Meryl Streep Tearfully Accepts Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, 35 Years After Her Last Appearance There

Meryl Streep is back at the Cannes Film Festival after a 35-year absence!

The three-time Oscar-winning actress was presented with the prestigious Palme d’Or award during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony on Tuesday (May 14) in Cannes, France.

The award was presented to Meryl by French film actress Juliette Binoche.

Meryl gave a teary speech in which she discussed the last time she was at the Cannes Film Festival and how she thought her career was over. Thankfully, she was wrong!

Keep reading to find out more…

She was last in attendance at the 1989 festival for her movie Evil Angels.

“I was already a mother of three, I was about to turn 40 and I thought that my career was over,” she said (via Variety). “That was not an unrealistic expectation for actresses at that time. And the only reason that I’m here tonight and that it continued is because of the very gifted artists with whom I’ve worked … I’m just so grateful that you haven’t gotten sick of my face and you haven’t gotten off the train. My mother, who is usually right about everything, said to me: ‘Meryl, my darling, you’ll see. It all goes so fast. So fast.’ And it has, and it does. Except for my speech, which is too long.”

Check out photos of Meryl at the photo call earlier in the day.