Meryl Streep On Doing Romantic Comedies At 60: ‘Bette Davis Is Rolling Over In Her Grave’

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Meryl Streep on the cover of Vanity Fair, January 2010
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Meryl Streep attends the Official Awards Ceremony during Day 9 of the 4th International Rome Film Festival held at the Auditorium Parco della Musica on October 23, 2009
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The lovely Meryl Streep attends the premiere Of ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ at Bergdorf Goodman on November 10, 2009 in New York City
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Meryl Streep has a laugh at the ‘Julie & Julia’ Press Conference during Day 8 of the 4th International Rome Film Festival held at the Auditorium Parco della Musica on October 22, 2009 in Rome, Italy

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FIRST PUBLISHED: November 30, 2009 4:11 PM EST
LAST UPDATED: November 30, 2009 4:21 PM EST

NEW YORK, N.Y. --

Meryl Streep may have six decades of life under her belt, but she’s stretching her acting chops showing that romantic comedies are for women of any age.

“It’s incredible — I’m 60, and I’m playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies,” she told Vanity Fair magazine’s January 2010 issue. “Bette Davis is rolling over in her grave.”

In fact, not only is the actress forging new ground, but Meryl — who stars in the upcoming romantic comedy “It’s Complicated,” alongside Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin — ranked third in earnings for actresses between June 2008 and June 2009 in a Forbes list, just behind Angelina Jolie, 34, and Jennifer Aniston, 40.

“I’ve been given great, weird, interesting parts well past my ‘Sell by’ date,” she said. “I remember saying to Don [Gummer, Meryl’s husband] when I was 38, ‘Well, it’s over.’ And then we kicked the can down the road a little further.”

The actress admitted she doesn’t worry any more about what people think.

“I can’t remember the last time I really worried about being appealing,” she said. “I think it was a really long time ago. It’s freeing as an actress, but whether a director likes it or not is a different thing. I remember [director and co-star] Albert Brooks saying to me in ‘Defending Your Life,’ ‘Could you just make it a little sweeter?’ — and that’s been repeated by other people in the years since then.”

Meryl said she got over trying to fit in thanks to time.

“I don’t think it’s something anyone can tell you,” she said. “I think you just have to get sick of hearing the accommodation in your approach to things … the way people have to get sick of drinking or drugs before they stop. As there begins to be less time ahead of you, you want to be exactly who you are, without making it easier for everyone else. I’m not sure I ever was really comfortable swanning around as a girl, anyway.”

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