I Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep won Best Female Actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards the other night for her role in Doubt, and I loved her acceptance speech. For one, she's funny, which, of course, women aren't supposed to be. For another, she celebrates other women, including her competitors, completely defying the Girl Math. And finally, she is humble without discounting her own accomplishments, which is an excellent model for lots of women, who—by virtue of an absence of examples of simultaneous female leadership and humility—have a difficult time talking about the things they do well without minimizing their importance. (Raises hand.) Meryl Streep is a trailblazer on many paths. I boundlessly admire her.

Thank you, everybody. Well, I didn't even buy a dress! I'm really, really, really shocked! And even though awards mean nothing to me anymore [grins, pants nervously and excitedly], I'm really happy. [laughs] Okay, I want to thank, oh, so many people—Miramax, Daniel Batteck (ph), and especially Scott Rudin, who just goes out of his way to find interesting things for everybody to do, especially the girls!

And, oh! Can I just say there is no such thing as the "best" actress? You know? There is no such thing as the "greatest living actress." I am in a position where I have secret information, you know, that I know this to be true. I am so in awe of the work of the women this year—nominated, not nominated. So proud of us girls!

And everybody wins when we get parts like this. Thank you to John Patrick Shanley for writing this amazing piece. Thank you to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is just the most fun to work with and the most—he sets such a great example to all of us of how to live your work with integrity and imagination every time, every time out. Thank you to the glorious Amy Adams—so funny, so real. The gigantically gifted Viola Davis—my god, somebody give her a movie!

Wow, I'm sure I've forgotten everybody. Joseph Foster, all the kids, Helen Stenbourg (ph), Alice Drummond, all the cast, thank you to the Sisters of Charity, thank you Sister Peggy—big hug to everybody there. Your, your love, and your work, is so inspiring, was so inspiring to all of us. Okay, I gotta get off! But thank you so much—I really, I really do appreciate this. Thank you, actors! [blows a kiss] Love you, love you.