‘Only Murders in the Building‘ is having a thrilling year with 21 Emmy nominations, including one for Best Comedy Series. Naturally, co-creator John Hoffman is stoked, especially because of the stats that put him on a pedestal with four Emmys already safely tucked under his shining name. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the show and its success, Hoffman also opened up about the stellar casting of the show.
Arguably, one of the most exciting highlights of the third season is the addition of Meryl Streep to the cast. But how did that happen? Hoffman narrated the whole story behind it, offering his listeners a story with a mix of disbelief and excitement. Here’s what he said.
Meryl Streep’s Casting For ‘Only Murders In The Building’ Was Just A Fleeting Thought
While speaking about Meryl Streep’s casting in ‘Only Murders in the Buidling‘, John Hoffman recalled how he was brainstorming the opening scene for the third season with executive producers Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal, that he casually said, “You know who would be perfect in this role? Meryl Streep.”
The response from his colleagues was obvious — a dash of skepticism mixed with laughter and followed by a bit of “Good luck with that, John.” But they, in fact, did get lucky.
“Two weeks later, I get a text from Steve (Martin) and Marty saying, ‘Hey, Meryl Streep just reached out and said she’d like to talk about doing something together. Should we bring up the show?'” Hoffman recalled. He replied in the affirmative: “Yeah!”
A week later, the legend was on board. “And I was like, ‘Oh, fuck,’” Hoffman said.
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John Hoffman Recalls His First Interaction With Meryl Streep
When John Hoffman pitched the role to Meryl Streep, he once again found himself at somewhat of a loss on Zoom with the acting giant. As he began to describe her character’s first scene—a young girl visiting New York with her mother to see a Broadway show — Streep cut him off, saying, “I saw that.”
Streep continued her effusive praise by sharing memories of seeing ‘No Strings‘ with her mother and even serenading Hoffman with a few lines from its signature tune, ‘The Sweetest Sounds‘. Trying to gather himself, Hoffman finally begged her to slow down a little. “Oh my God, you’ve got to stop because my head is going to explode,” he jokingly said.
And it turns out those exact words of the song lyrics were typed onto the first page of the script that he was just about to send her.
For the show, Hoffman designed Martin Short’s character Oliver Putnam after his own theatre professor, Dr. Richard Mason. Affectionately known as ‘The Mayor of Charles Street’, it was Dr. Mason who inspired Hoffman to take the first step into the world of theatre. And well, as we all know, first he did the play – and then he did the musical.
Meryl Streep plays the role of Oliver’s new leading lady on the show — a plot point that was fully written in before even Streep’s casting.
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