Meryl Streep almost refused Thatcher’s role in ‘The Iron Lady’

London: Meryl Streep almost turned down the starring role in ‘The Iron Lady’ that made the acclaimed actress to win her third Oscar because she dislike the policies of Margaret Thatcher.

The 62-year-old actress is firmly on the other side of the political divide to Britain’s former Tory Prime Minister – and she took a lot of persuading to play Thatcher. “I was not thrilled with her policies or her politics because my friends and I were all playing for the other team,” the Mirror quoted Streep as saying. It was only after hours of talks with director Phyllida Law, who filmed her in ‘Mamma Mia’ that Streep was convinced to tackle the role. “We talked about it a lot,” Streep said. “Phyllida said she thought I was to play the part because I was an outsider and Margaret Thatcher was an outsider in her world and in her party,” she added. Once she had decided to play Thatcher in the 10million pounds movie, she spent months watching and listening to videos and broadcasts so she could get a sense of her body language and voice. On Thursday, the actress was shortlisted for a Golden Globe award for her powerful portrayal of Thatcher in the film. ANI