Meryl Streep’s 'Only Murders in the Building' Apartment Is Chock-Full of Easter Eggs

When it was first announced that Meryl Streep would be joining the Only Murders in the Building cast for the hit Hulu show’s third season (alongside fellow big names like Paul Rudd and Jesse Williams), we couldn’t wait to see what she would bring to the storyline. Well, now that the latest installment is finally here, it seems that Streep’s character is bringing more than just laughs to our screens this season — she’s bringing major Easter eggs, too.

According to the show’s production designer, Rich Murray, Streep’s character’s apartment in the show contains several nods to the actress’s storied career. 

“[Loretta Durkin is] charming and warm and has lived in the same studio apartment for the past 35 to 40 years,” Murray told Variety, explaining how the concept for the space was inspired by the 1951 film An American in Paris. “It has a lot of built-in quirkiness with drop-down, pull-down things. Everyone has everything so neatly finessed, tucked in and tightened cornered, and so we sort of pull from that.”

Some of the Easter eggs featured in the apartment, which audiences first get a glimpse of during episode 5, include nods to Streep’s 2015 film Suffragette, alluded to through a hanging tea towel embroidered with her character’s name; 1999’s Kramer vs. Kramer, alluded to through a Christmas card sent from her character to Billy; and 2009’s Julie & Julia, alluded to through a vase of tulips pulled directly from the film.

“They’re in a booth and there is a gorgeous arrangement of French tulips that looked like they had been moved a couple of times,” Murray said of a flower arrangement featured in the background of one of Streep’s Julie & Julia scenes with Stanley Tucci. “It was this gargantuan arrangement. So, I always put an arrangement of French tulips on her desk, and they were weirdly arranged like in the film.”

Of course, Murray knew he couldn’t reference Streep’s career without including a subtle shoutout to The Devil Wears Prada, which he opted to reference via furniture. 

“We built a series of books in her bookcase, and across the book spines is the logo from the film,” he shared.