She’s a three-time Oscar winner with one of the most enviable — and enduring — careers in Hollywood, but Meryl Streep is ready for some new adventures. Since splitting with Don Gummer, the father of her four children, she feels free to put herself first. “There’s a playfulness that comes with being single at her age. She feels like she’s able to let loose a little more,” a friend tells Closer exclusively. “Before, it was always ‘Meryl and Don,’ but now it’s ‘The Meryl Show.’ She gets glammed more before red carpets. She’s saying yes to parties, to dinners with friends, to things outside her comfort zone.”

The actress still keeps in touch with Don, whom she married in 1978, but “they’re not going to get back together,” says the friend. “Being single has given Meryl a confidence boost. She’s excited for what the future holds.”