 For her role in the film Sophie 's Choice ( 1982 ) , Streep spoke both English and German with a Polish accent , as well as Polish itself . In The Iron Lady , she reproduced the vocal style of Margaret Thatcher from the time before Thatcher became Britain 's Prime Minister , and after she had taken elocution lessons to change her pitch , pronunciation , and delivery . Streep has commented that using accents as part of her acting is a technique she views as an obvious requirement in her portrayal of a character . When questioned in Belfast as to how she reproduces different accents , Streep replied in a perfect Belfast accent : " I listen . " 
