An Appreciation of Meryl Streep’s Delightfully Strange 2010 Golden Globes Speech
If you’re enjoying the Golden Globes tonight, you might also be remembering some of the ceremony’s most unexpected moments. The ceremony brings together stars from both film and television, and it’s well known to be the “fun” awards night—thanks to an open bar and table seating.
One of the most notable moments from years past is Meryl Streep’s genuinely oddball 2010 Golden Globes speech. She was nominated not once but twice that year, for her roles in It’s Complicated and Julie and Julia, and she took home the Golden Globe for her pitch-perfect take on Julia Child. When she took the stage, though, it wasn’t Child's high-pitched drawl that came out, but something else altogether: something wonderfully weird and inherently Streep-ian. Watch the full clip below:
Streep’s speech lasts just about three minutes, and starts with the immortal words: “I want to change my name to T-Bone.” (Viewers wondered whether “T-Bone” was a Seinfeld reference or a kitchen allusion.)
Things only get weirder from there; Streep calls out for her husband, sculptor Don Gummer, to help with her speech, segueing into an appreciation of Julie and Julia director and writer Nora Ephron and costar Stanley Tucci (which is really rather relatable, on both counts).
Streep then plays her talents down, saying, “In my long career, I’ve played so many extraordinary women that basically, I’m getting mistaken for one.” The audience rumbles sympathetically, but Streep isn’t having their pity: “I’m very clear that I’m the vessel for other people’s stories and other women’s lives.”
From there, the speech comes down to earth, and what’s happening outside the rarefied world of Hollywood: “I come to Golden Globes weekend, and I’m really, honestly conflicted on how to have my happy movie self in the face of everything that I’m aware of in the real world.” Streep then shares some advice from her mother: “Shoot some money to Partners in Health, put the dress on, put on a smile, and be damn grateful that you have the dollars to help.”
Streep then tears up, telling the audience, “I am really grateful.” Who else but La Streep could pull off such a feat: Kicking off a speech by making you wonder if she’s had one too many flutes of Champagne, and ending it on a genuinely earnest and heartfelt note about appreciating what you have? It’s yet another classic Streep performance.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
