However, when Streep heard that Kidman wanted her to play a character named Mary Louise, she knew it was meant to be. Neither Kidman nor Reese Witherspoon — her co-star on the show and a member of the production team — had any idea that “Mary Louise” was actually Streep’s official name. However, author Liane Moriarty did, and she imagined Streep as the character in her novella Big little lies Season two is based on. By telling her Streep’s real name, she believed she could stack the cards in her favor for a possible later throw.

However, to everyone’s surprise, Kidman didn’t have to sell the role to Streep, and Moriarty didn’t have to resort to the “Mary Louise” lure. Streep essentially said yes on the spot without even reading the script, declaring, “It was literally the greatest thing on television. There’s not a woman in this room who wouldn’t sign up.”

Fast forward to her first day on set, however, and Streep quickly discovered this Big little lies was truly a showcase for the game’s best actors. The first day we shot an incredibly emotional scene with Kidman playing her suspicious daughter-in-law, which resulted in Kidman going into a very emotional place at the start of filming.

At the AFI Life Achievement Awards in 2024, Streep presented Kidman with the trophy and gushed that she witnessed her amazing acting skills in the scene. She revealed: “That was the time when I really got close to Nicole’s amazing gifts,” adding: “I haven’t recovered from that first day yet.” I’ve never seen anything like that in my life .”

Streep was amazed that Kidman discovered the necessary emotions in her at such an early stage and that she was able to do multiple takes of the scene that were just as harrowing as the first. Streep exclaimed, “It was traumatic for me because I thought, ‘This woman is a Valkyrie.’ How can she keep this up?’ Never let up, never let down.”

Interestingly, however, the first episode of the second season also included a scene in which Streep was able to display her own volcanic emotional outburst when Mary Louise let out a guttural scream at the dinner table. This time the situation was reversed, and Kidman was taken aback by Streep’s performance, which she described as “completely creepy.”

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