“I better just retire, because I don’t know how the f--- she did that.’ What an artist,” the 3-time Oscar winner said of Laurie Metcalf.

Meryl Streep praises actress who makes her want to ‘just retire’ from acting

"I better just retire, because I don't know how the f--- she did that.' What an artist," the 3-time Oscar winner said of Laurie Metcalf.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 1, 2026 1:24 p.m. ET

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Meryl Streep; Laurie Metcalf. Credit:

Gilbert Flores/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

- Meryl Streep may call it quits after seeing Laurie Metcalf on Broadway in *Death of a Salesman*.

- "I thought, 'I better just retire, because I don't know how the f--- she did that.' What an artist," Streep said of Metcalf's role as Linda Loman.

- Metcalf's performance earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play.

Meryl Streep is a big fan Laurie Metcalf's performance in *Death of a Salesman *on Broadway.

The three-time Oscar winner revealed she was so impressed by Metcalf's turn as Linda Loman — which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play — that she would consider retiring.

"I don't know how to act... When I see people do it, I think, 'How did she do that?'" Streep told PEOPLE, referring to the method behind her craft before calling out Metcalf's performance. "I just saw *Death of a Salesman* last night. I can't believe Laurie Metcalf just blew my mind... all of them! And I thought, 'I better just retire, because I don't know how the f--- she did that.' What an artist."

When asked if she saw Metcalf after the show, Streep quipped that she "kissed her feet."

Metcalf in New York last September.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

*EW*'s review of the Joe Mantello–directed production called Metcalf "a force of helpless nature in the role" of Linda, seen "fiercely defending her declining spouse," the tragic hero Willy Loman (Nathan Lane).

"She is, quite sadly, the only one who sees the perma-boasting Willy as he wants to be seen, or at least how she feels he *deserves* to be seen."

The play, which was written by Arthur Miller and originally staged in 1949, is up for nine nominations, including Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Lane), Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Christopher Abbott), and Best Direction of a Play.

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As Metcalf prepared for her turn as Linda, she told PEOPLE she focused on the big question of "How can Linda be a functioning really true partner for Willy if she was merely standing on the sidelines?" She soon realized that Linda is "the catalyst that sets things in motion."

"I had never really, in thinking of the story, thought of her in that way as being the one who starts the ball of doom rolling towards the end."

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Added Metcalf, "I guess you can be that kind of person to a fault where you are enabling them to tell lies to themselves. That's why I know she's definitely doing that with Willy."

Metcalf and Nathan Lane in 'Death of a Salesman'.

The Tony Awards take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7 and air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. *Death of a Salesman* is currently playing at the Winter Garden Theatre through Aug. 9.

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