Interview: Author ‘Erin Carlson’ Talks Her New Meryl Streep Book Queen Meryl

by | Sep 16, 2019 | Books, Interviews | 0 comments

Erin Carlson has covered the entertainment industry for The Hollywood Reporter and The Associated Press as an editor and reporter. Her work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Glamour, Fortune and The Los Angeles Times. She’s the author of the critically acclaimed I’ll Have What She’s Having: How Nora Ephron’s Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy, and the upcoming Queen Meryl, which arrives September 24. She holds a masters in magazine journalism from Northwestern, and has been profiled in the New York Times.

Check out her website here, Instagram and Twitter. The book is in stores on Tuesday, September 24th from Hachette. You can listen to the interview below.

Meryl Streep is the most celebrated actress of our time. She’s a chameleon who disappears fully into each character she plays. She never tackles the same role twice. Instead, she leverages her rarified platform to channel a range of dynamic, complicated women–Joanna Kramer, Karen Silkwood, Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, Katharine Graham–rather than limit herself to marginal roles for which other actresses must settle: Supportive Wife. Supportive Mother. Supportive Yet Utterly Disposable Love Interest. Streep will have none of that.

The once-awkward, frizzy-haired suburban teen blossomed into a rising ingénue on the stage at Vassar College and the Yale School of Drama. She came of age during the women’s movement of the ’60s and ’70s, and has worn her activism on her sleeve even when it was unfashionable. When she reached 40, the age when many leading ladies fade away, Streep plunged forward, taking her pick of parts that interested her and winning a pile of awards along the way. Meanwhile, she remained an unlikely box-office draw, her clout even managing to grow with age: The Devil Wears Prada, starring Streep as the Anna Wintour avatar Miranda Priestly, scored $326 million worldwide.

Journalist and author Erin Carlson documents all of Streep’s Oscars, accents, causes, memes, friendships, and feuds; also exploring the “off-brand” forays into action-adventure (The River Wild) and musicals (Mamma Mia!), and how Streep managed to sneak her feminism into each character. In the spirit of nontraditional bestsellers like Notorious RBG and The Tao of Bill Murray, Queen Meryl is illustrated by artist Justin Teodoro and filled with fascinating lists and sidebars, delivering joy in homage to its unique and brilliant subject.