Let’s celebrate Streep

What would awards season be without Meryl Streep?

She is ever present at the awards — even in the rare years when she is not nominated, she presents and gives interviews and hangs out being radiant.

This year, Streep’s Oscar nomination for Julie & Julia was a given for anyone who saw the movie. She captured Julia Child in appearance and temperament, finding a way to exaggerate Child’s accent and manner just enough to nail the character.

Streep is known for her range; from Silkwood to She-Devil to The Devil Wears Prada, no two roles are alike. As The New York Times noted in an article last week, her reputation for excellent performances transcends most of the films in which she appears. And only recently have her movies actually become legitimate box office hits.

But as versatile as her characterizations have been, the Times points out that saying that she disappeared into her roles is not quite accurate. “Rather, she used the particularities of these disparate characters to reveal some essential facet of herself, an ineffable but unmistakable Streepness.”

For me, that means I will go to a movie just for Meryl. Films like A Cry in the Dark or The Bridges of Madison County don’t really appeal to me, but I go for the Streepness. I suspect many other AfterEllen.com readers do as well.

Of course, we also go because she’s beautiful and tough and damn sexy.

Treat yourself to some Streep this weekend. Read the Times’ excellent article. Rent Doubt or Angels in America or A Prairie Home Companion.

And join me in celebrating the Streepness.

What is your favorite Meryl moment?