Meryl Streep doesn't think she's the "most wonderful thing in the world."

While the 64-year-old star is one of the most celebrated actresses in Hollywood - with three Oscars under her belt - she admits she doesn't buy into the hype and credits her children with keeping her feet on the ground. "When I'm not acting I don't have any sort of belief that I'm the most wonderful thing in the world. I have four children who remind me of this regularly! I'm under no illusions about my limitations as a human being," Meryl - who has four grown-up children, Henry, Mamie, Grace and Louisa - said.

The actress plays Violet Weston, an addict mother who has strained relations with her long-suffering children, in August: Osage County, and she admits she struggled with the role as she is so devoted to her kids Henry, 34, Mamie, 30, Grace, 27, and Louisa, 22. When quizzed if her children have seen her portrayal of a bad mother, Meryl said, "They haven't seen it yet except my youngest and she said, 'Mom, everybody is going to hate you but you're so good in this.' I realized it's worth risking everything to go to a place where you'll be loathed."

Meryl is also careful about the roles she accepts because of her worldly experience and prefers lighter parts: "When I was young, I thought it would be cool, for example, to play an addict. When you're young, it's like an adventure - you don't have that experience. Now I'm older, I've known people with addiction problems... the walls dividing what you pretend and what you feel are thinner. Your skin is thinner. I really look for laughs in life, no question."