The Deer Hunter
Streep’s first-ever Oscar nomination came from The Deer Hunter, in which she sang “God Bless America” during a tense dinner scene. At the time, she was 29 years old. This award-winning war drama from 1978 tells the story of three Russian-American steelworkers whose lives are forever changed as a result of their service in Vietnam.
Music of the Heart
In this film, Meryl Streep plays the violin rather than sings; she honed her skills by practicing six hours every day for the course of one month. She grew to the point where she could compete with orchestral veterans like Joshua Bell and Isaac Stern in terms of her performance abilities.