Only Murders in the BuildingCreator Knew Meryl Streep Was the 'Perfect Person' to Play Martin Short's Love Interest

Mar. 15, 2025

Meryl Streep and Martin Short film ‘Only Murders In The Building’ season 4 in New York City on May 29, 2024.Photo:SteveSands/NewYorkNewswire/MEGA

SteveSands/NewYorkNewswire/MEGA

It might have been a coincidence toMartin ShortthatMeryl StreepjoinedOnly Murders in the Buildingas his character’s love interest, but for the show’s creator, that was always the plan.

John Hoffman, who created the hit murder comedy series withSteve Martin, revealed that he longhad his sights set on having Streep, 75, play Loretta Durkin– the Broadway star that Oliver Putnam (Martin) struck up a romance with in season 3.

“I said to [executive producers] Dan [Fogelman] and Jess [Rosenthal], ‘Well, the perfect person to play this part — you know who that is?’ They’re like, ‘Who?’ And I was like, ‘Well, Meryl Streep,'” Hoffman recalled. “And they were like, ‘Good luck with that, John.'”

Hoffman’s dream, somehow, came to fruition, when Martin, 78, and Short, 74, reached out to him and said that theMamma Mia!star wanted to work with them.

“And a week later, they called and said, ‘Hey, Meryl just said she’s in if you think we have something for her to do. Do we have anything good?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, f—.'”

Meryl Streep as Loretta Durkin, Martin Short as Oliver Putnam on season 3 of ‘Only Murders in the Building’.Patrick Harbron/Hulu

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

Hoffman was “nervous” when he met Streep over Zoom to talk about the role, and the conversation ended with him thinking, “My head is going to explode.”

After explaining his vision for the opening scene of her character – a flashback of her as a 10-year-old visiting New York City with her mom to seeNo Stringson Broadway – Streep revealed that she’d seen that exact show with her own mother before singing a song from the show.

“I said, ‘OK, I don’t know what the hell is happening right now, but Meryl, you have to stop because my head is going to explode. Those lyrics you just sang are on page one of the script I’m going to send you after we hang up,'” he recalled. “And she said, ‘What?!’”

Short previously told PEOPLE thatit was “coincidental” that Streep joined the series as his love interest– given thereal-life romance rumors that were flying about the starsfollowing the news of Streep’sseparationfromDon Gummer, which PEOPLE confirmed in October.

“They already planned that I would have a theatrical experience and there would be a love interest. So that was coincidental, but she just wanted to be on the show. She didn’t know about [the love story],” he said.

Meryl Streep as Loretta Durkin, Martin Short as Oliver Putnam in season 3 of ‘Only Murders in the Building’.Patrick Harbron/Hulu

Calling the speculation about their relationship “interesting,” he said he didn’t feel weird about being asked about it – after all,he’d previously denied any romance between them, insisting they are “just very close friends"onBill Maher’spodcastin January.

“She’s fabulous,” he added of the actress, whowill reprise her role as Loretta Durkin on the upcoming fourth seasonofOnly Murders.“There’s no one who doesn’t adore her.”

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Season 4 ofOnly Murders in the Buildingpremieres August 27 on Hulu.

source: people.com