20 years after the first The Devil Wears Prada, the legacy of Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly still lives on. But did you know Meryl Streep initially said 'no' to the film and the iconic character?
The actor portrayed Priestly, a character inspired by Vogue magazine's Anna Wintour, and is reprising the role once again in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which also sees the return of Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci.
Recently, as a part of the film's promotion, Streep told Today that she declined the film despite knowing of its prospects to become a hit. "“I read the script — the script was great. They called me up, and they made an offer, and I said, 'No.' I’m not going to do it," she said, adding, “I knew it was going to be a hit.”
Aware of the film's potential, Streep decided to double her payment for the film. She continued, “I wanted to see if I doubled my ask, and they went right away and said, ‘Sure.'” Further, Meryl, who was 56 at the time, was sure of the decision, as she was willing to even retire if the opportunity didn't come through.
“I’m 56 years old — it took me this long to understand that I could do that! I was sure of it. I was sure it would be a hit. And they needed me, I felt. And I wanted it, but if they didn’t want to do that, I was okay. Because I’m old — I’m 56, I was ready to retire," she explained.
If Streep retired before the film, which hit theatres in 2006, we would have missed some of her great performances, including the one in The Iron Lady (2012), which got her her third Academy Award. The film catapulted her further and led to some of her hits, including Mamma Mia! and It's Complicated.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 opens at a time when media have undergone vast changes—notably, the decline of the print medium. The tables have turned, and Emily is now in a powerful position in the industry, and Miranda finds herself in loggerheads with her former assistant as she controls the advertising budget Miranda urgently requires.
Apart from Streep's Miranda Priestly, Hathaway will be seen as Andrea Sachs, Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton, Stanley Tucci as Nigel, Tracie Thoms as Lily and Tibor Feldman as Irv Ravitz, all reprising roles for the sequel, which is set for a release on May 1, 2026
