Chronology: 2002
The comeback year: Meryl Streep is shown with director Spike Jonze on the set of “Adaptation”. In “The Hours”, she plays a woman on the verge of a breakdown. Streep attends the Los Angeles premiere for the film with co-stars Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman.
In December of 2002, Meryl Streep returned after a 2-year-absence from film with two highly acclaimed feature films, that had many critics writing about a “comeback”. In Spike Jonze’s “Adaptation”, she played a fictional version of author Susan Orlean – at first a reserved, unhappy woman, later, after meeting Chris Cooper’s orchid thief, the subject of her new book, a free mind ready to break boundaries and the law. Throughout the film, she is approached by a fictional version of author Charlie Kaufman and a made-up version of his twin brother both played by Nicolas Cage. Jonze’s film was met with rave reviews, as were his actors. 19 years after receiving her last Golden Globe, Meryl Streep received the trophy as Best Actress in a Supporting Role and nominations for the BAFTA Film Award, the Critics Choice Award and the Academy Award, surpassing Katharine Hepburn’s record for actor with the most nominations. “Adaptation” received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for Cooper.
Her second feature of 2002 was met with equal critical acclaim. Stephen Daldry’s masterful interwoven story of three women on the brink of loss, suicide and new opportunities in “The Hours”, won a Best Actress award for Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore at the Berlin Film Festival, and won Streep second nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA Film Award. “The Hours” received 9 Academy Award nominations, inlcuding for Best Picture, winning Best Actress for Nicole Kidman. In a year of success and accolades, France was especially generous to Meryl this year, honoring her with a Lifetime Achievement César Award and a Commander in the Order of Arts in Letters.
www.simplystreep.com
