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The Jane Fonda movie Meryl Streep called a “terrible mistake”

Sheโ€™s widely regarded as the greatest female actor of all time, and Meryl Streepโ€˜s career is chock full of masterful movie hits. Whether it is the critically acclaimed and generational Sophieโ€™s Choice or the equally culturally relevant touchstone of The Devil Wears Prada, Streep has one of the most definitive filmographies in modern cinema. However, she is not without her missteps.

During a conversation with TV host Graham Norton, Streep once revealed the performance she regretted most. The role she despised the most was in Karel Reiszโ€™s 1981 drama The French Lieutenantโ€™s Woman. โ€œIโ€™m giving myself an out, but part of it was the structure of it,โ€ Streep told Norton on his BBC show. โ€œIt was sort of artificial because I was the actress playing The French Lieutenantโ€™s Woman. At the same time, I was an American actress playing a British woman.โ€โ€œI was young and new at this,โ€ Streep added, discussing her limited experience at the time. โ€œI didnโ€™t feel like I was living it. You always want to do something better after the fact.โ€

While this movie may go down as a particularly bad effort from the three-time Academy Award winner, the movie didnโ€™t make her want to quit acting. That may seem like a melodramatic reaction to having a bad turn on screen, but thatโ€™s the exact way Streep felt when she appeared in her debut movie Julia opposite Jane Fonda.

Streep was just a fledgling actor when she got the gig for Julia, a 1977 Fred Zinneman period piece starring Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Fonda. It was a big break for the soon-to-be star as she took up a role in a pivotal in a flashback scene. The cameo is a short and not-so-sweet one, however, with many of the scenes Streep originally filmed cut from the final production.

Unfortunately, the scene that wasnโ€™t ripped from the reel left Streep feeling like she shouldnโ€™t continue her career as an actor. She told Karin Longworth in her book Meryl Streep: Anatomy of an Actor: โ€œI had a bad wig and they took the words from the scene I shot with Jane and put them in my mouth in a different scene. I thought, โ€˜Iโ€™ve made a terrible mistake, no more movies. I hate this business.โ€™โ€

The movie would go on to earn three Academy Awards โ€˜Best Actor in a Supporting Roleโ€™ for Jason Robards, โ€˜Best Actress in a Supporting Roleโ€™ for Vanessa Redgrave, and โ€˜Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Mediumโ€™. While it still held painful memories for Streep, it wouldnโ€™t hold her back from forging a career that few can argue with, becoming one of the most acclaimed actors in the world.

Watch the trailer for Julia below.

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