Jessica Chastain reveals 'embarrassing moment' she met Meryl Streep (original) (raw)
Jessica Chastain hilariously reveals the 'embarrassing moment' she met her idol, Meryl Streep
Chastain recalls what Streep said to her after she saw her in a play in New York City — and her adorably bashful response to receiving praise from her acting hero.
Published on January 6, 2022 10:02AM EST
Despite Jessica Chastain's seasoned chops landing the star two career Oscar nominations to date, she wasn't able to act her way out of a hilariously awkward exchange with Meryl Streep the first time she met her screen idol.
"I actually prefer not to meet anyone that I idealize, because I'm just awkward," the 355 producer-star told James Corden on Wednesday's episode of CBS' The Late Late Show. "I had a very embarrassing moment with Meryl Streep, to be honest! I had a terrible, terrible, awkward... I just want to save everyone the awkwardness of me being like, I don't know what to do with myself!"
She went on to recall the interaction, which came after Streep attended a play Chastain was doing in New York City, and hung out in the theater lobby after the show so she could praise her performance.
"She turns and looks at me, and everything starts to go crazy in my head. She walks toward me like we know each other, and then she says, 'Jessica, you were so wonderful in this play!'" Chastain remembered. "I didn't even know to function. I said, 'Thank you so much. It means so much to me that you came. Buh-bye,' and I walked out, like an idiot!"
Chastain didn't mention which play she was doing at the time, though her only New York-based stage credits since becoming a breakout star thanks to her work in the 2011 films The Tree of Life and The Help include 2012's The Heiress and the 2017 production of The Children's Monologues at Carnegie Hall.
Since then, Chastain's critically lauded career has garnered frequent comparisons to Streep's — and she's poised to continue her golden track record at the Oscars as she builds awards buzz for her leading performance in Michael Showalter's The Eyes of Tammy Faye biopic — for which she built up liquid courage to lay down vocals for the film's soundtrack.
"My preparation for singing was bourbon. I'm not even gonna lie," Chastain previously said on EW's The Awardist podcast. "I was so scared!"
Chastain's latest project, the all-female action blockbuster The 355, is in theaters Friday. Watch her recall meeting Streep in the Late Late Show clip above.
Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring Oscars analysis, exclusive interviews, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's movies and performances.
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