In her newest movie, ¡°Florence Foster Jenkins,¡± Meryl Streep can barely carry a tune as she squeaks and squawks her way through classic opera music. But she wouldn¡¯t necessarily consider that an insult.

The Academy Award-winning actress plays the titular role of Florence, a real heiress who cultivated New York¡¯s music scene in the 1940s and harbored her own dreams of becoming a famous singer. The problem? Jenkins was objectively terrible and arguably delusional.

Streep said at a news conference at Roppongi Hills on Monday that she shares the same dream of singing that Jenkins did.

¡°I would still like to be a singer, but I¡¯m not very good,¡± she said. ¡°But I keep trying.¡±

The actress ¡ª who has won three Oscars and eight Golden Globes ¡ª has been enchanting audiences with her singing over the past decade with a string of musical roles, including ¡°Mamma Mia!¡± (2008), ¡°Into the Woods¡± (2014) and ¡°Ricky and the Flash¡± (2015). But for ¡°Jenkins,¡± Streep had to master the songs before ruining them.

¡°I got a very good, true opera coach and he taught me the arias correctly,¡± she said. ¡°Then the last two weeks of the two-month preparation, we just screwed around with them.¡±

All of her practice has paid off as ¡°Florence Foster Jenkins¡± was selected to be the opening movie of the Tokyo International Film Festival. Streep went on a one-woman promotional tour in Japan for the movie ahead of its Japan premiere on Tuesday.

¡°I¡¯m very proud to be here representing the film,¡± she said. ¡°I bring greetings from (director) Stephen Frears, (co-stars) Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg, all of whom are very busy working. But I¡¯m currently unemployed, so I was available to come, and I¡¯m very happy to be here.¡±

Frears¡¯ previous films, ¡°The Queen¡± (2006) and ¡°Philomena¡± (2013), center around older women, and ¡°Jenkins¡± is no different. The 67-year-old actress said that having a film about an elderly woman open such a huge festival ¡ª which received over 1,500 submissions this year ¡ª sends a real message.

¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s ever been a film in American film history that had as its leading person be a 70-year-old character,¡± Streep said.

She added that when it comes down to it, age simply doesn¡¯t matter despite what Hollywood may believe.

¡°I think there has been ageism and a lot of so-called market-driven decisions,¡± Streep said, reflecting on her own career. ¡°But I was 58 when I made ¡®Mama Mia!,¡¯ and that was the most popular film I ever made. I think all these rules are being broken and thank goodness.¡±