USA: Meryl Streep says she's past use-by date

. SYDNEY, NSW / Sydney Morning Herald / Life & Style / December 2, 2009 GRANMA MIA Ageless appeal ... Meryl Streep is amazed by the longevity of her film career. Meryl Streep admits she's past her "sell by date". The Oscar-winning actress can't believe she's still being offered roles in high-profile movies now she's reached 60 as she knows Hollywood discriminates against older women. She said: "It's incredible - I'm 60, and I'm playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies. Bette Davis is rolling over in her grave.

Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. She is widely regarded as one of the most talented and respected movie actors of the modern era--Wikipedia

"I've been given great, weird, interesting parts well past my "sell by date". I remember saying to my husband Don when I was 38, 'Well, it's over.' And then we kicked the can down the road a little further." Meryl - who won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Sophie's Choice and the Best Supporting Actress for Kramer Vs Kramer - also says she's given up worrying what people think of her. She told Vanity Fair magazine: "I can't remember the last time I really worried about being appealing. I think it was a really long time ago. It's freeing as an actress, but whether a director likes it or not is a different thing. I remember [director and co-star] Albert Brooks saying to me in Defending Your Life, `Could you just make it a little sweeter?' And that's been repeated by other people in the years since then." [rc] Bang Showbiz Copyright © 2009. Fairfax Digital