In 1976, Meryl Streep auditioned for the lead role in King Kong. After Streep read for the role, producer Dino De Laurentiis reportedly turned to his son, who recommended Streep for the role, and asked, in Italian, “Why did you bring me this ugly thing?” Streep speaks Italian, so she reportedly responded to De Laurentiis in Italian by apologizing that she was not beautiful enough to be in his movie.