Although Streep is a Hollywood liberal and Thatcher was the leader of a conservative party, the Oscar winning actress admits that playing the role has changed her view of Thatcher.

“The more I learned, the more my view of her changed,” the Daily Express quoted Streep as saying.

“Wherever you stand on her policies, the scale of her influence was extraordinary,” she said.

“It’s really humbling to consider that she was at 10 Downing Street for 10-and-a-half years. I admire that achievement. I stand in awe of it,” she added.

Former colleagues of Lady Thatcher, including Tory grandee Lord Tebbit, have attacked the film as ‘left wing fantasy’ for depicting her dementia.

The 62-year-old actress did admit, however, that the woman in question is unlikely to see the movie, but added “If she did, I hope she would see an empathetic attempt to understand her place in history,” Streep said.