 Longworth considers Streep 's next release , Out of Africa ( 1985 ) , to have established her as a Hollywood superstar . In the film , Streep starred as the Danish writer Karen Blixen opposite Robert Redford 's Denys Finch Hatton . Director Sydney Pollack was initially dubious about Streep in the role as he did not think she was sexy enough , and had considered Jane Seymour for the part . Pollack recalls that Streep impressed him in a different way : " She was so direct , so honest , so without bullshit . There was no shielding between her and me . " Streep and Pollack often clashed during the 101 @-@ day shoot in Kenya , particularly over Blixen 's voice . Streep had spent much time listening to tapes of Blixen and began speaking in an old @-@ fashioned and aristocratic fashion , which Pollack thought excessive . A significant commercial and critical success , the film earned Streep another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress , also winning Best Picture . Critic Stanley Kaufmann wrote , " Meryl Streep is back in top form . This means her performance in Out of Africa is at the highest level of acting in film today " . 
