“With her talent and rigor, she has enabled different generations to enjoy unforgettable performances, earning the respect that this great art deserves,” the jury’s report states about the 73-year-old interpreter, winner of three Oscars.
The candidacy was proposed by the Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar, who was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts in 2006, and who reacted to the news with a statement assuring that Streep “does everything well and does everything naturally and truthfully “.
“Few actresses in the history of American cinema have the versatility of Meryl Streep,” added Almodovar.
“With three Oscars, eight Golden Globes, two BAFTAs and three Emmys, after more than forty years of acting career, Meryl Streep is considered one of the best contemporary actresses,” said the jury gathered in Oviedo (northwest), where these distinctions are awarded and where the foundation that grants them is based.
“Known above all for her film roles, she has stood out for her characteristic versatility, which is supported, according to critics, by an extraordinary ability to interpret a wide variety of characters and reproduce different accents,” the jury continued.
The Princess of Asturias Awards are intended, according to their foundation, to reward “the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out by people, institutions, groups of people or institutions in the international arena”.
In this edition, a total of 44 candidates from 20 nationalities competed for the Arts award.
This award is the first of eight that will be awarded one per week to outstanding individuals or institutions in various fields worldwide.
In 2022, the arts award went to two flamenco figures, the singer Carmen Linares and the choreographer María Pagés.
In this section, personalities of the seventh art such as Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Pedro Almodóvar, architects such as Óscar Niemeyer, Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava and musicians such as Ennio Morricone, Paco de Lucía and Bob Dylan have been honored in the past.
These awards, instituted in 1981, are endowed with 50,000 euros (about 55,000 dollars) and a sculpture created by the late Catalan artist Joan Miró.
The awards, which take their name from the title of the heiress to the throne of the Spanish Crown, Princess Leonor, are delivered by the king and queen in October at a ceremony in Oviedo, the capital of Asturias.