Meryl Streep

Written, Produced & Directed by Jason Goodman

I agreed to do Meryl Streep’s show because I love Meryl Streep. Not only have I been wowed by any number of transformative performances, but she’s a Tribeca neighbor, and one day my wife and I ran into her on the street and made memorable local small talk. What I didn’t think about was how little you know about Meryl – and how much she likes it that way. Listen to her next time you see her out promoting a film – she’s funny, feisty… and she reveals nothing.

Meryl profoundly did not cooperate with Biography – she made sure no one she knew would sit for an interview. I did manage to book her old Yale cohort, playwright Christopher Durang, but only because he didn’t check with Meryl first. So with Meryl’s close friends off-limits, I fell back to the part of Meryl’s life that made me want to tell her story in the first place – her amazing body of work.

Click here to watch my favorite act.


























Biography: Meryl Streep • Written, Produced & Directed by Jason Goodman

I knew a few things about Meryl’s early life, but I never knew about her love affair with John Cazale. John was best known as Fredo in the Godfather Films, but he also had featured roles in Dog Day Afternoon and The Conversation. John and Meryl met doing a “Shakespeare in the Park” production of Measure For Measure, and were soon engaged to be married.

What happened next was the biggest tragedy of Meryl’s life, but one she has never spoken about. When I asked the incredible Liz Smith about Meryl and John, she had forgotten about their love affair completely, although she remembered once I asked the question. Their story has completely vanished into the ether, until I got the chance to shine a light on it. And that’s what I love about documentary filmmaking.Biography: Meryl Streep – My Favorite Act • Written, Produced & Directed by Jason Goodman