Hoppers‘ director feared Meryl Streep would reject a wild joke in his movie. The hit animated film was released earlier this year and featured Streep in a brief cameo.

Daniel Chong thought this Hoppers joke would be the ‘deal breaker’ for Meryl Streep

Hollywood star Meryl Streep played the Insect Queen in Pixar’s Hoppers. But her character doesn’t last as she gets unceremoniously squished very early by the main character, Mabel.

Director Daniel Chong initially assumed that the Oscar winner would not join the movie. To his surprise, Streep not only accepted his cameo role pitch but also laughed at his joke about the Insect Queen.

In an exclusive interview with ComingSoon, Chong revealed, “The funny thing is that I would use Meryl as a reference, not thinking we’d get her, but trying to help people understand how powerful the character is. It’s like Meryl Streep, but never thinking we’d actually be able to cast her.”

At the time of casting, he wasn’t sure that Streep would agree to the role. But he simply thought, “Maybe we just ask and see what happens.” He pitched her the story over a Zoom call and could tell immediately that she was already sold on it.

Photo Credit: Pixar

But he was also worried about another issue. “I thought the deal breaker was going to be telling her, ‘Meryl, I just have to tell you, you’re not going to survive past your first scene.’ I was willing to let that be the deal breaker because she’s not in it very long.”

To his shock, “she got the joke. She understood that what’s funny is not just that the insect queen gets squished. Meryl Streep gets squished. It makes you feel something because you think she’s going to be in the movie longer.” He added, “Meryl was down for the joke, and she’s playful.”

Besides Streep, Hoppers’ ensemble voice cast also includes Piper Curda as Mabel Tanaka and Bobby Moynihan as King George. Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Eduardo Franco, and Sam Richardson also play crucial roles.

Hoppers arrived on Disney+ earlier this month. While a sequel has yet to be confirmed, director Chong has expressed his interest in making Hoppers 2.