Meryl Streep: I AM Built from Endurance Not Approval

 I first saw her in the movie Kramer vs. Kramer opposite Dustin Hoffman when it came on HBO back in the day. I was young but it was such an impactful film. It gripped you. Both of the actors, who were relatively newish to us, gripped you. I can’t believe this was her experience. I’m glad that she didn’t let it stop her. She earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

He looked at me, then turned to his son and said in Italian: “Why did you bring me this ugly thing?”

I understood every word. The audition was for King Kong.

And that moment felt like a punch straight to the stomach.

I had just arrived in Hollywood, full of hope, and one of the most influential producers—Dino De Laurentiis—decided I wasn’t worthy of the big screen. Not beautiful enough. Not good enough.

And for a second… I almost believed him. Those cruel words nearly made me walk out, abandon the room, and abandon my dream.

I thought: If the most powerful man here thinks this of me, who am I to disagree? But instead of breaking down or running away, I looked him in the eye and answered back in perfect Italian: “Sorry to disappoint you.”

I took that humiliation and turned it into fuel.

Today, I have more than twenty Oscar nominations. Physical beauty fades. Persistence and talent do not. Never let a small man’s opinion define the size of your dream. What someone else calls a flaw may become the mark that makes you unforgettable.

—  Meryl Streep

I am built from endurance, not approval. What lasts in me cannot be taken by time or opinion.