Meryl Streep IS Miranda Priestly | Extended Interview | The Graham Norton Show

0:00 The first time I was sleeping on the floor.

0:04 [cheering] [applause]

0:06 And now are you a bit you are you a bit you

0:09 have you've just been you've just been at the premiere mixing with people.

0:12 Yeah.

0:13 That part I like.

0:14 It's stars that are upsetting.

0:17 Yeah.

0:19 [laughter] And at the premiere did you mingle?

0:23 Do you do the autographs?

0:24 Do you do the photographs?

0:25 Nobody wants an autograph anymore.

0:28 No.

0:30 They all want a selfie.

0:32 Yes.

0:32 So you have to stand there while they they get it and then they don't like it.

0:39 Um I've never asked but can we just do another one and then

0:43 and they get their whole face ready and yes it takes a long time.

0:48 I've seen online you do selfies with celebrities.

0:51 Yes.

0:52 Occasionally.

0:52 Yeah well there's one and this is you and 50 Cent there.

0:55 Oh yeah.

0:58 Who asked who there?

0:59 Well that's his camera.

1:02 I don't know how to work it.

1:04 [laughter] Obviously you were in was it Leicester Square the premiere?

1:07 No it was at the Curzon Mayfair.

1:10 Oh.

1:10 It's a tony sort of.

1:12 Hello.

1:13 It's an upscale.

1:14 Yeah yeah it is upscale because of course

1:16 it's the premiere of Into the Woods which opens

1:19 tonight if you want to go see it and you should cuz it is a terrific movie.

1:22 It's it's great.

1:24 And we thought we'd seen you play everything but first witch.

1:29 Mostly my first witch.

1:33 But I hear you went through a phase of you got offered a lot of witches.

1:36 When I was 40 when I turned 40 I was offered three witches in one year.

1:43 And it was sending me a signal I felt

1:47 about Hollywood and how they felt about people turning 40.

1:52 [laughter] So I felt bad and I and it made me sort of I had a like

1:55 a little my back up you know and so no I didn't want to play them.

1:59 So lots changed in the last five years for you.

2:03 Oh good mom.

2:04 Good.

2:16 I was looking for an excuse all night.

2:19 That was so smooth Mark Ruffalo.

2:22 So smooth.

2:23 It never works like that.

2:27 [laughter]

2:27 But here's the thing you're not just any old witch you're

2:29 a witch that kind of sets the whole story in motion.

2:32 Yeah she sort of she well it's Stephen Sondheim so it's a complicated witch.

2:38 You know it's not just straight on evil.

2:40 And she's motivated by love but for her daughter and she wants

2:46 to keep her safe so she puts her Rapunzel up in a tower.

2:49 I mean what mother wouldn't?

2:53 [laughter]

2:53 And Stephen Sondheim he's written a song specially for you which he did and I I

2:58 said well I I'm dying to hear it and he said well come to my townhouse.

3:03 I went with the director and he played it for me and he sang it for me.

3:08 And his voice is kind of like this.

3:13 [laughter] So it wasn't anything I could steal but it was

3:16 great and it it sort of showed me what he

3:19 wanted to convey in the song and at the end

3:22 he handed me the sheet music and I said would

3:26 it be too odd if I you know asked you

3:29 to autograph it and he said of course of course

3:31 and he took it back and he pulled out

3:33 that beautiful Montblanc pen and he wrote don't it up Steve.

3:39 [laughter] [applause] I was blowing smoke.

3:46 We should say huge congratulations Golden Globe nomination.

3:51 [cheering] [applause] This is more it's your 29th Golden Globe nomination.

3:57 29 of them.

3:59 That's phenomenal.

4:00 It's a good thing.

4:01 I'm so old.

4:04 She's only been in 26 movies which is

4:07 [laughter]

4:08 the amazing part about that.

4:09 Some of them were so good.

4:12 [laughter]

4:12 But here's here's the thing like it's obviously now it's

4:14 a well-oiled machine and it's sort of you know stylists

4:17 and this and that and be here but back when

4:21 you started going back in the Deer Hunter Kramer vs.

4:24 Kramer days was it was it very different?

4:28 It was very different.

4:29 It was the Golden Globes was a little afternoon event that was held at lunchtime

4:36 and it was on closed circuit television

4:38 for the Los Angeles area Los Angeles County only.

