When looking at the landscape of incredible performers in Hollywood, few will ever come close to matching the work that Meryl Streep has done during her career. Nominated for countless awards and having starred in countless hit films, Streep’s legend continues to grow every single day. She has changed a lot through the years, but one thing remains the same: she is arguably the best in the business.
Earlier in her career, Streep was up for a role in a classic flick, ultimately losing out to another star. The story of how she lost out on the part, however, revealed a nasty truth about Hollywood.
Let’s take a look and see what happened.
Meryl Streep Is A Film Legend
At this point in her career, Meryl Streep has cemented her place in film history as one of the most talented performers to ever grace the big screen. She has turned in countless classic performances, and she has been a source of inspiration to younger performers looking to become stars in their own right. It’s been decades of success, and the actress is still hungry for more.
Streep began her acting career back in the 70s and took no time at all to show the world what she was capable of. The young actress, in just her second role on the big screen, found herself nominated for an Academy Award thanks to her incredible performance in The Deer Hunter. She was off to a hot start, and things would only continue to escalate for the young star.
Through the years, the actress has been in an endless amount of incredible movies. Streep’s credits include pictures like Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Out of Africa, Death Becomes Her, Mamma Mia, and a whole lot more. These are just a few of the classics that she has starred in, and believe us when we say that her body of work is far more impressive than just these few credits.
On top of having countless hits, Streep has cleaned up at the biggest awards shows through the decades. Streep has been nominated for 21 Academy Awards, taking home 3 of them during her illustrious career. She also has a wealth of Golden Globe and SAG nominations to boot.
As great as things have been for Streep, things have not always gone her way, with a notable snub coming earlier in her career.
She Was Up For A Role In ‘King Kong’
Back in 1976, the iconic monster, King Kong, was coming back to the big screen for a new generation of film fans, and during the casting process, Meryl Streep was in consideration to play Dwan in the film. Unfortunately for the young Streep, she would lose out on the chance to play Dwan in the flick.
The role would ultimately be won by Jessica Lange, and this turned out to be her first major film role. Talk about hitting the jackpot. The film was released in December of 1976 and became a smash hit at the box office, grossing nearly $100 million. It was a huge hit for those that got to take part in the project, while being a missed opportunity for those that didn’t get the gig.
Despite the immense talent that she has always shown, Streep was not able to land the role of Dwan in the film. It’s curious that someone would pass up on a chance to work with Meryl Streep, and as time went on, the actress talked in detail about why she wasn’t cast in the movie. Turns out, the director had a truly awful reason to pass on the young Streep in favor of Jessica Lange.
She Was Too Ugly
“I walked in and his son was sitting there [points off to the left], and he was very excited that he brought in this new actress. And the father said to his son in Italian – because I understand Italian – he said, ‘Que bruta? Why do you bring me this ugly thing?’ It was sobering as a young girl,” Streep recalled.
In Italian, she replied, “I’m sorry I’m not beautiful enough to be in King Kong!”
Yes, Streep missed out on a chance to star in a major hit film earlier on in her career because she was not considered to be pretty enough. This is something that has probably happened to other performers, and it’s interesting to her Streep be so candid about what took place all those years ago. It makes some wonder how often this has happened and how big of a problem it has been over the years.
Even though she missed out on King Kong for a terrible reason, Streep still became a legend in her own right.