‘Iron Lady’ Director Talks Meryl Streep

11 Apr, 2012 By: Chris Tribbey

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On Oscar night this year, Phyllida Lloyd, director of The Iron Lady, was an admitted mess.

Meryl Streep was up for Best Actress for her role as Margaret Thatcher, and the competition was thick. Nobody behind The Iron Lady was sure which way the Academy would go, Lloyd said.

“It was a cliffhanger,” Lloyd said. “We really weren’t sure she was going to win. We went from naught to 100 when she won. It made it all the more thrilling.”

Streep’s performance is what carries this biopic, which sees Thatcher replaying key parts of her life. Lloyd said that despite the heavy competition, the Academy made the right call.

“You’re going to see one of the greatest pieces of acting you’ll see in your lifetime,” she said. “Few actors paddle on the shores of this virtuosity. It’s the performance of your dreams.”

It’s not just Streep that Lloyd gushes about for The Iron Lady. She singles out Jim Broadbent as Denis Thatcher, Olivia Colman as Carol Thatcher and newcomer Alexandra Roach as the young Margaret Thatcher as well.

Phyllida Lloyd

“Olivia is an absolute star,” she said. “She’s been on the scene in the U.K. for quite a while, and she’s amazing. And Alexandra’s performance [is] a tough act to follow.”

Released April 10 as a Blu-ray Disc/DVD combo ($39.99) and on DVD ($29.98), Anchor Bay Entertainment stacks the Weinstein Co. title with a slew of bonus features, including a making-of featurette; “Recreating the Young Margaret Thatcher”; “Battle in the House of Commons”; “Denis: The Man Behind the Woman”; and a featurette on the costume designs in the film, which may be Lloyd’s favorite.

“It’s one thing just copying what Margaret Thatcher wore,” she said. “It’s another thing making the story of her clothes the story of her life.”

Fans also will find a lengthy featurette dubbed “History Goes to the Cinema,” which details the real-life events behind The Artist, The Iron Lady, My Week With Marilyn and others.

 

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