Meryl Streep is considered by many as the greatest actress of her generation. The 73-year-old actress has been a part of countless notable projects such as Sophie’s Choice, Falling in Love, and The Iron Lady. Despite so much success and fame, it’s surprising to know that Streep was rejected by the Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott not once but twice.
Meryl Streep holds the record for being nominated for the Academy Awards twenty-one times out of which she won three. Along with several accolades under her name, the Kramer vs. Kramer star is also praised for bringing in magnificent box office numbers. But even after all these, we missed Streep in two prominent Ridley Scott ventures- Alien and Thelma and Louise.
How did Meryl Streep lose significant Ridley Scott movies?
Initially, the Don’t Look Up actress was set to play the lead role of Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott’s highly celebrated Alien franchise. But unfortunately, Sigourney Weaver was cast and went on to be one of the most memorable female characters. Although an official reason was never stated, many speculate that it was Scott who believed that Weaver would be a better choice as Streep was “too dainty and frail to play a rugged space miner.”
The story doesn’t end here as some other reports state that it was the unfortunate demise of Meryl Streep‘s then-partner John Cazale which led her to leave the project. But it was not the only time when The Bridges of Madison County lost a role in a Ridley Scott movie. The saga continued when once again, one of the most famous feminist movies Thelma and Louise saw a very different star cast than what was expected.
Thelma and Louise before becoming a cult classic movie went through a lot of casting changes. The two female lead roles were played by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. Originally, actresses Jodie Foster and Michelle Pfeiffer were considered for the roles but eventually left the movie as the filming was delayed. Then after some other names, Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn caught Scott’s attention after they called the director themselves for the roles.
But ultimately, the roles went to Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis and created history. Streep couldn’t fulfill her desire to act as Thelma and Davis gained a worldwide appreciation for her role in the 1991 movie. The film saw both of its female leads nominated for the category of Best Actress at the Oscars.
Meryl Streep’s upcoming projects
Meryl Streep is also one of the rare stars, popular for being nominated in both Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. The Silkwood star has won three Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance in some memorable series like Holocaust and Angels in America.
The Falling in Love actress was last seen in 2021’s Netflix film Don’t Look Up where she co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. The movie garnered huge viewership and set new records for the streaming platform. Further, Meryl Streep was also spotted in an episode of the recent Apple TV+ anthology series Extrapolations.
Now Streep is also set to make her appearance in the third season of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building which stars Selena Gomez, Paul Rudd, Steve Martin, and others. While it is still unknown if she will be seen in the show as one of the lead characters or a special guest.
Alien can be bought on Apple TV+ while Thelma and Louise can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Source: Movieweb
