It’s nearly 50 years sinceMeryl Streepfirst took to the stage in a 1975 play titledTrelawny of the Wells.A decade later,with a little inspirational push fromRobert De Niro’s performancein his collaboration withMartin ScorseseinTaxi Driver, she had transitioned to the screen and made a name for herself in Hollywood, bagging several honors, including two Academy Awards. Despite her growing stature, when Universal Pictures set out to make the biographical filmOut of Africa, directed bySydney Pollack,who won an Oscar for it, Streep wasn’t a frontrunner to embody the indefatigable Danish authorKaren Blixen(also known under her pen nameIsak Dinesen) in her seventeen-year experience in the jungle-rich and picturesque colonial Kenya.
Karen’s role attracted heavyweights, among others,Audrey Hepburn. Pollack doubted Streep’s sex appeal, which he considered an important characteristic of the fiercely independent Karen. Aware of Pollack’s biases for the role, Streep embraced the challenge to prove her suitability with the adventure that the role demanded. She devised a sneaky plan to win over Pollack during the audition meeting.She showed up adorned in a “sweet little dress” that went off the shoulders and padded her bra to spruce up her glam factor.In an interviewonThe Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Streep revealed the little underhand trick that won her the famous role, which proved to be a defining moment in her career. Asked about the extreme extent to which she had ever gone to secure a part in a movie, the three-time Oscar winner stated:
I did this thing once when I was auditioning for ‘Out of Africa’, because I had done some movies, but I wasn’t famous enough or something to get this big part, and I was auditioning. Sydney Pollack, who was the director, let it be known to my agent that he didn’t think I was sexy enough to play Isak Dinesen, this Danish writer, you know, who was like 50 when she published her first book. So, I went and bought a really sweet little dress at my local Kmart kind-of-thing. It went off the shoulders, then I took a lot of paper towels and I stuffed them in my bra, so that it would mound up my breasts… I got the part.
‘Out of Africa’ Cemented Meryl Streep’s Legacy in Hollywood
As Karen Blixen, the Danish baroness who moves to Kenya in a rushed-up unconventional marriage of convenience to Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer), the twin brother of her lover, Streep’s performance is a careful balance of grace and vulnerability.She portrays Karen’s resilience with meticulous subtlety and an emotional range that disproves those who criticize her diverse accented roles as spreading too thin.A departure from the hellishMiranda Priestly inThe Devil Wears Prada, Streep’s Karen is a whirlwind of disillusionment — unraveling marriages, a tragic romance that loses to the allure of Africa’s jungle, and natural calamities that make her economic prospects far away from home bleak. Despite her private vulnerabilities, Karen is a force to reckon with in the public arena as a strong, independent woman. Streep brings a raw honesty to her performance, making Blixen’s struggles and triumphs deeply moving.
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A good example of Streep’s bravura is her restrained delivery in capturing the hidden anguish in Karen’s tryst with Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford). She goes for a composed demeanor to conceal her hurt from the people surrounding her, who see her resilience as a source of strength. This choice works to depict a complex character who is culturally displaced, fiercely independent, generous at heart, and vulnerable, yet impressive at the same time. This layered performance — as independent and devastatingly lonely — established Streep as aHollywood’s gold standard for nuanced female leads.
‘Out of Africa’ Is One of Meryl Streep’s Most Successful Films
At the time of its release,Out of Africabecame Streep’s highest-grossing film and remains one of her most successful at the box office. Her strong performance won the film seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and earned her an unsuccessful nomination for Best Actress, which has contributed to herrecord-breaking streak as the actor with the most Oscar nominations.Nearly four decades later, Streep’s performance inOut of Africacontinues to resonate,setting an emotional and professional bar that remains one of her most enduring achievements.
Out of Africais available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
Out of Africa
In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
Rent of Prime Video
