Meryl Streep Urges Early Screening in Cancer-Awareness PSA—Watch Now

"For me, screening was simple and quick," three-time Oscar winner says in video for colorectal cancer research foundation cofounded by Katie Couric

Meryl Streep can teach us a lesson any day.

The three-time Oscar winner stars has joined forces with Katie Couric's cancer-research foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to star in a new public service announcement advocating early screening for colorectal cancer.

And, let's just say, Streep makes for the perfect teacher, doctor and concerned friend, let alone celebrity spokeswoman.

"I made my husband get screened, I made my brothers get screened...I made everyone I love get screened," Streep says. "It's important to get the word out; people should know how easy it is to go through the procedure that can detect polyps and early cancer."

"'Icon' is overused, but Meryl Streep truly is an American—and worldwide—icon. She is an ideal ambassador to convey that screening saves lives, and we are profoundly grateful for her support," said Couric, who cofounded the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance after losing husband Jay Monahan to colon cancer in 1998.

The Katie host also famously underwent a colonoscopy on TV in March 2000 to press the importance of regular screenings.

The EIF's NCCRA is working with the CDC's Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign on a series of PSAs being released in March, which is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.