One of the best lines uttered in Stephen Frears' film "Florence Foster Jenkins" comes from Meryl Streep in the role of Florence — which the actress gracefully repeats for me during her interview for The Japan Times.
"Florence said, 'People can say she couldn't sing, but no one can say she didn't sing.' " She adds a dramatic pause before continuing, "That's really is what it's all about: making the effort, regardless. Following your passion. Doing what you love, loving doing it, and — hopefully, as was the case for dear Florence — being surrounded with love. By a cocoon of love."
As possibly the most celebrated actress in the world today, Streep is someone who knows a lot about being surrounded by love. The 67-year-old saw even more of it when she came to Tokyo in October to promote "Florence Foster Jenkins." The film was chosen to open the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival, which ran from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, and it opened in theaters across Japan on Dec. 1.