It was bitterly freezing in the narrow ally which permeated into the large foyer of the Melbourne Central complex where the ‘Mamma Mia!’ premiere would take place. Ominously looming about the unusually long red carpet, were officious and earnest looking security guards wearing serious black suits who lurked the area as they touched their earpieces and spoke in hushed tones whilst giving the crowd suspicious looks in that particular cinematic cliché which we’ve gotten so used to seeing in any film which involves the Secret Service. Meanwhile, everyone else in-the- know worked efficiently at straightening posters, laying down media placards and even vacuuming the institutional red carpet without complete oblivion the fact the two time Academy Award winning Hollywood legend Meryl Streep would be walking past in a matter of hours. In contrast, the agog crowd gleefully clicked preliminary photos, discussed their favourite ‘Meryl movies’ and let out audible ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s as the mandatory parade of lesser-status celebrities turned up as effective red carpet-warmers, but it was obvious that everyone was only waiting for the A-list stars to arrive.
Whilst waiting for Meryl to arrive, I began to regress into my history as a Streep devotee and I realised that this evening was a dream materialised for that 13 year old I was who saw ‘Kramer Vs. Kramer’ on TV for the first time, and since that age henceforth she has been my absolute favourite actress and I have studied and enjoyed her filmography with great tenderness. I remember visiting my Video Ezy store at the age of 14 and renting out only Meryl movies; ‘Evil Angels’, ‘Manhattan’, ‘Silkwood’, ‘Out Of Africa’ and of course the tour-de-force ‘Sophie’s Choice’. Throughout the years as I matured and as my appreciation for arts heightened and my analytical skills became more acute I discovered what an incredible technical and actor that Meryl is; notice her wholly convincing adaptability for any accent, see infinite emotional range and versatility- she can play anything, and ultimately observe how totally authentic Meryl is on screen- she is not acting because she truly believes every word that she says whilst inhabiting her characters.
I enthusiastically clutched my poster of ‘The Hours’ and a black permanent maker in hope that Meryl might grant me an autograph, and I gave my mother a crash-course in how to use the digital camera so that she could take a photo of the Oscar winner and I. At this stage the more substantial celebrities began to embark upon the red carpet; Dominic Cooper, a cast member of ‘Mamma Mia!’ chatted to the long row of journalists before greeting those waiting to meet him. To be honest I had no idea who he was, so I didn’t pay any interest in greeting him. Next came along Colin Firth who was herald by the sycophantic screams of dozens of middle-aged women. After spending an eternity flirting with the media Mr. Firth approached those who were eagerly waiting to meet him. However, he didn’t display any of the alluring charisma which he coaxed out of himself for the press; I was the third non-media person to greet him but he paid less than minimal interest in me and begrudgingly scribbled his name on a piece of paper before he looked my mother up-and-down without uttering a word to either of us. I kept Firth’s autograph for my part-time co-worker Joan who fell in love with his characterisation of Mr. Darcy.
The moment we all had been waiting for discreetly crept in front of us; Meryl Streep turned the corner and began to chat to the press. The moment I saw her I felt as though I was in a dream. I was struck into a strange mood of déjà-vu: it was like seeing her on the big screen except and at the same time it was like seeing an old friend that you haven’t seen for years- a bizarre sense of recognition.
Streep was hurried through the media before she approached those wanting to meet her. She chatted to two flamboyantly ecstatic men before the icon approached me smiling. To my surprise and contrary to my concerns, I didn’t trip over my own tongue: “Hi Meryl, can you please sign my poster?” her smile widened and said “Of course”. She studied my poster briefly and then signed her name with careful precision before handing me back my souvenirs. “Thank you so much.” I said with delight, “My pleasure” she replied with her warm, familiar voice. She then paused and observed my Björk T-shirt before greeting my mother as she extended her hand to sign my copy of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, but Meryl put texta to paper before realising that she had left the lid on. She sighed with embarrassment as my mother said “Sorry Meryl, I left the lid on.” “That’s OK.” Meryl giggled.
I was so impressed with what a lovely lady that Meryl was, and it seemed obvious how humble and gentle this woman is despite her status as the greatest living actress. Meryl had an aura about her, but it was not the same as other celebrities who shine because of the dress that they are wearing or because of their oozing ego- Meryl’s radiance exists because of the strong woman she presents and from what a beautiful person she is.
After this, Streep’s minders urged her to ignore the rest of the well-wishers and move inside because she was running late to greet The Fabulous Adam Richards and commence her interview on Nova FM. Hundreds of people missed out on meeting Meryl, but I hardly felt any sympathy for them at the time because I was too aloof with my incredible encounter with such a significant figure in cinema history.
Meeting Meryl Streep is one of the highlights of my life, and reinforces in me the idea that dreams truly do come true. Furthermore, Streep proved to me that power and fame are redundant if a person is in awe of their own importance, and that the true measure of a great artist is someone who is willing to thank those who appreciate their work.
I think I’ll go watch a Meryl Streep film now.
(Meryl and I)
