Meryl Streep is just two episodes into her guest stint on Season 3 of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, but she has already made a big impact with not only her acting, but her singing as well.
Tuesday’s new episode, called “Grab Your Hankies,” ended with an original song called “Look for the Light” which was written for the show by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Sara Bareilles and performed by Streep and, eventually, Ashley Park.
Park is a Tony-nominated Broadway star-turned-Hollywood actress; songwriter Bareilles is also a Grammy-winning singer and performer; Paul and Pasek are the Oscar-, Grammy- and Tony-winning composers of hits ranging from La La Land to The Greatest Showman to Dear Evan Hansen; and Streep is, well, Meryl Streep.
The song was a huge hit with pretty much everybody, including Streep herself. Only Murders in the Building showrunner John Hoffman told The Wrap recently that the actress immediately fell in love with the song when she first heard it over Zoom.
“Writing a song together, for Meryl Streep, was beyond any of our wildest dreams. It was the honor of a lifetime to watch a legend, who is both magnificent and humble, at work,” Paul and Pasek said in a statement to People. “Her performance in this number is equal parts emotional, tender, vulnerable and filled with her signature quiet strength.”
Meryl Streep just delivered her best performance in a long time with her role in todays episode of #OnlyMurders in the Building, “Grab Your Hankies.”
Getting to hear her sing again was so emotional and so beautiful. Felt like classic Meryl again. National treasure personified. pic.twitter.com/CesoR3WWRc
— Jackson (@jackHollywood09) August 16, 2023
Bareilles said in a statement that she is “such a fan of Only Murders and of Pasek and Paul, so the idea of writing together for the first time, especially to offer something to someone like Meryl Streep truly felt like a dream. … Meryl was gentle and focused, and I loved her musicality and her willingness to share her process. Ashley Park’s glorious counter melody was added later, and I got goosebumps the first time I heard it. It truly couldn’t have been a more seamless experience — how lucky am I to be a part of it!”