Oprah Talks to Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore

Oprah: Nicole, your character has a line I love—it's about peace.

Nicole: She says, "You can't find peace by avoiding life."

Meryl: That's the truth. I just loved the way the movie is poised—equal parts despair and the desire to live.

Oprah: You're so eloquent, Meryl.

Nicole: Isn't she?

Oprah: Nicole, you've said Meryl is the reason you're an actress.

Nicole: Absolutely. Here's a woman who has integrity, who has never compromised on what she believes in, and is just the greatest—that's it.

Julianne: She's the gold standard for every actress.

Nicole: When I'm working on a film, I often find myself thinking, "What would Meryl do?" [Meryl blushes.]

Julianne: Meryl, when you were on the cover of Time [in 1981], it made such an impression on me. You were doing extraordinary work, and everyone knew it.

Oprah: I had that cover in my office for a year until it started to yellow! After I saw The Hours, which focuses on some of the characters' happiest moments, "I thought about my own happiest moments." What were yours?

Julianne: The days when my two children, Caleb and Liv, were born [Moore, 42, gave birth to her second child, Liv Helen Moore Freundlich, last April]. Talk about drama! I've never lived through anything more exciting—and twice.

Oprah: We've all had moments when even simple things bring joy. When I was in Santa Barbara last summer, I was walking down a lane and saw a hummingbird—and I could smell the orange blossoms. In that moment, I thought, "Oh, my—I'm really happy."

Meryl: Happy moments? I feel ambushed by them sometimes. Last year some friends stayed with us for two weeks—a family of five. While the ten of us were sitting at dinner one night, I thought, "I love this. I'm really happy." And on the days my children were born, I felt equal amounts of terror and joy.