People

By Guy D. Garcia

The making of Plenty was anything but an abundance of fun for British Actor Charles Dance, 38. First off, he found drably Establishment Raymond Brock to be "the most intensely annoying character I have ever played because very rarely did he react the way I would." To make matters worse, Dance, who was seen as Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown, was unprepared for the acting style of Costar Meryl Streep, 35, who portrays Susan Traherne, his emotionally complex and ultimately self-destructive wife. "I did not find her easy to work with," he said candidly last week, "but it is not her job to make it easy for me." Streep, who is known to remain in character both on and off the set, was alternatingly friendly and cool to Dance, depending on the state of their onscreen marriage. "This concerned me because, typical of most actors, I am racked with insecurity, and I thought, She hates me and/or I'm turning in an appalling performance," he recalled. "I was not as relaxed as I might have been."