Excerpt and stunning outtakes from Vogue magazine: Never one to shirk a challenge, Meryl Streep takes on the iconic British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in her latest screen incarnation. She talks to Vicki Woods about women, power, and the view from the top.

“Oooh, they have oysters,” says Meryl Streep, perusing the menu with intent. “Would you like to get some oysters? Wouldn’t oysters be great to eat right now?” It’s 4:20 in the afternoon. We are the only people in the restaurant on the mezzanine at Union Station, Washington, D.C. I pass, but Streep says, “I think I’ll have some oysters. And a glass of Chardonnay.” The waitress, who is fizzing with efficiency and controlled celebrity-awareness, makes to whisk off, but Streep calls her back on a sudden thought: “Do you have fresh oysters?” Her face has the look of a woman who has spent the day Being Meryl Streep in order to publicize her upcoming movie, The Iron Lady, and now is yearning to slurp down oyster after leisurely oyster, raw and briny on the half-shell, mmm, maybe with lemon, maybe not. The waitress says firmly that all of their oysters are fresh. Streep says, “I know. But. Um…. Don’t worry about it.” And with a tiny sigh, she awaits them fried in bread crumbs. The complete article can be read on Vogue’s website and in the magazines archive.