Martin Short labels Meryl Streep's role as love interest in 'Only Murders in the Building' 'coincidental'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: When Martin Short was seeking a romantic interest for his character in 'Only Murders in the Building,' it was only "coincidental" that Meryl Streep called him one day, gushing over the series and requesting a role in the upcoming season.

Ever since Streep debuted in the series, rumors have been swirling about her relationship with co-star Short, 74, with whom she appeared closely at the 2024 Golden Globes.

Martin Short calls Meryl Streep joining 'Only Murders in the Building' cast 'coincidental'

During an interview at Harrah's Resort SoCal, where Martin Short took the oath of office as mayor of Funner, California on May 13, he told PEOPLE, "The story with Meryl is she phoned me and said, ‘I want to be on it.’"

He said of Streep, 74, "They already planned that I would have a theatrical experience and there would be a love interest," recalling how Streep got cast as Broadway singer Loretta Durkin in the popular Hulu series, which Short co-stars in with its creator and close friend, Steve Martin.

"So that was coincidental, but she just wanted to be on the show. She didn’t know about [the love story]," Short added.

"The writing is so good, and the directing, and the execution of the show is so good that it makes people say, oh, I want to be on it," Short said, addressing the plethora of other stars who have joined the show over its three seasons.

In January, a representative for Short told PEOPLE that he and Streep are "just very good friends, nothing more." The actor later refuted the allegations again on Bill Maher's podcast, saying that he and Streep are "not a couple, we are just very close friends."

In response to inquiries about his relationship with Streep, Short now stated, "It’s always interesting. Show business relationships and spec."

Martin Short admits being 'nervous' to work with Meryl Streep

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez joined Streep and Short at a 'For Your Consideration' panel in March 2024 to talk about the upcoming third season of the popular show.

While Streep talked about how she got the part on the show, Short was open about his nervousness about sharing the stage with the Oscar winner.

Short said at the time, "It was one of the great thrills of my life. The first day of shooting — which was rare, because I’m not brand-new — I was driving to work and I thought, ‘I’m nervous today. I’m working with Meryl Streep.’"

The 'Mamma Mia!' alum talked about how she got the role of the struggling Broadway actress at the discussion, and how she kind of fell in love with Short's character.

Martin Short and Meryl Streep pairing makes fans gush over the 'cutest couple'

Social media fans and followers took to Instagram to express their joy over the Short and Streep being paired together with one exclaiming, "Cutest couple on tv right now."

A second one added, "Glad she’s back for the new season. These two are so stinking cute."

"She's won all the awards, but now she has the greatest treasure of all," chimed in a third one, while a fourth one said, "Please let them be a couple forever. In and out the series…"

"OK they look like two kids in love!" exclaimed another one.

One more remarked, "BEST COUPLE EVER YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH THEM OMITB."

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