Only love in the building? What’s really going on with flirty Meryl Streep & Martin Short

It’s analyzable — but something’s gotta give.

Hollywood septuagenarians, Meryl Streep and Martin Short are giving loved-up Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce vibes from seashore to coast, but besides playing it coy.

Life seems to beryllium imitating creation for nan seasoned stars, whose characters fell successful emotion erstwhile Streep, 75, joined nan the 3rd play of Short’s deed Hulu bid “Only Murders successful nan Building.”

Many deliberation nan actors did, too.

Their reps person said nan brace are “just friends” but Streep and Short, 74, person been spotted each complete New York and Los Angeles astatine dinners, reddish carpets and events. They even held hands astatine nan premiere of nan 4th play of “Only Murders”  in August.

Earlier this year, nan 2 were seen sitting together astatine nan Golden Globes and later spotted goofing disconnected astatine nan 2023 American Film Institute Awards.

Steve Martin, 79, who stars other Short and Selena Gomez connected “Only Murders,” added substance to nan occurrence a week agone erstwhile he posted a photo of nan trio from a Glamour article, pinch a elephantine reddish barroom complete Martin’s face.

Martin did not adhd a caption to his post, letting nan image speak for itself — which immoderate took arsenic a imaginable “hard launch” of an charismatic relationship.

Three-time Oscar victor Streep has not made immoderate effort to hide her affection for Short.

Back successful September 2019, she was honored astatine nan inaugural TIFF Tribute Gala astatine Toronto Film Festival and started disconnected by saying, “I’m truthful grateful to Canada for truthful galore things, chiefly, of course, Joni Mitchell, and second, Martin Short.”

“It’s for illustration nan biggest unfastened secret,” a elder TV insider said of Streep and Short. “I dream it’s existent … I deliberation it is. They’re adorable.”

Another root who has worked pinch Short said, “Oh I emotion them together.”

Even nan executive shaper of “Only Murders successful nan Building” fto gaffe past week that it was a revelation watching Streep and Short autumn for each different during nan filming of nan series.

“You know, it is 1 of nan astir unexpected turns but I retrieve reasoning like, ‘God,’” nan show’s executive shaper and writer told Decider. “As I sewage to cognize Meryl, arsenic I’ve known Marty and arsenic I watched nan 2 of them activity together successful Season 3, I conscionable — it was unbelievable. We were laughing our heads disconnected and they conscionable delighted successful each different connected screen, disconnected surface successful each way.”

Streep joined nan show arsenic a impermanent prima successful nan 3rd season, playing Broadway character Loretta Durkin, who develops a romanticist narration pinch Short’s character, Oliver Putnam.

A week ago, Streep took to nan shape pinch Joni Mitchell astatine nan Hollywood Bowl, performing alongside Elton John and Brandi Carlisle arsenic backup singers arsenic Joni sang a type of Elton’s deed “I’m Still Standing.” She was seen jumping up and down connected stage.

She and Short shared a cozy meal astatine personage favourite Italian edifice Giorgio Baldi successful Santa Monica, Calif., past Wednesday and nan paparazzi swarmed arsenic nan 2 exited nan restaurant.

Short told the photographers, “I americium going pinch her!”

If nan romance is real, it’s a late-in-life triumph for some stars whose emotion lives person been marked by some occurrence and suffering.

Streep’s early profession was shaped by her romance pinch nan late, celebrated character John Cazale, who had nan favoritism of appearing successful only 5 movies, each of which were nominated for Best Picture.

Streep and Cazale met successful 1976, erstwhile they were formed other each different successful “Measure for Measure” successful Central Park. By then, Cazale was not rather a prima — he lacked leading-man looks — but he was regarded successful nan manufacture arsenic a uncommon talent and successful request among nan awesome board of nan era.

He played Fredo successful “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II,” and had lead roles successful “The Conversation,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “The Deer Hunter.”

His 1978 death, astatine property 42, of lung crab devastated Streep.

“Cazale and Meryl had this really aggravated connection,” Michael Schulman, writer of nan Streep curriculum vitae “Her Again,” told The Post astir nan actress’s early profession successful nan 1970s. “It was tragically short-lived but it stayed pinch her forever.”

She rebounded however, to nan daze of many, pinch sculptor Don Gummer, whom her relative introduced her to soon aft Cazale’s passing. The 2 joined six months later.

“Even her mother was surprised,” Schulman told The Post. “She moreover went to [Public Theater director] Joseph Papp to inquire him what Meryl was doing.”

But Streep’s matrimony to Gummer stood nan trial of clip and produced four children: boy Henry Wolfe, 44, a musician and songwriter, and daughters Mamie Gummer, 41, Grace Gummer, 38, and Louisa Jacobson, 33, who person each followed their mother into acting. She has 5 grandchildren.

“It was conscionable arsenic existent and meaningful,” Schulman said of nan romance. “Gummer was very different. He was quieter than Cazale, he was handsome, he worked pinch his hands. I deliberation he besides represented stableness and a safe harbor for Meryl.”

The Post revealed past autumn that Streep and Gummer had softly separated six years earlier but said they “would ever attraction for each other.”

For his part, Short suffered a unspeakable rustle successful 2010 erstwhile his woman of 30 years, Canadian character and vocalist Nancy Dolman, pinch whom he had 3 children, died of ovarian cancer. Short called her passing “horrible” but besides termed their matrimony a “triumph.”

“I still pass pinch her each nan time,” Short told AARP successful 2019.

“It’s “Hey, Nan,” you know? How would she respond to this determination aliases that, particularly regarding our 3 kids. I judge that erstwhile group die, they zoom into nan group that emotion them. This thought that it conscionable ends, and don’t speak of them — that’s wrong,” Short said. “That’s based connected denial that we’re each going to die. So to me, she’s still here.”

Jeff Weingrad, writer of “Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live,” told The Post that he thinks Short and Streep are well-suited — particularly erstwhile it comes to their talent.

“Going backmost to his earliest years on ‘SCTV’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Martin Short was ever a very inventive characteristic who was truthful tin of creating a characteristic and making it unforgettable,” Weingrad told The Post. “Look astatine nan characteristic of Ed Grimley. He hopped astir shape saying, ‘I must say’ and beautiful soon nan full state was saying, ‘I must say.’ And Meryl, for each her superior roles, is very tin of getting laughs successful nan comedic characters she inhabits.”

Laughs whitethorn beryllium a large logic why Streep is truthful tight pinch Short, Schulman suggested.

“She’s ne'er felt comfortable pinch nan superlatives and she doesn’t for illustration being put connected a pedestal,” he said. “She seems to beryllium pursuing things that are fun, goofier worldly for illustration ‘Only Murders successful nan Building,’ almost successful an effort to trim herself down to size. In a way, she’s been shedding that reputation she had arsenic a very superior melodramatic starring lady.

“She doesn’t want to beryllium an icon; she wants to work. She’s astir apt having nan clip of her life clowning astir pinch awesome comedians for illustration Martin and Short and if there’s thing much to this pinch her narration pinch Short past I deliberation it’s perfectly charming and she deserves it.”