The Hilarious Reason Jennifer Lawrence Had to Explain to Meryl Streep What “GOAT” Means

Meryl Streep just learned of yet another title she can flex.

The three-time Oscar winner, who stars in the upcoming satirical comedy, Don't Look Up, alongside Jonah Hill, Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, recently learned that she was considered the GOAT of acting, especially for Jonah, who has long admired her work. And although the appreciation may not have been a surprise—it's the term itself that was complete news to Meryl.

"Meryl Streep's actually cool," Jonah said during his Dec. 6 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. "And she's the best actor. In fact—so we've been doing press for this movie, and in the interviews for the past couple days, I keep saying, ‘Oh, and you know, getting to work with Meryl, she's the GOAT.' And Meryl, to me, she is the GOAT. She's the greatest of all time."

After explaining that he's been hailing her with praise by referring to the term all week, Jonah added, "And then, today, we're doing a press conference and she's like, ‘You know, and Jonah is so comfortable with me, he's been calling me a goat all week.'"

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Yes, as in the animal itself—and that's when their co-star swiftly stepped in to clarify.

"And Jennifer Lawrence explained [it] to her, ‘cause she was telling Jennifer about this," Jonah explained to Jimmy Fallon. "And she's so cool, she wasn't even offended by it! She was just like, ‘I guess, he just loves me and is calling me a goat.' And Jennifer's like, ‘No, Meryl, it stands for Greatest of All Time.'"

Despite the small mix up, Meryl eventually gave Jonah her gratitude for the term of endearment. As he recalled, "So, she was like, ‘Hey, thanks for calling me the GOAT. I thought you were calling me a goat this whole time.'"

But as Jonah declared proudly after his hilarious story: "Shoutout to the GOAT! Meryl Streep!"

Don't Look Up premieres in select theaters on Dec. 10 and on Netflix Dec. 24.

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