NEW YORK (AP) - Hollywood heavyweight Robert De Niro has come to the defense of Meryl Streep, saying her speech at the Golden Globes was “great.”
The multiple Oscar-winner wrote a letter of support to his “The Deer Hunter” co-star following fallout after her attack on President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday. Streep said that “when the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”
“What you said was great. It needed to be said, and you said it beautifully,” De Niro wrote. “I have so much respect for you that you did it while the world was celebrating your achievements. I share your sentiments about punks and bullies. Enough is enough.”
A De Niro representative confirmed the letter was authentic.
De Niro and Streep have co-starred in four films: “The Deer Hunter,” ’’Falling in Love,” ’’Marvin’s Room” and “First Man.”
Besides endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, Streep has been aligned with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, and even impersonated Trump at a gala in Central Park. De Niro, for his part, made a splash during this campaign season in a viral video, calling Trump “a pig,” ’’an idiot” and “a mutt, who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
De Niro wasn’t the only one to come to Streep’s defense. Ben Affleck and Barbra Streisand have backed the Oscar winner, and Michael Keaton, who was also at the Globes on Sunday, said he had contacted her with his support.
“I emailed Meryl Streep,” Keaton said in an interview Wednesday while promoting “The Founder.” ’’And I just said two words - ’beautiful thing.’ She emailed back real quick that she’s getting a little beat up.”
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Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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