The Context

Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep recently made some interesting comments at the Berlin Film Festival.

“I don't know very much honestly, about the Mideast, and yet I've played a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures. And the thing that I notice is that they're all --- there is a core of humanity that travels right through every culture. And after all, we're all from Africa originally. You know, we're all Berliners. We're all Africans, really,” Streep said.

Alrighty, then.

Streep’s statements just might prove the longer you play make believe in Hollywood, the harder it is to live in the real world.

I’m Not a U.N. Ambassador But I Play One on TV

According to Glenn, these delusions of expertise might put the first man on Mars.

“Can I tell you something, this is why actors are so arrogant. Because there will be at some point, Matt Damon will be thinking to himself, 'Well, I was on Mars," Glenn said. “I mean, I know I didn't really do it, but I studied all of it. I mean, I practically flew a shuttle by myself.' That's what they think because they have dabbled and talked to experts, that they're an expert at everything.”  

You Must Have Stayed at a Holiday Inn Express

There is a philosophy out there that says “fake it ‘till you make it,” and Glenn thinks that might be where Streep is coming from on this one.

"Look, I really don't know anything about the Mideast, but I have played --- it's like, "I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night," Glenn said.  

What’s With the Accent?

To make her comments sound more important, Streep seemed to take on a light British accent.

“Stop for a second. Stop. Stop. Can you play that again? Has anybody noticed her fake accent? What is that?” Glenn asked.

Glenn couldn't resist trying on the accent for size.

“I'm not English, but I've lived in the United States my whole life, but I really would like to sound a little smarter by speaking the Queen's English,” Glenn said.

Common Sense Bottom Line

Researching roles and playing them on film does not make one an expert --- nor does an affected British accent.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors:

GLENN: Okay.  Pat, can you play the Meryl Streep line.  And give me some context on this.

PAT:  They -- they were in a panel discussion.  And she was just one of the panelists.  And, you know, they're talking about progressive issues like progressives are wont to do.  And she came up with this really deep statement.  I think this is going to move you a little bit.

MERYL:  I don't know very much honestly about the Mideast, and yet I've played a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures.

PAT:  Oh.  I mean, she's qualified then.  She's played a lot of different people.

GLENN:  Can I tell you something, this is why actors are so arrogant.  Because there will be at some point, Matt Damon will be thinking to himself, "Well, I was on Mars."

PAT:  I know NASA.  I know rocket science.  I lived on Mars for a year and a half.

GLENN:  I mean, I know I didn't really do it.  But I studied all of it.  I mean, I practically flew a shuttle by myself.  That's what they think because they have dabbled and talked to experts, that they're an expert at everything.  

"Look, I really don't know anything about the Mideast, but I have played -- it's like, "I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."  But now we haven't even got to her quote.  

PAT:  No.  

GLENN:  But we'll get to that in just a second.  

PAT:  Yeah.  

GLENN:  Back in a minute.

(OUT AT 9:33AM)

GLENN:  I'm going to tell you -- we're going to be at the Spartanburg County rally for Cruz today at 12:30 Eastern time.  That's the Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg.  This is -- this is quite an amazing thing.  The people here are truly remarkable.  There are about 10,000 supporters that have come in from all over the state, all over the area.  They have 80 full-time people that have volunteered their time that is staying at a place called Camp Cruz.  And I met people this morning.  I was at a rally early this morning.  There's people from Tennessee.  They've driven hours to to volunteer their time.  They've knocked on almost 100,000 doors, like 99,937 doors.  Or something like that.  I can't remember.  And they're expecting their 100,000th door to be knocked on today.  I'm going to go door-knocking in a couple of hours.  And it's snowing here.  That's how much we're committed to it.

But it's an amazing thing.  They're making about 25,000 phone calls a day.  This is ten times the ground game that Ted Cruz had in Iowa.  And that was an impressive ground game.  This is going to be a very close race, and it's going to take every single person coming out voting and talking to their friends, their neighbors, about the Constitution.  Not Ted Cruz:  About the Constitution and returning to constitutional principles.

All right.  Let me finish off this Meryl Streep thing.  She was at a conference.  And she said, "Look, I don't know much about the Middle East, but I have played people from the Middle East on TV."

MERYL:  I don't know very much about -- honestly about the Middle East.  

GLENN:  Stop for a second.  Stop.  Stop.  Can you play that again?  Has anybody noticed her fake accent?  What is that?  

JEFFY:  Yes, it's agonizing.

