Jonah Hill Started Calling Meryl Streep ‘The GOAT.’ Hilarity Ensued

Jonah Hill, Paul Guilfoyle, Mark Rylance, and Meryl Streep sit together in a briefing room in Don't Look Up.
(Image credit: Netflix)

Co-writer/director Adam McKay’s Netflix original film Don’t Look Up has a cast so star studded, you could call it a G.O.A.T. Slang for “the greatest of all time,” we’ve seen this term used on everything from athletes to performers, and even members of the film’s impressive roster weren’t immune to the term’s charms. Just ask Jonah Hill, who started calling Meryl Streep “The G.O.A.T,” which naturally caused hilarity to ensue. 

This story came up while the pair made a joint appearance on Today, on behalf of the dark comedy awards contender. Sharing the screen along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and a slew of others notables, Streep and Hill had a rather interesting miscommunication, with the multiple Oscar winner herself admitting she thought he was actually calling her a goat. Here’s what Meryl Streep had to say: 

I thought, ‘Why is he calling me a GOAT?’ And I sort of thought, ‘Well, you kind of look like a goat.’

Hilarity did indeed ensue, because Ms. Streep went through quite a bit of the Don’t Look Up press tour thinking that scenario was the reality of Jonah Hill’s remarks. Of course, that couldn’t have been further from the truth, and the actor told his side of the story in that very same interview. According to Mr. Hill, this is how the situation was eventually clarified:

We’re doing interviews, and obviously everyone respects Meryl more than anything in the world, myself included; and then Jen filled her in. Meryl was saying, ‘Oh, I think he was calling me a goat,’ and then Jen Lawrence was like, ‘No, it stands for greatest of all time.' It’s a massive compliment, and not a grotesque diss that I would never say anyway.

Oh Jennifer Lawrence: not only is she a down to earth person who loves celebrity romance gossip as much as the rest of us, but she could be one of the great equalizers in the world. If it wasn’t for her explanation of just what the G.O.A.T. stood for, Meryl Streep may have continued to contemplate boarding a future remake of Animal Farm. All kidding aside, the story is even funnier when you take into account how Streep and Hill are playing the most powerful mother and son in Don’t Look Up’s darkly comic world; and it’ll be hard not to have at least one laugh at the expense of the whole mix up when watching the movie. 

You can collide with Netflix’s original film Don’t Look Up, as it’s slated to go into limited theatrical release on December 10th, with a streaming debut set for Christmas Eve. That’s just one of the many streaming blockbusters the platform has put out, and you can get the full list of Netflix’s 2021 original movies if you really want to put the line-up to the test. You could even say that the streamer’s output this year has been at G.O.A.T. level itself; but just make sure that whoever you say that to understands the term. 

Mike Reyes
Senior Movies Contributor

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.