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Meryl Streep Was John Hoffman's First Choice to Play Martin Short's Love Interest in Only Murders in the Building
John Hoffman has revealed that he always wanted Meryl Streep to play Martin Short's love interest in the hit series Only Murders in the Building, making her casting a meticulously planned choice.
John Hoffman, one of the creators of Only Murders in the Building, got connected with Meryl Streep via Zoom for her role in a show and felt his blood rush through him like hot lava nearly bursting his head. Although it may have seemed conincidental to Martin Short that she came on board as his character’s lover, John had this all mapped out from the beginning.
Streep, 75, plays Loretta Durkin in season 3. Hoffman, who developed the popular murder mystery comedy with Steve Martin, always imagined Loretta Durkin, played by Streep, as a star on Broadway who gets romantically involved with Oliver Putnam, portrayed by Martin. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hoffman said he wanted Oliver to be stuck in a complex and uncertain romantic situation with the leading woman of his musical from day one.
Hoffman said to the outlet that he discussed with the executive producers, Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal, that the only perfect person to play the part has always been Meryl Streep.
To most people, it appeared that Streep wouldn’t probably play this role convincingly, yet Hoffman knew she was perfect for it. He unexpectedly found out that his wish came true concerning casting Meryl, who had expressed interest in joining them. He said that a week later, the producers called him and said that Meryl was "in" if he had something good for her. When they asked Hoffman if there was anything good, he replied, "And I was like, 'Oh, f---.'"
Hoffman felt under pressure during this Zoom call with Streep when they first started off discussing her character's introduction scene, which is a flashback where a little girl goes on holiday to New York City along with her mother to see No Strings on Broadway. Coincidentally, she revealed how she had gone by herself with her mom for the same, and she began singing a part of the song.
This serendipitous moment made Hoffman exclaim with joy, as he couldn't fathom what was happening at the moment. He said, "Meryl, you have to stop because my head is going to explode." He continued to elaborate on how Streep sang exactly as it was on page one of the script that he had prepared for her.
In the interview, he elaborated on how the plot of Martin's character falling in love had been formed long before they hired Streep, who herself didn’t know anything about it.
During an appearance on Bill Maher's podcast in January, Short emphasized that they were just very close friends.
Martin Short has always spoken highly of Meryl Streep, claiming she has a great personality known to everyone. It has been announced that Streep will be back for season 4 of Only Murders In The Building alongside Selena Gomez, premiering on August 27th on Hulu.
ALSO READ: Only Murders in the Building Series Shares New Project Update Ahead of Season 4; Deets Here
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