"Oh my God, I hope we have a lot to say," gasped Meryl Streep as she glided into a packed press conference in Dublin yesterday.
The assembled paparazzi knew exactly what to say: "Meryl, Meryl, over here, Meryl." And the essence of serene elegance - dressed in black trouser suit with a white silk handkerchief tucked in the breast pocket, a white crewneck T-shirt and white sneakers on her feet - was ushered to a side window.
Early afternoon light flooded in on her immaculate tresses clipped tightly behind her head, and the camera bulbs exploded into life.
Oh, and then some of her colleagues on the film Dancing At Lughnasa came in after her.
They were there to launch the film which had its gala premiere in Dublin last night. The mistress of accents, who plays Kate Mundy in the adaptation of Brian Friel's play of the same name, was joined by her co-star Sophie Thompson, director Pat O'Connor, composer
Bill Whelan, writer Frank McGuinness and producer Noel Pearson.
She announced she was "one of the girls", that her Guinness limit had yet to be established, and that she would be going to Co Donegal today. It would be her first trip to the county in which the movie is set and from which her great, great, great grandmother, Grace Strain, came from.
"I probably should have gone for research but I wasn't given any time," she said.
So she conquered the Co Donegal lilt without even setting foot in the place. This was achieved, she said, with a few pints of stout. She wasn't saying how much she had to drink but said she would be well able to drink more.
