Iron Lady premiere: Meryl Streep reveals connection to 'human' Margaret Thatcher

Thursday January 5 2012 by Greg Heffer for Express.co.uk MERYL STREEP may have shunned Margaret Thatcher's traditional style at the premiere of biopic The Iron Lady, but the American actress revealed how she forged a deep connection with the former Prime Minister.

Stepping out in front of a throng of fans who braved the wind and rain outside the BFI in London, Streep spoke of how she had wanted to unravel the 'human side' of Britain's former premier.

"I consider all the roles I play a privilege but this one was special because there are such vehement opinions about her," she said.

Meryl Streep with Jim Broadbent, who plays Denis Thatcher

"People seemed to look at her as an icon or a monster and I just wanted to locate the human being inside those caricatures that we've seen over so many years. And to investigate myself what it must have been like for her."
Alongside Streep, fellow stars Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant and Olivia Colman also turned out for the film's premiere, which has been tipped for success at the Oscar's.

If Streep were to win an Academy Award for her role, the 62-year-old admitted she would find it just as much an honour as her previous two victories.

"It would be great, because the secret of the nomination is that it comes from the actors and actors are the ones who know what you go through. So it would be amazing," she said.

Angelina Jolie's 'in-laws' have a Pitt stop at premiere

It has been claimed there has been tensions between the screen beauty and her fella's folks as Bill and Jane Pitt were believed to be very fond of their son's ex-wife Jennifer Aniston.

But all seemed rosy as the quartet posed together at In The Land Of Blood And Honey's after party at The Standard Hotel Rooftop in New York.

Bill and Jane followed Angelina's lead by dressing in all-black outfits.

Jane hugged Angelina, 36, around the waist, while Brad, 47 ? decked out in a three-piece suit ? hugged his partner from the other side.

Angie appeared relaxed despite a Croation journalist suing her for alleged copyright infringement.

The Tomb Raider star wrote and directed In The Land of Blood and Honey, which chronicles the romance between a rape and kidnap victim and one of her captors and is set against the backdrop of the 1990s Bosnian Civil War.

Jolie and the producers of the film, which is set to be released on December 23, have been sued by reporter James Braddock ? who claims the movie violates copyright of his 2007 book The Soul Shattering.

In the suit, filed in Illinois last Friday, Braddock alleges he met with Edin Sarkic, a producer on the film, in 2008 to talk about the possibility of turning his book into a film but nothing came of the discussions.

Braddock is seeking statutory damages and an injunction against the film.

What divorce? Gleeful Ashton Kutcher beams at Hollywood premiere

Clutching glamorous co-star Lea Michele, the young screen star was seen without his wedding ring.

His six-year union with Demi Moore lies in tatters after the 49-year-old actress last month announced she was divorcing her love-rat husband.

Demi called time on the relationship after blonde Sara Leal, 22, said she romped with the Two And A Half Men actor on the couple's sixth wedding anniversary in October.

She said in a statement: "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton.

"As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life."

She added: "This is a trying time for me and my family, and so I would ask for the same compassion and privacy that you would give to anyone going through a similar situation."

Kutcher then wrote on Twitter: "I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail."

But last night, at the gala opening of New Year's Eve at Gramuan's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, 33-year-old Kutcher successfully hid any pain he may have had because of the split.

He even had a playful peer cosn his co-star's plunging front.

In the romantic comedy he plays the aptly-named character Randy.

The ensemble piece features contributions from a host of Hollywood royalty including Robert De Niro, Halle Berry and Jessica Biel.

Fellow cast members Michelle Pfeiffer and Zac Efron also attended the premiere and posed happily together as did husband and wife Josh Duhamel and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas.