When Meryl Streep is chewing the scenery on the upcoming second season of “Big Little Lies,” she’ll be doing so with a pair of fake teeth.
The Oscar winner reportedly insisted that she sport a pair of prosthetic chompers on the hit HBO drama to drive home a family resemblance with her on-screen son Perry, played by Alexander Skarsgård, according to Page Six.
Executive producer Gregg Fienberg told the outlet about Streep’s “brilliant idea” at the second season premiere’s after-party on Wednesday night in New York City, where the actress’ dental situation was a topic of discussion.
“Yes they were 100% fashioned and inspired by Alex’s teeth,” Fienberg said. “She is his mother after all. It was Meryl’s brilliant idea.”
Skarsgård is, of course, famous for his high-wattage smile, and Streep is no stranger to prosthetics, famously transforming into former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 2011′s “Iron Lady.”
HuffPost has reached out to HBO for comment on Streep’s prosthetics.
The teeth in question were reportedly crafted by the British dental laboratory Fangs FX, which specializes in character teeth and prosthetic facial effects for the big screen, at the direction Streep’s go-to hair and makeup artist, Oscar-winner J. Roy Helland.
Streep boarded the Emmy-winning series as Mary Louise Wright for the series’ second season. Wright is the mother-in-law to Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and is seeking answers about her son’s death.
Skarsgård’s character famously met his maker in the closing moments of the first season’s finale, but he’ll apparently play a bigger role than expected in this next chapter.
“He was the most incredible acting partner, and then he came back for Season 2,” Kidman said of Skarsgård at a recent event promoting the series.
But apparently the actress spilled a bit too much about the Swedish star’s role in the new season as her cast mate Reese Witherspoon reportedly “motioned for her costar to stop talking,” according to People.
“He has a little bit of a part in the sense of … the basis of … OK, I’ll be quiet,” Kidman continued. “He didn’t abandon us. We’ll put it that way.”
So there’s a chance Streep, Skarsgård and their teeth ― fake or otherwise ― might share the screen together.