Meryl Streep and Costars Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of “Sophie’s Choice” With Intimate Event
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Forty-two years ago, Sophie’s Choice was released, and almost instantly became a classic of American cinema. Four decades later, the three leads have reunited to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic film (just a couple of years late).
On Tuesday night, costars Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Peter MacNicol held a screening of Sophie’s Choice at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where special guests included acting greats like Ethan Hawke, Cate Blanchett, Uma Thurman, Holland Taylor, and Claire Danes.
Attendees gathered in the Roy and Niuta Titus Theater to watch the movie, before heading across the street to the grand salon at Baccarat Hotel for an intimate cocktail hour. Before the film began, Streep noted, “We’re the only ones still standing … the visionaries who birthed Sophie’s Choice are not.” (Director Alan J. Pakula died in 1998, and author William Styron, who wrote the novel the film was adapted from, passed away in 2006.) Still, it was a celebratory evening honoring the communion filmmaking forges between actors and other creators alike.
In case you’ve never seen it, the psychological drama follows the story of three friends who become inseparable while living in a boarding house in Brooklyn, New York, but their relationships are strained by deep secrets and dark pasts. At the center of this trio is Sophie (Streep), who survived living in a concentration camp during World War II, but whose traumatic experiences from that time continue to haunt her.
When Sophie’s Choice was released, it grossed $30 million at the box office, over triple its budget. Meanwhile, it earned a total of five nominations at the 55th Academy Awards, where Streep ultimately won Best Actress (her second Oscar win in less than five years). And need we mention that its title has become a common expression in everyday language?
Last night’s screening acted as part of an ongoing series of retrospective screening productions hosted by Alan Pepe Communications. Throughout the past decade, the public relations and marketing agency’s VIP series has honored the work of directors like Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, Ridley Scott, and more. This Sophie’s Choice event was particularly noteworthy because it marked the series’ official post-pandemic return.
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