Martin Short Admits He Was 'Nervous' to Work with Meryl Streep on 'Only Murders in the Building' (original) (raw)

Meryl Streep joining Only Murders in the Building was a thrill for the cast — but it also led to some stage fright for Martin Short.

During a For Your Consideration panel on Friday, Streep and Short were joined by Steve Martin and Selena Gomez to discuss the hit show’s third season and its forthcoming installment, per The Hollywood Reporter. While Streep, 74, revealed how she landed her role on the show, Short was candid about the nerves he felt ahead of acting alongside the Oscar winner.

“It was one of the great thrills of my life,” said the actor, 73. “The first day of shooting — which was rare, because I’m not brand-new — I was driving to work and I thought, ‘I’m nervous today. I’m working with Meryl Streep.’”

Streep had some nerves of her own on the show, too, though hers didn’t exactly involve any of her costars. She played Broadway star Loretta Durkin on the series and admitted she was “very nervous” to record a Sara Bareilles-penned lullaby she sang.

“I just said, ‘I can’t do it,’ and I was s---ty, really bad in the beginning and I thought, ‘It’s because you’re nervous,’” she said. But the Oscar winner eventually got it down and “was great” — but only once people “left the room.”

Streep added of the musical numbers in season 3: “I really thought they should have had Selena sing.”

Jane Lynch, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Songwriter Justin Paul attend an FYC event for Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building".

Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup for Disney Television Studios/Shutterstock

During the panel, the Mamma Mia! alum also shared how she’d landed the part of the struggling Broadway actress — who developed a bit of a romantic connection with Short’s character.

“I actually did call them up and ask — because I’d worked with Steve, and it was really fun,” she said, referring to 2009’s It’s Complicated, which prompted a joke from Martin, 78, that the film gave him "stories" to tell about Streep that "would make the papers."

She continued of why she'd asked to join, "I was a huge fan of the show, but I also just wanted to have some fun because the world is pretty s---ty right now.”

Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep, and Steve Martin attend an FYC event for Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" at the Paramount Lot on March 1, 2024 in Los Angeles.

Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup for Disney Television Studios/Shutterstock

The topic of season 4 came up, too, as Streep aptly joked, "Doesn’t everybody want to be on this show? Clearly, they do, because next season — they all are. Right? God, they have to erect barriers to keep these actors out."

Among the big names joining the already stacked cast for the new season — which will be largely based in L.A. — are Molly Shannon, Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy and Kumail Nanjiani, as reported by Variety.

Shannon, 59, will play “a high powered LA business woman who finds herself drawn into the world of the investigation in NY,” per Deadline, while Longoria, 48, will appear as a recurring character "who becomes integral to the twists and turns of the season’s investigation,” per The Hollywood Reporter.

Both Levy, 77, and Nanjiani, 46, will also have recurring roles, with the Schitt’s Creek alum playing a big role in the investigation of Sazz Pataki’s (Jane Lynch) death, per THR, while Nanjiani will be integral to the season’s new investigation, according to Variety.

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Only Murders in the Building can be streamed in full on Hulu.