Meryl Streep Joined The Cast Of ‘Big Little Lies’ Without Even Reading A Script
It didn’t take much for Meryl Streep to sign on for the second season of HBO’s hit show Big Little Lies. In fact, the Oscar winner didn’t even read a script before accepting her invitation to join the star-studded cast.
According to Entertainment Tonight, all it took was a phone call from Nicole Kidman — one of the series’ five female leads — for the 69-year-old to get on board with the project.
“I said, ‘Are you crazy? I’d love to be in it,'” the star explained to the news outlet during the season two premiere of Big Little Lies on Wednesday night in New York City.
“I believe in these girls, and that first season blew me away,” the star explained of her decision to sign on without any knowledge of what her role would be. “Everything about it: the writing, the depth of performances, the style, the music, the whole world. And I couldn’t wait to see where it was going to go.”
Streep joined a cast that already boasted a powerful lineup. Along with Nicole Kidman, the novel-turned-television show also stars Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, and Zoe Kravitz, among others. The Academy Award winner will be taking on the role of Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Alexander Skarsgard’s deceased character Perry Wright and mother-in-law of Kidman’s Celeste Wright.
Meryl Streep didn't even read the second season of #BigLittleLies before signing on: "The first season was the greatest thing on television" https://t.co/krOhdNOJRi pic.twitter.com/geDlfFt4iU
— Variety (@Variety) May 29, 2019
Kidman explained to Entertainment Tonight during last night’s premiere that the decision to offer the role to Meryl originally came from Liane Moriarty, the author of the novel Big Little Lies that served as the basis for the show, though some of the ladies were a bit skeptical about whether or not they could pull off signing on the actress.
“Reese [Witherspoon] and I were like, ‘Well that’s not going to happen, OK?'” Nicole explained.
Fortunately, the ladies were wrong, and Meryl jumped at the opportunity to join the cast without even reading a script or knowing what her role in the project would be.
“[I’m] completely indebted to her, because she brings her talent, she brings her legitimacy, she brings her kindness, and she supported us,” Kidman added.
Laura Dern on what it was like to work with Meryl Streep: "Crazy. Amazing. Like a dream. Like you're a little girl dreaming about becoming an actor" #BigLittleLies pic.twitter.com/GqHovgxexa
— Variety (@Variety) May 30, 2019
Meryl also talked a bit about her experience working with the rest of the show’s leading ladies whom, she revealed, are not afraid to poke fun at the star when she makes a mistake.
“When I forget my lines, they go, ‘Oh she’s not so great,'” she jokingly said.
Ultimately, however, Streep feels “so lucky” for her time on the set of Big Little Lies.
“They just made me feel great,” she said.
