Meryl Streep unveils poster for 'Iron Lady'

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_IRON_LADY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-11-14-09-59-17

LONDON (AP) -- Meryl Streep is becoming a familiar face in London's government district - the face of Margaret Thatcher.

The Academy Award winning actress plays Britain's first female prime minister in the soon-to-be-released "The Iron Lady."

She bears an uncanny resemblance to the Conservative politician on the poster, unveiled Monday with the Big Ben clock tower as a backdrop.

Streep visited Parliament to research the role of Thatcher, who governed Britain from 1979 to 1990 with pro-free market zeal.

Thatcher's family has expressed fears the film will be critical, but director Phyllida Lloyd says it is not ideological.


U.S actress Meryl Streep attends a photocall for 'The Iron Lady' poster unveiling at a central London venue, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Jonathan Short)




***:scared:

[begin_within]

1. There's some actress in England who is known for playing Thatcher,

I've only seen her one time, on a "Candid Camera" type of show, where she played Thatcher and the joke was being played on Joan Rivers and her (then) husband Edgar Rosenberg. That was maybe 20 years ago, and I don't remember the name of the actress, but she looked just like Thatcher and her impersonation of Thatcher was so accurate, anyone would have been fooled into thinking she was actually Margaret Thatcher. She was that good at it. It's too bad they didn't hire her for the role. Meryl Streep is a good actress, but she's not everyone and everything.

[redqueen]

4. She would have aged since then.

Which would limit her to playing only an elderly Thatcher.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Possibly you're thinking of Janet Brown

but (a) as redqueen says, she played Thatcher at her real age, so wouldn't be good at portraying things more than 20 years ago now, and (b) she died earlier this year.

Looking through the list of who else has played her, Jennifer Saunders has done so a number of times (more for comedy than realism, though); Lindsay Duncan is a good actress, who might do well (I can't remember if I saw the TV show she was in).

Or there's the impersonator who did her voice for Spitting Image - still doing the act: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdTMBIC-6aM

[begin_within]

7. Oh, that's sad.

[wtmusic]

2. Streep as Julia Child was one of the best biographical portrayals on film

and there's no reason to expect less on this one. As far as appearances, Thatcher is the beneficiary of any comparison to Streep.

[Cirque du So-What]

5. Thatcher doesn't deserve portrayal by the likes of Meryl Streep

Is 'Mean Jean' Schmidt available?

[TygrBright]

3. I don't imagine Ms Streep allowed them to make a hagiography...

Although I'm sure it won't be overtly critical, all they really have to do to creep people out big time is tell the simple, unvarnished truth without ideological or rhetorical trimmings.

It will certainly make for a better film.

And it's only a film.

amusedly,
Bright