Julia Roberts understands Meryl Streep ''more intimately'' since working with her on 'August: Osage County'.

The 46-year-old actress worked alongside the award-winning star in the John Well's adaptation of the spooky play, and she has praised her for being ''even cooler'' than she initially thought she would be.

Speaking in December's issue of Marie Claire magazine, she said: ''I had many imaginary conversations with Meryl about working together... When a person goes from being on a pedestal in your mind, to even cooler, better and more fabulous up close, you get to understand them a little more intimately.''

The brunette beauty also admitted she would probably react differently to the first time if she were to receive a second Academy Award.

She explained: ''Listen, every actor wants to win an Oscar, full stop. It doesn't mean you try to design things around how to accomplish that because that's impossible.

''Now that I'm a grown-up person and have things of such greater value to pin my idea of joy and fullness on, if something like that were to happen again, my feeling of thrill would be defined in a completely different way.''