Meryl Streep doesn't give a flying fagioli.
Meryl Streep knows a good role when she sees one!
Nicole Kidman told ET earlier this month that it was her Big Little Lies co-star, Streep, who convinced her to take on the role of Gretchen Carlson in Bombshell. While speaking with ET's Keltie Knight at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, Streep explained why she was so adamant Kidman take the part.
"That's the no brainer," she revealed. "What a great part. What an important story to tell."
Bombshell, also starring Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, tells the story of female employees at Fox News, and their allegations against founder Roger Ailes.
"I remember Meryl Streep saying to me, when I said, 'Oh, should I play Gretchen Carlson?' She was like, 'Yes, you should.' So when Meryl says, 'Yes, you should,' you do what she says," Kidman told ET last week.
"Half... more than half our nation gets its news from this dubious source," Streep bluntly said on Monday. "Alternative facts."
The legendary actress was at TIFF to support her own movie, The Laundromat, in which she stars as a woman whose dream vacation takes a wrong turn, forcing her to begin investigating a fake insurance policy. She's also being honored for her work with a TIFF Tribute award.
"It's a great honor and I'm especially proud this year that Toronto is paying more attention to women than maybe the other festivals. It's out in front of that issue. It's articulated as a matter of policy. I appreciate that and so do all my creative cohorts," Streep said.
The actress noted that with her many years in Hollywood, she's learned to stand up for herself and others. "I think when you're younger and on your way up, you're more worried. But when you're old and mean and you don't give a flying... fagioli. That's a bean. That's an Italian bean. It's easier to speak up, but it's hard for anybody to speak up," she expressed. "But we have to now. It's up to each person."
The actress' Big Little Lies co-stars showed up to support her on Monday, though connecting with Laura Dern on the carpet was made a little harder by Mark Zuckerberg.
"Oh, here she is. I'm sure it's her," Stern said, whipping out her phone. "See, I got a Band-aid on my thing, so Zuckerberg can't see what I'm doing or whatever."
"I saw he had a Band-aid, so I thought, 'I'm getting a band-aid,'" she hilariously revealed.
The Laundromat hits theaters on Sept. 27 and is available to stream on Netflix starting Oct. 18.
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