Meryl Streep reveals why she was eager to join 'Big Little Lies' season 2

• Meryl Streep surprised television fans by joining the "Big Little Lies" season two cast. 
• At HBO's Television Critics' Association press tour panel on Friday afternoon in Pasadena, California, Streep talked about why she took the role.
• "I love this show, I was addicted to it," Streep said. "I thought it was an amazing exercise in what we know and what we don't know about people, about family, about friends."
• Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Big Little Lies" season one.

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Hollywood icon Meryl Streep will be a new star on HBO's already stacked cast list for "Big Little Lies" season two.

During a Television Critics' Association press tour panel attended by INSIDER on Friday afternoon in Pasadena, California, Streep talked about why she took the role.

"I love this show, I was addicted to it," she said. "I thought it was an amazing exercise in what we know and what we don’t know about people, about family, about friends."

The first season explored the dynamics between a group of women in a wealthy Northern Californian community. Celeste, played by Nicole Kidman, is experiencing an escalating physically abusive relationship with her husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgård). The series comes to a crashing finale when a friend of Celeste's, Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz), pushes Perry to his death. 

Now Streep is joining "Big Little Lies" to play Perry's mother, Mary Louise Wright, as she comes to the community following her son's death. "The Monterey Five" (as the group of women will be known) will have to work to maintain the lie of how Perry was killed.

"When I got the chance to join the crew I thought, 'Yeah, I wanted to be in that world,'" Streep said. 

Streep also says she enjoyed how the first season "flirted with the mystery of things," and the way it handled "what was unsaid, unshown, and unknown."

Little is known about the events unfolding on the second season, since the first season was based on a single book by author Liane Moriarty. The new episodes were written by creator and executive producer David E. Kelley with input from Moriarty.

Read more: Everything we know so far about HBO's 'Big Little Lies' season two

When Streep was asked what Mary Louise's dynamic will be with daughter-in-law Celeste, Kidman said, "You love me."

"I do love [Celeste]," Streep said, speaking about the character of Celeste. "That’s the only thing I'll tell you. But that's the truth."

"Big Little Lies" season two will premiere sometime this June.