‘They Told Me I Was Too Ugly’ — Meryl Streep’s Epic Advice For Anyone Who’s Ever Not Gotten The Job
By Jacob Geers
Meryl Streep is an academy award winner who is widely held as one of the best actors of our time.
Recently she shared a story on Facebook about one of her first auditions:
This was me on my way home from an audition for King Kong where I was told I was too “ugly” for the part. This was a pivotal moment for me. This one rogue opinion could derail my dreams of becoming an actress or force me to pull myself up by the boot straps and believe in myself. I took a deep breath and said “I’m sorry you think I’m too ugly for your film but you’re just one opinion in a sea of thousands and I’m off to find a kinder tide.” Today I have 18 Academy Awards.
It was King Kong producer Dino De Laurentiis who judged Streep to be too ugly for a part. During her audition, he turned to his son and said, in Italian: “This is so ugly. Why did you bring me this?”
Unfortunately for Laurentiis, Streep knew Italian, and curtly replied that she was “what he got” and left. She left, but she didn’t quit. She didn’t give up. She didn’t let one judgmental opinion get in the way of her dreams — and neither should we.
The world is filled with people who are looking to benefit from you throwing in the towel. The next time you’re tempted, take a cue from Ms. Streep and keep going. As she’s proven with countless awards and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, it can be worth the fight.