POLL: Meryl Streep as an actor

I guess you and "realkilroy" must be long-lost cousins...

 

I think she does a good job but so do a lot of actors.

 

Robert De Niro
Tom Hanks
Al Pacino
Kevin Spacey
Bryan Cranston
Julianne Moore
Leonardo DeCaprio
Daniel Day-Lewis
Denzel Washington
Kate Winslet

That's a start.

 

One of the all time greats when it comes to acting. I don't care for the movies she makes, however. Just not my thing.

 

John Wane played a variety of roles. That didn't stop him from being John Wayne in all of those roles.

 

Better? Nope. Try again.

If you want the scenery chewed, yes, some of those actors may be better for screaming and emoting. Streep is more of a Ben Kingsley control type who inhabits the role without dominating it.

 

But John Wayne always played a "John Wayne character", as he brought a single performance style to the majority of his parts. Like Tom Cruise - you can argue windowdressing on differences between his various parts, but they're still usually "the Tom Cruise character".

Streep doesn't do that. There's just no "Meryl Streep character" in the same way...

 

Day Lewis is probably the closest equivalent to Streep in that list, as he's the biggest chameleon.

Gary Oldman would be in the same category, though his inability to do a convincing American accent becomes a problem for me.

Pacino and De Niro have done some excellent performances but they've veered toward self-parody over the last 20 years.

Hanks and Washington are excellent movie stars and good actors who I like a lot, but I don't think they have immense range - they tend to stay in a certain comfort zone...

 

To add a few more...

Judy Garland

Laura Dern

Emma Watson

Hailee Steinfeld

Hayden Panettiere

Mothera

Jennifer Lawrence

Tessa Thompson

Cara Delevingne

Daisy Ridley

Emilia Clarke

Julia Roberts

Katharine Ross

Maureen O'Hara

Louise Brooks

Liv Ullmann

Emily Browning

Pixie Davies

Eva Green

Ella Purnell

Emilia Clarke

Kristen Stewart

Blake Lively

Ashley Greene

Emily Blunt

Amber Heard

Anna Kendrick

Lauren McCrostie

Audrey Hepburn

Evan Rachel Wood

Scarlett Johansson

Leslie Caron

Shailene Woodley

Keira Knightley

Millie Bobby Brown

Zooey Deschanel

Rosanna Arquette

Elizabeth Olsen

Adrienne Shelly

Abigail Breslin

Dakota Fanning

Annalise Basso

Jodelle Ferland

Cameron Diaz

Sandra Bullock

Jennifer Garner

Naomi Watts

Denise Richards

Nicole Kidman

Gwyneth Paltrow

Renée Zellweger

Juliette Lewis

Jodie Foster

Helena Bonham Carter

Parker Posey

Jennifer Connelly

Kate Winslet

Natalie Portman

Audrey Tautou

Rosario Dawson

Julia Stiles

Samantha Morton

Franka Potente

Julie Delpy

Sarah Polley

Radha Mitchell

Jenny Agutter

Michelle Williams

Molly Ringwald

Amy Adams

Hilary Swank

Sigourney Weaver

Rachel McAdams

Demi Moore

Ally Sheedy

Halle Berry

Kirsten Dunst

Uma Thurman

Mare Winningham

Thandie Newton

Maureen O'Sullivan

Juliette Binoche

Catherine Deneuve

Phoebe Cates

Drew Barrymore

Linda Hamilton

Jessica Lange

Rebecca De Mornay

Jennifer Grey

Rachel Ward

Nastassja Kinski

Geena Davis

Alyssa Milano

Heather Graham

Yvette Mimieux

Ingrid Bergman

Natalie Wood

Linda Blair

Jodie Foster

Sissy Spacek

Veronica Cartwright

Angela Cartwright

Amy Irving

Olivia Hussey

Mary Steenburgen

Sally Field

Karen Allen

Lauren Bacall

Linda Harrison

France Nuyen

Michelle Pfeiffer

Meg Ryan

Elisabeth Shue

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Winona Ryder

Lea Thompson

Jami Gertz

Ione Skye

Mary Stuart Masterson

Alita / Rosa Salazar

To add a few more...

 

Who is "realkilroy"?

 

Your long lost cousin, it seems.

 

EXCELLENT!! - Always lovely to meet my long-lost cousin!!!

 

I liked her in Deer Hunter then pretty much loss track of her. She was funny as Eleanor Roosevelt, gotta say!

 

See post #5...

 

We're way ahead of you (see posts above) and Thank You!

 

I first saw her on the tv in Holocaust (1978) when I was a kid; she made a lasting impression....
she was just getting started .

Oh, but now I do sort of resent her for intruding on my ABBA world with her part in Mamma Mia! I refuse to watch any of that .

 

Three time Academy award winner, nominated 21 times. 8 Golden Globe awards and 31 nominations. Seems like she must be pretty good to me, or incredibly lucky...

Whether or not you like her as an actor or not is a different question. But clearly the record shows she is very talented and one of the best of her generation.

 

You actually think these people are better actors than Meryl Streep. WOW is all I can say.

 

You blame her for that? It’s the vehicle.
I’m a big ABBA fan and I can’t stand that show/movie and what’s it’s done especially to the memory of the song Mamma Mia. Which was possibly my favorite record by them and the show has tainted the title and it’s forever associated with it.

 

Some of them might be for all we know. We can judge but it's all too subjective. I think Out Of Africa was my first Meryl movie and I've seen only a handful more because I'm not an avid movie watcher. I know I really enjoyed Milk Money.

 

People Used to Say “Who does she think she Is? The next Meryl Streep?” In the same way guys might kid “look at Michael Jordan!” Because Streep’s Name Was synonymous with the finest acting.

 

Those are just a few who came to mind, they are more, many, many more...

 

As an actor she's middling but as an actress she's really good.

 

I've maintained my no-emoji's vow for over a decads now, but if ever a post deserved a roll eyes emoticon, it's this one. Heather Graham and Blake Livey, really?

Meryl Streep managed to remain an A list actress for decades despite not being a classic beauty, stripping for the camera, or being a social or traditional media fixture. What exactly is your problem with her?

 

Never cared for her style of acting.

"...despite not being a classic beauty..." Now there's an understatement...

Blake Livey, probably not really one of my favorites.

Heather Graham has always been well suited for the rolls that she plays.