Martin Short Couldn’t Believe Meryl Streep Was Nervous on Her First Day on ‘Only Murders in the Building’

Martin Short wasn’t the only one who was nervous for Meryl Streep’s first day on Only Murders in the Building.

Short, 75, has not been shy about the fact that he experienced a rare bout of nerves while on his way to set for Streep’s first day on the show, but it turns out she was nervous too.

Streep, 76, joined the cast of the Hulu series’ third season in 2023 and plays Loretta Durkin, a love interest for Short’s character Oliver Putnam.

Streep’s first scene for the show was a one-on-one moment with Short, and she admitted her nerves to him.

On Sirius XM’s Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Short recalled their first day on set together more than two years ago.

“So, the first scene we shot in Only Murders was a scene where we’re at the piano and we’re kind of flirting a little bit,” he said of him and Streep’s characters, who are both in the Broadway world and develop a romance onscreen.

He explained that the “first shot set up” panned over Streep to him, “so it’s pressure on me” at first.

“And then, we break down so that they can reverse the cameras and do her side,” he continued.

When he and Streep went into the “holding area” while the crew moved the cameras around for the next take, he recalled the actress saying, “‘Okay, nerves to half.’ And I go, ‘Wait a second, I was nervous. You can’t be nervous.'”

Short previously told PEOPLE it was “coincidental” that Streep joined the show as his love interest amid speculation the pair were an item in real life.

Several months after Streep joined the show in 2023, PEOPLE confirmed that she and her husband of 45 years, Don Gummer, had quietly separated six years ago. Fans then began to speculate about the nature of the Devil Wears Prada star’s close relationship with Short, though they both have vehemently denied the rumors more than once.

When asked about the interest in his real-life relationship with Streep, Short told PEOPLE, “It’s always interesting — show business relationships and spec.”

He also confirmed that it was completely “coincidental” that she joined the cast as his love interest. “They already planned that I would have a theatrical experience and there would be a love interest. “She just wanted to be on the show. She didn’t know about [the love story].”

Regardless of their relationship status, the actors’ chemistry onscreen is undeniable.

John Hoffman, who created Only Murders with Steve Martin, has raved about watching Short and Streep work together.

“You know, it is one of the most unexpected turns but I remember thinking, like, ‘God.’ As I got to know Meryl, as I’ve known Marty and as I watched the two of them work together in season 3, I just — it was unbelievable,” he told Decider last year. “They just delighted in each other on screen, off screen in every way.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Only Murders in the Building can be streamed on Hulu.