Streep says 'The Iron Lady' is not a docudrama

NEW YORK, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Hollywood actress Meryl Streep says her new film "The Iron Lady" is not meant to be a docudrama about the political career of Britain's first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Streep won a Golden Globe Award Sunday for her portrayal of the conservative, controversial leader as an elderly, confused woman, now retired from public office and looking back at some of the biggest milestones of her life.

The 62-year-old New Jersey native is expected to earn her 17th Oscar nomination next week for her performance in the film, as well.

"All of us understood through a process of a year before we started shooting what we were wanting from this piece," Streep told UPI at a recent news conference in New York. "That it was going to be, not a docudrama, not a chronicling of Margaret Thatcher's political life. That it would be a very particular look back through her own eyes at selected memories, not in chronological order, in a jumble of memory, regret, glory days. That it would all be part of a reckoning at the end."

The actress said she and her "Mamma Mia!" director, Phyllida Lloyd, had developed a way of communicating that proved useful when they reunited for the fast-paced, low-budget production of "Lady."

"I loved working with her the first time," Streep emphasized. "Yes, we had a shorthand [the second time around] because we had to. We had $14 million to make a movie that takes place over the course of six decades. That's basically no money. That's less than a 10th of what 'Hugo' cost. Ten movies of the scale of 'The Iron Lady.' You can't spend time missing cues. We did discuss things on the run. ... We had many discussions before we got on to the game field and then once we got on the game field, we just went."

As Lloyd described "The Iron Lady" as "King Lear for girls" with elements of a tragic opera, Streep explained how her own background in the theater helped prepare her to play a role so different from who she is in real life.

"For me, to imagine myself in different ways comes from my beginnings in the theater," Streep told reporters. "People are more accepting of when you go apparently wildly afield from who you are or where you were brought up. Otherwise, I would always play people from New Jersey; it limits the career. I felt like I had the freedom to step into these very small, tight, big shoes" in playing Thatcher.

Although Streep said she never had the opportunity to meet the former prime minister, she recalled going with her daughter to hear her speak at Northwestern University about a decade ago.

"That made an indelible impression on me," the actress noted.

Asked if she felt a responsibility to Thatcher since she is still alive at 86 and might catch her performance, Streep replied: "We have come under criticism for portraying a person who is frail and in delicate health.

"Some people have said it's shameful to portray this part of a life, but the corollary thought to that is, if you think that disability and dementia is shameful. If you think the ebbing end of life is something that should be shut away. ... If you think that people need to be defended from those images, then, yes. If you think it's a shameful thing then, yes," she continued.

"I don't think it's a shameful thing. I have had experience with people with dementia. I understand it. I think it's natural. We are naturally interested in our leaders. And we tell stories about ourselves through the stories of important people. Going back to 'Lear' and deciding questions of existence through 'Hamlet.' We're not talking about Hamlet's politics or whether Lear was a good leader. We're talking about the loss of power because it's interesting."

"The Iron Lady" is in theaters now.
KAREN BUTLER