10 Actors Who Conducted Insane Research For Iconic Movie Roles

5. Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice (1982)

"Meryl Streep is probably the greatest actress of her generation." That's something that we've all been told on at least one occasion, and if there's one movie that might convince a nay-sayer of such a fact, it's Sophie Choice, in which she gives not only her own personal greatest performance, but one of the greatest performances in cinematic history. Full stop.

This, perhaps, goes all the way back to the preparation process, where Streep decided that - to play the role of a Polish immigrant - learning a single language just wasn't good enough. She extended her research period into the realms of madness, and tasked herself with learning how to speak both German and Polish. It didn't stop there. Dedicated to making it as perfect as possible, Streep opted to learn to speak German with a Polish accent too, as to grant her character the highest dose of authenticity possible. In the aftermath, Streep's Polish accent was deemed "perfect" by many, including Polish critics, some of whom called it "masterful" and "uncanny."

So, yes, somehow the incredible actress mastered a foreign accent whilst researching and prepping for her role. How do you say " awesome" without swearing?