 In several interviews, Meryl Streep has stated that she "begged" Reisz, who directed her in 1981's "The French Lieutenant's Woman", for the role of Cline, but that his first choice had always been Lange.Streep has also been quite vocal and adamant in her praise for Lange's performance, calling her "beyond wonderful" in the film and stating, "I couldn't imagine doing it as well or even coming close to what Jessica did because she was so amazing in it.