Meryl Streep is already in Spain. The renowned American actress, notable for her roles in films such as The Devil Wears Prada, Kramer vs. Kramer or The Iron Lady, arrived yesterday in Oviedo to receive the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, which will be presented to her on Friday. at the Campoamor Theater. For now, the New Jersey native has had time to dance to the sounds of the bagpipers who accompanied her at her reception at the Hotel de la Reconquista.
However, not everything has been joy and celebration for the 74-year-old performer. One of the most tragic but least remembered stories of her life is the romance she experienced with John Cazale, her partner in the film The Hunter. Both lived a romantic adventure that ended in the worst possible way, with the death of one of the most relevant supporting actors in Hollywood in the 70s, and which almost cost the existence of their joint film.
It all started on one of the many filmings of The Godfather saga, with Cazale maintaining a friendly connection with Al Pacino. The native of Revere, Massachusetts, was in charge of playing Fredo Corleone, second son of Vito and older brother of Michael. During one of their exchanges, the conversation led Cazale to make a sincere confession: “You know? I have met the best actress in history. I work with her.”
According to him, he had fallen in love with Meryl Streep during the filming of Measure for Measure, despite there being a difference of 14 years between them. They were both solid on set, to the point of transferring that good chemistry off-camera. The New Jersey native went to live with John in the apartment he had in New York, shortly before filming of The Hunter began. However, life had an ugly surprise in store for the couple.
Cazale was diagnosed with lung cancer, with a tumor so advanced that the insurance companies notified the filming team: if he died, all the scenes in which he appeared would have to be repeated, making the cost of the film insurmountable. However, Meryl Streep came through with the help of Robert de Niro. Together, they managed to convince the legal teams to have John's scenes filmed first, buying time against the illness.
De Niro was responsible for paying Cazale's insurance during the filming of the film, while Meryl took an additional role in the miniseries Holocaust, to help cover the costs of treatment. John would manage to finish filming all of his scenes in time, but he never got to see the finished film. He died on March 12, 1978, at only 42 years old, during the post-production process of the film. A work that will always be linked to his name and that of her fellow actress.
“I have hardly seen anyone so devoted to someone who is dying. Seeing her in that act of love for that man was inconsolable. The most surprising thing was to see that Meryl was with him, at her side, throughout the illness. When I saw that girl there with him I thought that's what's important to me. No matter how good she is at her job, that's what I see when I think of her. That moment, that's what I remember,” Al Pacino recently said on the matter, in a documentary.
