When Robert De Niro met Meryl Streep
From the Iron Lady to a musical mother, Meryl Streep has had a decorated career on the big screen. Her idol? Robert De Niro, of course!
Often touted as one of the most accomplished and versatile performers of her generation, Meryl Streep is a household name and Hollywood queen. From Holocaust survivors to the dancing queen of Mamma Mia, Streep has enjoyed a wealth of roles in more than five decades of Hollywood performances and has a record 21 Academy Award nominations to her name.
One of her biggest idols, she recently revealed, is none other than the legendary Robert De Niro. A frequent partner of legendary director Martin Scorsese, De Niro is also regarded as one of the finest performers of his generation and has been active in films since the 1970s. With two Academy Awards to his name, De Niro is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the last few decades of Hollywood.
When Robert met Meryl
Steep’s affection for De Niro is lifelong and was the result of their first meeting.
The two actors first worked together in 1979 on a film called The Deer Hunter, which was one of their most enjoyed projects. Their next collaboration came just six years later, with a film called Falling in Love. Their last collaboration was in 1996, starring in Marvin’s Room.
A lifelong admiration
It’s clear that Streep has a lifelong admiration for her co-star, as De Niro is often a very influential figure for actors and directors across Hollywood. Speaking about it, Streep had this to say:
“I said to myself, that’s the kind of actor I wanna be. That’s what I wanna do. And I wanna do it with the commitment and the passion and the skill and the beauty with which he applies it. And he’s been my beacon for 50 years.”
Her comments came after watching De Niro in one of his most iconic roles, Taxi Driver. Nobody can deny that it was one of the most influential performances of his career, as the actor blended charm, charisma and danger all at once.
Current projects
It’s safe to say that both Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep have had interesting careers since their collaborations in the 90s.
Meryl Streep has been a mainstay figure in Hollywood for the last 20 years now, with roles in films like Mamma Mia, as well as performing a star-studded performance as Margaret Thatcher in the Iron Lady, released in 2011.
Contrastingly, Robert De Niro has been more conservative with his projects. Some considered his career to have taken a slight slump in 2006, but others have argued that the slower pace and supporting roles the actor took for the next decade were possibly purposeful. After working non-stop through the 1970s to the early 2000s, it’s perfectly reasonable for De Niro to have taken a step back and then been a little more light-hearted.
It’s clear, however, that the two actors have a unique relationship – I’m sure De Niro would be proud to say he had such an impact on one of the most iconic actresses in the last half a century of film.
