Meryl Streep Opens Up About Her Unexpected Journey To Hollywood Fame

Let’s face it—Meryl Streep is a household name, a legend in her own right, and one of the most celebrated actresses of all time. But guess what? In a candid conversation with Stephen Colbert, Meryl revealed she never dreamed of becoming an actor when she was younger. “I didn’t want to be an actor,” confessed the star of The Devil Wears Prada at the Montclair Film Presents An Evening With Stephen Colbert and Meryl Streep event in Newark, NJ on December 1. “I never had this grand vision of being on stage. It wasn’t even on my radar.”

Can you imagine a world where Meryl Streep didn’t grace our screens with her incredible talent? Neither can we! Yet, the 69-year-old powerhouse explained that acting simply wasn’t something she considered a viable career path back then. “I didn’t think it was serious or even realistic,” she shared. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m destined for Hollywood.’ Not at all.”

Growing Up in a Small Town with Big Dreams

Meryl grew up in Bernardsville, NJ, a small town about 40 miles from New York City. “Growing up, I never met anyone who aspired to be an actor,” she told Stephen. “It wasn’t something people talked about. Acting seemed like this far-off world that just wasn’t accessible to me.”

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Discovering a Passion for Acting

But life has a funny way of surprising us. Meryl didn’t set out to become an actor, but once she gave it a shot, something clicked. “I realized that doing something well makes you want to keep doing it better,” she explained. “When I first tried acting, I thought, ‘This is actually really interesting.’ It wasn’t about fame or fortune—it was about the challenge of understanding people and bringing them to life.”

Meryl admitted that she initially approached acting with some hesitation. “I thought, ‘Maybe this is stupid, but I’m going to try anyway,’” she recalled. “And you know what? I fell in love with it. Acting became this incredible journey of discovery.”

Embracing Curiosity and Connection

Despite her initial reluctance, Meryl found that acting fulfilled a deep curiosity within her. “Maybe I’m not a traditional artist, but I’m definitely someone who’s curious about the world,” she confessed. “There’s no better way to explore humanity than through acting. You get to step into someone else’s shoes, understand their struggles, and connect with them on a profound level.”

For Meryl, the joy of acting lies in diving deep into the psyche of characters who are vastly different from herself. “I love trying to understand what makes someone tick,” she said. “What drives them? What scares them? What makes them laugh? Those are the questions that keep me coming back to the craft.”