One of the best lines uttered in Stephen Frears¡¯ film ¡°Florence Foster Jenkins¡± comes from Meryl Streep in the role of Florence ¡ª which the actress gracefully repeats for me during her interview for The Japan Times.

¡°Florence said, ¡®People can say she couldn¡¯t sing, but no one can say she »å¾±»å²Ô¡¯³Ù sing.¡¯ ¡± She adds a dramatic pause before continuing, ¡°That¡¯s really is what it¡¯s all about: making the effort, regardless. Following your passion. Doing what you love, loving doing it, and ¡ª hopefully, as was the case for dear Florence ¡ª being surrounded with love. By a cocoon of love.¡±

As possibly the most celebrated actress in the world today, Streep is someone who knows a lot about being surrounded by love. The 67-year-old saw even more of it when she came to Tokyo in October to promote ¡°Florence Foster Jenkins.¡± The film was chosen to open the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival, which ran from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, and it opened in theaters across Japan on Dec. 1.