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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Jeff Daniels’s “nightmare” story was not about a feud with Meryl Streep. It was about the pressure he felt during a difficult scene in *Heartburn*: Streep was still searching for the scene after several takes, and Daniels worried he would have to deliver a great performance every time they repeated it.
What Jeff Daniels said happened on *Heartburn*
In a Los Angeles Times actors’ roundtable published June 13, 2024, Daniels recalled that his first time working with Streep was on *Heartburn*, directed by Mike Nichols. He was young and in a supporting role; Streep was No. 1 on the call sheet. That difference in experience and status shaped how he felt as the scene went on.
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Daniels described the pressure this way: “You’re young and you’re supporting. And she’s No. 1 on the call sheet. And she’s Meryl Streep. And you realize very quickly that if we do eight takes, I have to be great eight times. She only has to be great once.”
He recalled Streep telling Nichols, “Mike, there’s just something, I don’t know what it is,” as she worked through the scene. By around the sixth or seventh take, Daniels said, he was starting to feel “flop sweat.” The account is about his anxiety during repeated takes, not Streep mistreating him or the two actors having a personal conflict. Los Angeles Times, June 13, 2024
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Why repeated takes felt so stressful
Daniels’s recollection turns on an imbalance he perceived: Streep was still working out what the scene needed, while he felt responsible for matching a strong performance take after take. The story does not establish that Streep expected him to be perfect; it describes the pressure he put on himself while acting opposite a performer he regarded as exceptionally accomplished.
That context matters because “nightmare” can suggest a difficult colleague or a disastrous production. Daniels’s anecdote supports a narrower reading: one scene became stressful for him as the takes accumulated.
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Daniels later praised Streep’s responsiveness
In a 2012 CNN interview, Daniels described Streep as “the best moment to moment, present” and said, “Each take is different. And you feel like she’s not only acting, but reacting to what you’re doing.” His description presents her as responsive to a scene partner, rather than simply repeating a fixed performance. CNN transcript, July 8, 2012
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Another film they shared
Daniels and Streep also appeared in *The Hours*. A CBS report from January 27, 2003, notes that Daniels’s character encourages Streep’s character to keep moving forward in her life. It is a separate collaboration from the *Heartburn* scene Daniels recalled as his first work with Streep. CBS News, January 27, 2003
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