4:42 I remember Jack Nicholson was there really drunk at 1:15 [laughter]

4:46 in the afternoon and it was a great great you know just go forever.

4:52 But I was there after Kramer vs.

4:56 Kramer giving birth to my first child.

4:59 And in those days I didn't have you know they didn't lend you dresses so you had

5:04 to buy something and I didn't have any money

5:07 so I wore my wedding dress as you would.

5:11 And it was perfectly nice white silk dress.

5:16 [laughter] But the luncheon went on you know and I was

5:19 I was breastfeeding and 2:00 came 3:00 [laughter] came 4:00 came

5:28 [gasps]

5:29 and [laughter] in a white dress.

5:38 So I sat like this [laughter] and they called my name I won and I walked up

5:46 [laughter] [applause]

5:47 and I said thank you very much and they thought I was so odd you

5:51 know but it was so embarrassing but only to LA County so no one else [laughter]

5:58 the thing is I think this is comforting

6:00 people young actors out there should take solace

6:02 because although the success was very fast

6:07 and everything not all the auditions went that brilliantly [laughter]

6:12 in the beginning.

6:13 Do you know the one I'm talking about?

6:15 The well maybe it did go brilliantly.

6:20 The the one with Dino De Laurentiis.

6:22 Oh auditioning yes yes yes.

6:25 Well that was for King Kong.

6:27 Not for King Kong yeah yeah for the girl.

6:32 [laughter] She's very good.

6:34 No I can play the other one now I got that down.

6:36 [laughter] But that was Dino De Laurentiis senior and his son had

6:44 seen me in a play and so I went up to the top

6:50 of the Gulf and Western building that's like the 33rd floor

6:53 and he had this amazing office that looked all over Manhattan and he

6:57 was back there and I walked in and and his son was sitting

7:04 there very excited that he'd brought in this new actress and the father

7:08 said to his son in Italian cuz I understand Italian he said

7:12 get bruta you know why do you bring me this ugly thing?

7:17 Yeah very sobering as a young girl.

7:23 So I said to him me dispiace molto you know but I understand

7:28 what you're saying I'm sorry I'm not beautiful enough to be in King Kong.

7:35 [laughter] [applause] [applause] Meryl Streep we can't have you here without

7:48 talking about your amazing prowess with the accents.

7:52 What do you are amazing at and with the accents.

7:55 Well that's the accent that's the accent you know.

7:59 But do you have like are you just fully confident?

8:03 Have you ever got a script and kind of go whoa can't do this one?

8:07 Yeah I mean I think that every time.

8:10 But I I don't I don't I'm not a natural at it actually.

8:13 I'm not.

8:13 Like my friend Tracey Ullman she can sit for five seconds

8:17 with somebody and then lean over to me and do them.

8:20 You know she's amazing amazing.

8:22 I I can't do that.

8:23 I I I sort of I have to work a little bit harder and I like it.

8:28 I like going deep into into that sort of thing

8:31 because it conjures up a whole a whole world but yeah.

8:35 What's the hardest which one have you found the toughest thus far?

8:38 Scottish.

8:39 Oh really?

8:41 Want to have a go?

8:43 [laughter] No I was I don't mean to put you on the spot Meryl.

8:48 [laughter] And you start to cry say your friend's been knocked over.

8:54 [applause] You get you out of it.

8:59 Do do me do me do me.

9:00 Do me do me.

9:00 All right can you say this place is pure hot chimichanga.

9:07 [laughter] This place is I believe that was the first

9:08 thing that came this place is pure hot chimichanga.

9:17 [applause] Cuz Anne Hathaway which she was there she was saying

9:22 the same thing on The Devil Wears Prada was real.

9:24 Not that you know not that we're horrible no one spoke people you didn't speak.

9:29 Well they all had they all had a fabulous

9:32 time Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway.

9:38 [laughter] And then I was off in my campus sulking.

9:43 I just didn't I thought it wouldn't be helpful.

9:45 I'm sure Steve was thinking this way because when

9:48 you're and I like to have a good time.

9:50 I mean I really that's basically why I'm in it you know is is to have fun.

9:55 And uh I couldn't do that and then sort of walk in and chill the blood.

10:00 So, it is a funny thing.