Meryl Streep not only learned a Polish accent but also learned how to speak German and Polish in order to have the proper accent of a Polish refugee. She reportedly learned Polish from one of the assistants working on the film who happened to speak it.

What nationality was Sophie in Sophie's Choice?

The film stars Meryl Streep as Zofia "Sophie" Zawistowska, a Polish immigrant to America with a dark secret from her past who shares a boarding house in Brooklyn with her tempestuous lover Nathan (Kevin Kline in his feature film debut), and young writer Stingo (Peter MacNicol).

Is Meryl Streep German?

Meryl was born Mary Louise Streep in 1949 in Summit, New Jersey, to Mary Wolf (Wilkinson), a commercial artist, and Harry William Streep, Jr., a pharmaceutical executive. Her father was of German and Swiss-German descent, and her mother had English, Irish, and German ancestry.

Was Sophie's Choice based on a true story?

Sophies's Choice is not a true story, per se. Styron based his novel on his memory of a real-life woman named Sophie, a survivor of Auschwitz he met during his youth in Brooklyn. From that encounter, he constructed a character, not Jewish, but Polish Catholic.

Did Sophie's son survive in Sophie's choice?

When Sophie Zawistowska is taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp she is given a choice upon her arrival. She is forced to choose whether to save her son or her daughter from immediate death in the gas chambers. She chooses her son and her daughter is immediately murdered.

Meryl Streep: The Inspiration For Her Polish Accent In "Sophie's Choice" - UMass Lowell (2:00)

Why did Sophie choose her daughter?

Ultimately, Sophie chose to sacrifice her daughter to save her son. Sophie never told anyone about the choice she had to make until she finally told Stingo. At first, she only told him that her daughter was taken to be killed and her son was allowed to stay with her until he was taken away to the children's camp.

How old was Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice?

Known as the breakout role for Meryl Streep (age 33 at the time), Sophie's Choice has a flavourful plot and caliber performances; the best I've ever seen.

Can Sandra Bullock speak German?

Actress, producer and Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock was born and raised in the US but she speaks fluent German. Why? Because her mother was a German opera singer, and indeed met her father whilst he was stationed in Nuremberg. Born in 1964, she made her first film in 1987.

Who is the English actress that looks like Meryl Streep?

It's been said how Meryl Streep's blonde locks make her look eerily similar to her younger doppelgänger, Saoirse Ronan. Meanwhile, floppy-haired pictures of Colin Firth from yesteryear bear striking resemblance to Britain's brightest new export, And when they're not busy picking up awards, blockbuster stars.

Why was Sophie's choice banned?

Sophie's Choice was banned by the South African government in November 1979 for being a sexually explicit work. It has also been banned in some high schools in the United States.

Why was Sophie sent to Auschwitz?

In April 1943, Sophie was arrested and taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau. She was arrested because she was caught smuggling meat for her sick mother.

How old was Sophie's daughter in Sophie's choice?

She had a daughter named Eva who was eight years old and a son named Jan who was just a little bit older. She was forced by a Nazi doctor to decide which child would be killed in the gas chambers and which would be allowed to live at the concentration camp upon their arrival at Auschwitz.

What is Meryl Streep IQ?

Meryl Streep

The actress has above-average intelligence with an IQ of 143.

What actress speaks 6 languages?

Natalie Portman – English, Spanish, German, Japanese, and Hebrew.

Which actress speaks 5 languages?

Natalie Portman Knows More than Five Languages

She also speaks Spanish, French, Japanese, German, and Arabic, meaning she knows five languages other than English and Hebrew. As an actress, Natalie Portman has traveled the world to film movies and this has inspired her to learn languages and her passion for diplomacy.

Can Brad Pitt actually speak German?

Brad Pitt can speak German in real life, having learned the language and visited Germany multiple times out of interest in his German ancestry. Ironically, Lt. Aldo Raine never speaks German in the film.

Which German accent is the purest?

On the other hand, Northern Germany is considered to be the region that speaks the purest Standard German, and in everyday life, little influence of dialect is heard.

Does Natalie Portman speak German?

Natalie Portman can speak an impressive six languages.

With an Israeli-American background, Portman grew up speaking Hebrew and English, then picked up the additional languages of French, Japanese, German, and Spanish, America Reads Spanish reported.

How much weight did Meryl Streep lose for Sophie's Choice?

And in 1982, Meryl Streep dropped 25 pounds for her role in Sophie's Choice.

What happened to Jan in Sophie's Choice?

In fact, Sophie eventually learned from Wanda that Jan was still in the camp. A few weeks later, Sophie got a message that Jan was “gone” from the children's section of the camp. Sophie never knew whether he was freed from the camp and sent to Germany or if he died there.

Did Meryl Streep have to lose weight for Sophie's Choice?

Dyeing for Your Art: Meryl Streep had to lose a lot of weight to film the scenes in Yugoslavia at the concentration camp. Fake Nationality: Meryl Streep as a Polish immigrant. In addition to having to learn the Polish accent, she learned the language as well as German for the role.

What happened to Sophie at the end of Sophie's choice?

After Sophie told Stingo about her terrible choice, she and Stingo had sex. The next morning, Stingo awakened to find that Sophie had returned to New York alone. He followed her but arrived back at the boarding house to learn that Sophie and Nathan had committed suicide together.

Why do they call it Sophie's choice?

In the novel, which is set during World War II, the title character must choose between the lives of her two children while imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. She is given an impossible choice: pick one to live while the other is gassed, or else watch both die.

What is the moral of Sophie's choice?

Sophie's choice is a genuine moral dilemma to the degree that she can- not avoid making a choice that will violate a moral obligation. Whether she chooses or refuses to choose between her children, she will violate a moral obligation.