Meryl Streep dropped in on parliament on Wednesday to watch Britain's top politicians do battle, studying for a movie role as former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The 61-year-old double Oscar-winner will star in "The Iron Lady," a film that recalls the days leading up to the 1982 Falklands War -- a conflict in which Britain repelled an Argentine invasion of the remote, disputed territory in the south Atlantic Ocean.

Success in the war improve Thatcher's popularity after the early 1980s recession and contributed to her Conservative party's 1983 election victory.

Streep, regarded as the world's greatest living actress for roles as varied as "The Deer Hunter," "Sophie's Choice" and "The Devil Wears Prada", witnessed Prime Minister's Questions -- a showcase weekly televised event in parliament where British leaders are grilled by opposition politicians.