You Won’t Believe Which Actor Meryl Streep Called an Obnoxious Pig and Why

Meryl Streep started her acting career in the late 1970s and quickly showed she had serious talent. She made her debut in the 1977 drama Julia alongside Jane Fonda, which helped her land bigger roles soon after.

One of her early breakthroughs came with The Deer Hunter, which earned her first Academy Award nomination, and she also appeared in Woody Allen’s classic Manhattan. Just two years into her career, Streep won her first Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer, a film about a tense custody battle.

She shared the spotlight with Dustin Hoffman, but their working relationship was far from smooth. Reports suggest tension began when Streep asked for changes to the script to make her character feel more modern and fair.

Hoffman, who had his own approach, reportedly snapped at her, saying, “Meryl, why don’t you stop carrying the flag for feminism and just act the scene?” Hoffman’s intense method of acting sometimes crossed the line.

During one take, he reportedly struck Streep without warning. She later told The New York Times, “This was my first film, and it was my first take in my first film, and he just slapped me. And you see it in the film. It was overstepping.”

The difficult behavior didn’t stop there. Hoffman allegedly tried to provoke her by shouting the name of her late fiancé, John Cazale, during scenes. The first time they met off-camera was also uncomfortable.

Streep told Time magazine, “He came up to me and said, ‘I’m Dustin—burp—Hoffman,’ and he put his hand on my breast… What an obnoxious pig, I thought.” Despite these early challenges, Streep went on to become one of the most celebrated actors in film history.

She holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor and continues to take on diverse and demanding roles. She is known for her skill at accents and fully becoming her characters.

Looking ahead, she is preparing for The Devil Wears Prada 2, set to release on May 1. She will return as Miranda Priestly, with Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt reprising their iconic roles.

Streep is also set to play music legend Joni Mitchell in an upcoming biopic directed by Cameron Crowe. Her choice of challenging, high-profile projects shows why she remains a major figure in film even after more than five decades in the industry.

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