 In 1989 , Streep lobbied to play the lead role in Oliver Stone 's adaption of the play Evita , but two months before filming was due to commence she dropped out , citing " exhaustion " initially , although it was later revealed that there was a dispute over her salary . By the end of the decade , Streep actively looked to star in a comedy . She found the role in She @-@ Devil ( 1989 ) , a satire that parodied Hollywood 's obsession with beauty and cosmetic surgery , in which she played a glamorous writer . Though not a success , Richard Corliss of Time wrote that Streep was the " one reason " to see the film and observed that it marked a departure from the dramatic roles she was known to play . Reacting to her string of poorly received films , Streep said : " Audiences are shrinking ; as the marketing strategy defines more and more narrowly who they want to reach — males from 16 to 25 — it 's become a chicken @-@ and @-@ egg syndrome . Which came first ? First they release all these summer movies , then do a demographic survey of who 's going to see them " . 
