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Meryl Streep talks about making her own the iconic witch from 'Into the Woods'

"I wanted to just find my own inner witch," Streep declared at a recent New York press conference.

By Karen Butler
Actress Meryl Streep, a past Honoree pose for photographers on the red carpet as she arrives for an evening of gala entertainment at the Kennedy Center, December 7, 2014, in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Honors are bestowed annually on five artists for their lifetime achievement in the arts and culture. UPI/Mike Theiler
Actress Meryl Streep, a past Honoree pose for photographers on the red carpet as she arrives for an evening of gala entertainment at the Kennedy Center, December 7, 2014, in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Honors are bestowed annually on five artists for their lifetime achievement in the arts and culture. UPI/Mike Theiler | License Photo

NEW YORK, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Triple Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep says she worked hard to make her own the witch character in the movie musical Into the Woods -- even though she saw Bernadette Peters originate the role on Broadway in 1987.

"I had seen Bernadette do the witch 20, maybe 30, years ago and I remember it vividly. It was etched in my soul. Everybody said [Stephen] Sondheim's music is unsingable, whatever. It's too complicated, but those melodies lived in my head for, well, years after hearing them. I didn't buy the album, but it was in my head," Streep said at a recent New York press conference. "I wanted to just find my own inner witch and I didn't even think about copying.... Usually, I'd steal from somebody. Something from somebody. Usually, I steal from men because nobody notices."

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Directed by Rob Marshall, Into the Woods co-stars Christine Baranski, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine.

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