sitcom. Surprisingly, he is a dedicated stage actor who co-founded his own theater company in Chicago. Furthermore, he works tirelessly as an activist to end sexual violence. His skills as a director have also earned him respect in Hollywood. Prepare to pivot to the real life of this talented star.
David Schwimmer
David Schwimmer was the very first actor cast in Friends. In fact, the producers wrote the character of Ross specifically for him. Therefore, he did not even have to audition for the iconic role.
Surprisingly, he turned down the lead role in Men in Black. The studio offered him the part of Agent J, which eventually went to Will Smith. However, he rejected it to direct his first film, Since You’ve Been Gone.
He co-founded the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. Immediately after college, he helped start this ensemble to produce original plays. Consequently, he remains an active member of the company to this day.
David Schwimmer directed ten episodes of Friends himself. While acting as Ross, he also worked behind the camera to guide his castmates. For example, he directed “The One with the Red Sweater.”
His mother is a famous high-profile divorce lawyer. Arlene Coleman-Schwimmer represented celebrities like Roseanne Barr and Elizabeth Taylor during their legal battles. Thus, he grew up hearing about complex legal cases.
He hated working with the monkey Marcel. Apparently, the animal constantly messed up takes and ate live grubs on his shoulder. Therefore, David Schwimmer felt relieved when the writers wrote the monkey out of the show.
He voiced Melman the Giraffe in the Madagascar movies. Producers cast him because of his distinct voice and comedic timing. Interestingly, he recorded his lines alone in a booth, not with the other actors.
David Schwimmer serves on the board of the Rape Foundation. He has spent decades advocating for victims of sexual assault and harassment. This passion comes from hearing his mother’s stories about representing female clients.
He played a strict military instructor in Band of Brothers. Fans were shocked to see him as the hated Captain Herbert Sobel. Consequently, this serious role proved his range went far beyond comedy.
Uniquely, he encouraged the Friends cast to negotiate salaries together. He convinced the group to form a “mini-union” to demand equal pay. Ultimately, this strategy earned each of them one million dollars per episode.
He played the lawyer Robert Kardashian in American Crime Story. To prepare, he spent hours talking to Kris Jenner about her late husband. Thus, he captured the essence of the man who defended O.J. Simpson.
He appeared in The Wonder Years with long hair. Early in his career, he played Karen’s hippie boyfriend in the classic show. Consequently, footage of him in a tie-dye shirt still circulates online.
David Schwimmer struggled intensely with his sudden fame. The overwhelming celebrity status made him want to hide from the world. Therefore, he often wore a baseball cap pulled down low to avoid recognition.
He directed the British comedy Run Fatboy Run. He traveled to the UK to work with Simon Pegg on the film. Fortunately, the movie became a box office success in England.
Finally, he considers himself a theater geek at heart. Despite his massive television success, he often returns to the stage. He believes that live performance offers a thrill that cameras cannot match.
