On Friday, Meryl Streep broke some new ground by serving as questioner, conducting a Q&A with real-life longtime pal Tracey Ullman after a New York screening of the season premiere of the latter’s HBO sketch-comedy show “Tracey Ullman’s Show”. Hosted by Tribeca TV, the Q&A began with Tribeca founder Jane Rosenthal introducing Streep as “Tracey Ullman’s very best dearest friend,” with Streep and Ullman engaging in an enlightening chat. As Streep recalled, the two met when they were cast in the 1985 film “Plenty”, when Ullman was just 21. “I met you when I was 32,” Streep said, “and I said to my husband, ‘I think I’ve made a new friend.’ It’s hard to make a new friend when you’re old and famous.” Since then, the pair have remained close. “We had babies at the same time, shared life experiences,” Ullman said. “People ask me, ‘Do you and Meryl talk about acting when you get together?’ Are you kidding me?” The conversation, as it inevitably does these days, eventually turned to politics, with Streep praising Ullman’s uncanny impressions of such political figures as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British PM Theresa May. “I found that the most interesting women I could impersonate were politicians,” Ullman explained, admitting that Merkel is one of her favourites — both to impersonate and simply in general. “Could you imagine being her, the only girl in the room with Putin and Berlusconi and George W. Bush?” Responded Streep: “She holds her own.”

While Ullman isn’t afraid to get political on her show, she draws a distinction between what she does and the way politics is approached on late-night talk shows. “I’m not in some liberal indignation bubble — I can’t be or I’d go mad right now,” she said. “I don’t want to be one of those late-night shows that hates Trump the most and the best.” Streep wrapped up the session by declaring that “we need you to run for president right now,” which reportedly led to a tsunami of applause. The third season of “Tracey Ullman’s Show” premieres on Friday, Sept. 28.

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