GLENN:  I just -- I would like you to know --

PAT:  I don't know --

GLENN:  I'm not English, but I've lived in the United States my whole life, but I really would like to sound a little smarter by speaking the Queen's English.

MERYL:  I don't know very much -- honestly about the Mideast.  And -- and yet I've played a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures.  And the thing that I notice is that they're all -- there is a core of humanity that travels right through every culture.  And after all, we're all from Africa originally.

PAT:  What?  No.

MERYL:  You know, we're all Berliners.  We're all Africans, really.

GLENN:  We're all Berliners.  We're all Africans.

PAT:  Do you know Berlin is not in Africa, pumpkin?  Do you understand?

GLENN:  Well, I don't know about geography.  But I have played people from all over the map.

PAT:  I love that.  Because she's obviously going to the JFK thing.

GLENN:  Yes, yes.

PAT:  (foreign language) whatever it was he -- (foreign language).   And he was trying to pander to the Germans at the time or whatever.

GLENN:  And it worked.  

PAT:  But she goes to, "We're all Berliners.  We're all Africans."  What?

GLENN:  Well, I like the way she does it.  She's so pretentious, and she doesn't even know it.  

You know, I've played many people before.  And, you know, when it comes down to it, we're really all from Africa.  I mean, we're all Africans, really.

PAT:  No.  No.

GLENN:  These people are so -- they're so skin-crawly.

PAT:  Oh, they are.  And then she kind of -- I think she's looking for sort of somebody to help her out because she's looking around the room and going like, "Right?  I mean, we have all these people who can comment and --

GLENN:  You little people.

MERYL:  So I think we -- look, we have a critic on our jury.  We have a director on our jury.  We --

PAT:  Will one of you not help me out on this?  We're from Africa.  That's all the same.

GLENN:  We all have a New Zealand tattoo, a native New Zealand tattoo on our faces.  Because that's what we all are.  And we have a critic here.  A director.  And a HEP gaffer.  And the gaffer -- gaffers are almost like giraffes.  They both have a "G" at the beginning of it, so we're all really giraffes too.  Isn't that right?  Will anyone go with me on that?

PAT:  We're all really giraffes.  I like that better, actually.

(laughter)

GLENN:  I mean, I -- I have a dog, but what's the difference between a dog and a hyena and a polar bear?  There's really nothing.  They're all animals.  And they're all from different parts of the world.  And I've never been an animal.  I have had animalistic tendencies in some of my movie characters that I have played.  After all, I didn't actually boil the bunny.  But it was somebody that was old and aging like me that played that role at one point.

PAT:  Glenn Close, Meryl Streep.  Same thing, right?

GLENN:  The same thing.  We're both old and aging actors.  Nobody plays attention to us anymore.  And we're both really pretty pretentious at this point.  And it's only because we like to be like Lady HEP Judy Dench.  Why don't they call me Lady Meryl, Meryl Streep.  

STU:  Dame.  

GLENN:  Yes, Dame Meryl Streep.  You can call me Dame Meryl Streep.  That's why I'm working on this accent.

STU:  Is she trying to do one of those conception in what paradigm type of thing?

PAT:  Yes.

STU:  Because I think what she's trying -- is she trying to say that there are no nations?  

GLENN:  Yes. 

STU:  Like, we're all humans, and there are no nations.  And that's a false construct.  Is it one of those type of --

GLENN:  Yes, it is.

PAT:  She's trying to beat this guy.

VOICE:  You know, under whose conception?  Under what paradigm?  I'm just resisting.  What am I resisting?  I don't know.  The collectivization of manufacture, the institutionalization of the human psyche.  

PAT:  Yeah.

GLENN:  Shut up.  Shut up.

PAT:  Manufacture.

GLENN:  What is it that I'm really rebelling against?  I don't know.

PAT:  I don't know.  

GLENN:  I love that.  What is it that I'm really saying here?  I don't know.  Perhaps you know --

PAT:  It's all artificial constructs anyway.

GLENN:  I'm saying things, but they don't really mean anything.  But if I say, "I don't know.  Maybe, you know, it's kind of something that you'll say, "Oh, oh, oh, I know exactly what he's saying.  And you'll make it up in your head.  And then you'll think, boy, he's so smart."

PAT:  So brilliant.  So brilliant.

GLENN:  And we'll boil our giraffes.

Featured Image: Meryl Streep attends the 'Hail, Caesar!' premiere during the 66th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Berlinale Palace on February 11, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images