Meryl Streep Reveals Jane Fonda Film That Made Her Consider Quitting Acting

During a chat with Graham Norton on the BBC, Meryl Streep revealed that one of her early film roles made her question her future as an actress. The film in question was Karel Reisz’s 1981 drama The French Lieutenant’s Woman.

“I’m giving myself an out, but part of it was the structure of it,” Streep told Norton. “It was sort of artificial because I was the actress playing The French Lieutenant’s Woman. At the same time, I was an American actress playing a British woman.”

Reflecting on her inexperience at the time, Streep added, “I was young and new at this. I didn’t feel like I was living it. You always want to do something better after the fact.”

Streep also discussed a particular production mishap that frustrated her. “I had a bad wig and they took the words from the scene I shot with Jane and put them in my mouth in a different scene. I thought, ‘I’ve made a terrible mistake, no more movies. I hate this business,’” she told Karin Longworth for the book Meryl Streep: Anatomy of an Actor.

The French Lieutenant’s Woman, adapted from John Fowles’ 1969 novel, tells the story of Sarah Woodruff and the man who becomes involved in her life, played by Jeremy Irons. The movie explored a complex love story with an unusual narrative structure, which added to Streep’s challenges during filming.

Despite Streep’s personal frustrations, the film received critical recognition. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and Harold Pinter was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

While some reviews noted minor issues with historical or narrative accuracy, many agreed that Streep’s performance was remarkable. Vincent Canby of The New York Times described it as “an astonishingly beautiful film, acted to the elegant hilt by Meryl Streep as the ultimately unreliable Sarah.”

Streep’s experience on The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a reminder that even celebrated actors can struggle with certain roles. Despite the early regret, she continued to build one of the most successful acting careers in history.

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