Meryl Streep Nearly Threw Herself in a Lake Over ABBA

There’s a reason Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actors of our time: she commits fully to her roles. But sometimes that commitment has its limits—especially when the role involves dancing to“Mamma Mia”at someone else’s wedding.

During her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, May 26, actress Emily Blunt shared a hilarious story from her 2010 wedding to John Krasinski on Lake Como in Italy. The venue was idyllic. The company was stellar—Streep, her Devil Wears Prada costar, was in attendance. And then the DJ started playing ABBA’s“Mamma Mia,”and everything became delightfully chaotic.

According to Blunt, both her mom, Joanna, and Krasinski’s mom, Mary Clare, decided it was the perfect moment to drag Streep onto the dance floor. The DJ was singing the songs in half-Italian, half-English, and when those opening notes hit, the two mothers“started dancing ominously towards Meryl.”Blunt asked Streep afterward what she was thinking in that moment. Her answer?“I wanted to hurl myself into the lake.”

But here’s the thing about Streep—she didn’t actually hurl herself anywhere. She indulged them. She danced. And Blunt confirmed they have pictures to prove it: Streep, Blunt’s mom, and Krasinski’s mom, all dancing together. It’s the kind of moment that happens at weddings everywhere, except this one involved a three-time Oscar winner who once starred in the 2008 musical movie Mamma Mia! itself.

The story perfectly encapsulates why Streep’s presence at a wedding is both a gift and a trial. She brings gravitas, talent, and an aura of untouchability—but she’s also willing to be a good sport about it when surrounded by the right people. That willingness to surrender to a ridiculous moment, even when every fiber of her being wanted to flee to the bottom of an Italian lake, is part of what makes her legendary both on screen and off.