Meryl Streep Didn't Get Role in This Action Classic Because She Was Too 'Ugly'

Summary:

• Meryl Streep is rightly considered one of Hollywood's iconic actresses – nearly all of her major roles have won awards, and she has the most Oscar nominations in history.
• •Meryl has only failed one audition – in 1975, King Kong director Dino Di Laurentiis called her too "ugly" for the role of Dwan.
• •At the time, such a rude rejection upset the actress, but throughout her impressive career, she proved Di Laurentiis wrong.

Since beginning her career in the 1970s, Meryl Streep has remained at the top of Hollywood and one of the most iconic women in cinema. She is the tyrannical boss in The Devil Wears Prada, the eccentric mother in Mamma Mia!, Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, and simply the actress with the most Oscar nominations in history.

It's safe to say that Meryl Streep was destined for success. She grew up in a creative family: her mother was an artist and introduced Meryl to the world of art. Already in school productions, teachers noticed that Meryl had a special talent: she did not just memorize the text, but completely adapted to the behavior of her heroines.

Meryl Streep's Career Took Off with the Movie Julia

However, Meryl did not immediately conquer the Hollywood. The actress began with small episodes in not the most popular films, and sometimes scenes with her were even cut, because her characters were insignificant.

After several years of not very successful film career, she finally got a chance to prove herself – she was cast in the movie Julia. The role was the secondary one, but Meryl starred alongside Jane Fonda, and the movie eventually won three Oscars.

Meryl Streep Was Called "Ugly" By King Kong Director

Since then, the actress' career has taken off – she has never been turned down by directors, and almost every major role she has played has won an award. And it was only once that she was not able to get through an audition.

In 1975, the young actress came to the casting of the movie King Kong and it was Federico De Laurentiis, the son of the movie's director Dino De Laurentiis, invited her to play the role. Federico saw Meryl at one of the productions and was mesmerized by her talent.

Meryl arrived at Dino's office, where she was greeted with less than flattering words. According to the actress, immediately after seeing her, Dino spoke to his son in Italian:

"Why did you bring me this ugly thing?"

To which Meryl Streep, who speaks Italian, replied that she understood what he was saying and apologized for not being beautiful enough for King Kong. And left.

Such a rejection upset the aspiring actress, but as Meryl Streep herself later admitted, it did not break her, but only motivated to work harder. The role of Dwan in King Kong was eventually played by Jessica Lange, whom the director considered more beautiful. And Meryl Streep, with all her subsequent work, proved how wrong Dino De Laurentiis was.

Source: The Graham Norton Show