Playing Thatcher has left me in awe of her, says Streep

Meryl Streep told how she is "in awe" of Margaret Thatcher after being hailed for her portrayal of the former prime minister in a new film.

Streep, in London to promote The Iron Lady before its release early next year, said Baroness Thatcher was an "incredibly divisive figure" but praised the "clarity" of her policies compared with those of contemporary politicians.

The 62-year-old actress, who has a history of activism for liberal causes, admitted she admired the Tory politician's willingness to be a "'love-me-or-hate-me' kind of leader".

She said: "I think of that Spitting Image puppet of her with its eyeball coming out and I wonder what it feels like to be a person represented by that. To be a leader willing to take the level of hatred for the decisions they make, I really do stand in awe of that."

The announcement last year that the Oscar-winning actress would play the role was greeted with horror by Baroness Thatcher's children. But the film's writer Abi Morgan has praised her performance alongside Jim Broadbent as her on-screen husband Denis as "amazing". Streep said: "It was one of those rare, rare films where I was grateful to be an actor and grateful for the privilege of being able to look at a life deeply with empathy. There's no greater joy."

She was visiting London to see the completed film. She also attended an event last night at the Curzon cinema in Soho, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, honouring Vanessa Redgrave.

In an interview with the Standard, Redgrave, 74, spoke of the love shown to her by her family, including daughter Joely Richardson, and fellow actors.

She said: "To feel this love is life-giving. I hope I'm lucky enough to be able to go on making more movies a while more. I hope I can go on working in theatre. Right now I'm just living in the moment."

The event saluted a career that took off when she played Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1961, and featured clips from some of the more than 80 films she has starred in. The Oscar-winning actress has recently faced a string of personal traumas, including the deaths of her daughter, Natasha Richardson, in 2009, and siblings Corin and Lynn Redgrave.