Meryl Streep’s Famous Chest-Lift Scene in Death Becomes Her Wasn’t CGI. A Crew Member Crouched Behind Her and Pushed by Hand

The crew built a pressurized bra to plump her chest on cue. It looked so fake that Robert Zemeckis threw it out and had someone do the job by hand.

The gag sells the potion in Death Becomes Her: Meryl Streep’s Madeline drinks the Elixir of Life, and her body snaps back to youth, breasts and all, in one exaggerated mirror shot.

To get it, the crew first designed a pneumatic bra meant to fake the rapid lift. On camera it didn’t move fast enough and read as obviously mechanical.

Zemeckis scrapped the rig for a person. A member of Streep’s wardrobe team crouched out of frame behind her, and on cue reached around and pushed her chest into place by hand.

The 1992 Universal comedy went on to win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for its digital work, including the shot of Streep’s head twisted a full 180 degrees. The lift was the low-tech exception hiding inside an effects showcase.

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