 Robert De Niro , who had spotted Streep in her stage production of The Cherry Orchard , suggested that she play the role of his girlfriend in the war film The Deer Hunter ( 1978 ) . Cazale , who had been diagnosed with lung cancer , was also cast in the film , and Streep took on the role of a " vague , stock girlfriend " to remain with Cazale for the duration of filming . Longworth notes that Streep " made a case for female empowerment by playing a woman to whom empowerment was a foreign concept — a normal lady from an average American small town , for whom subservience was the only thing she knew " . Pauline Kael , who would later become a strong critic of Streep 's , remarked that Streep was a " real beauty " who brought much freshness to the film with her performance . The film 's success exposed Streep to a wider audience and earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . 
