Meryl Streep Thought Her "Career Was Over" in 1989 Because She Was About to Turn 40

Iconic actress Meryl Streep wasn't entirely sure she'd have an acting career after she turned 40.

On the opening night of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Streep accepted the honorary Palme D'Or award and reflected on some of the fears she had in 1989, when she was 39 and considering her future in the entertainment industry.

“Thirty-five years ago when I was here for the first time, I was already a mother of three. I was about to turn 40 and I thought that my career was over," Streep, now 74, said, as reported by People. "And that was not an unrealistic expectation for actresses at that time.

"I'm just so grateful that you haven't gotten sick of my face, that you haven't gotten off of the train," she continued. “My mother, who was usually right about everything, said to me: ‘Meryl, darling, you’ll see it all goes so fast. So fast.’ And it does."

In 1989, Streep won the Cannes Film Festival's best actress award for her performance in the 1988 film Evil Angels.

On May 15, during a panel discussion, Streep recalled her 1989 Cannes Film Festival experience and how quickly her life in the public eye was rapidly changing as a result of her success.

“They said: ‘You will need nine bodyguards.’ I said: ‘I don’t even need one bodyguard. Believe me, I don’t need one. I don’t have a bodyguard...I never have a bodyguard,' ” she said at the time. "I needed maybe a dozen the first time I came here because in the olden days, I don’t know, there wasn't the same security.

“It was insane," she continued. "I almost didn’t recover from that. I went to the hotel room and I couldn’t believe how wild it was."

Streep went on to say that a lot has changed in 35 years, recalling that back then as a 39-year-old mom and already a two-time Oscar-winner, she "was so afraid."

“I mean, you have to realize, I was afraid," she explained. "Physically, because I don’t know, I’m not a rock star."