Meryl Streep Encouraged to Take Hillary Clinton Film Role

Meryl Streep received more than the usual accolades at the recent Kennedy Center Honors.

The multiple Oscar winner was given some advice from a prominent friend on a possible movie role. Writer Nora Ephron encouraged Streep to take on the role of Hillary Rodham Clinton in an upcoming film project.

As the legendary actress was honored alongside pop singer Neil Diamond, Broadway crooner Barbara Cook, famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, Ephron sang Streep’s praises, touting her talent, versatility, and similarity of appearance to our nation’s current secretary of state, saying it was “inevitable” that the actress would play the former first lady.

Clinton, who was present in the audience, laughed as Streep stood to get a glimpse of the diplomat. Ephron turned toward Clinton and quipped, “You met her tonight, and I'm sure you thought she was charming, but she was just soaking you up.”

Just one among Streep’s many fans, Clinton noted last year, “...I love just about anything she is in, particularly ‘Out of Africa,’ with Robert Redford.”

After a series of clips highlighting her big-screen career, actor-director Robert De Niro, actress Anne Hathaway, actor Stanley Tucci, and actress Emily Blunt all glowingly spoke of Streep’s accomplishments at the Caroline Kennedy hosted event.

“In every scene, she's actually doing at least two jobs. First, her own character, who is always so complete, so natural, you forget that somewhere in there is Meryl Streep. Then the second is stabilizing the other actor who is having a nervous breakdown because they're in a scene with Meryl Streep,” Blunt said.