“The Devil Wears Prada” without Meryl Streep is like girding without loins, but it almost happened.
The original 2006 film has become a classic, earning two Academy Award nominations, including a best actress nod for Streep, who won raves for her portrayal as icy Runway editor Miranda Priestly. The role, based on famed Vogue editor Anna Wintour, also netted Streep a Golden Globe Award for best performance by an actress in a motion picture — comedy or musical.
Streep reprises the iconic role in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” opening May 1. The three-time Oscar winner — who is actually a distant relative of Wintour — was not initially sold on the part, however, even though she had faith the movie would be a success.
“I knew it was going to be a hit,” she told Jenna Bush Hager in an interview alongside “The Devil Wears Prada” co-stars Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci — all of whom return for the sequel — that aired April 29 on TODAY.
“I read the script. Script was great. And they called me up and they made an offer, and I said, ‘No, not going to do it,’” Streep continued.
“Why?” an astonished Jenna asked.
Streep felt she could earn more than she was being offered.
“I knew it was going to be a hit, and I wanted to see if I doubled my ask,” she said. “And they went right away and said sure. And I thought, I’m 50, 60 — it took me this long to understand that I could do that.”
Streep sensed she would be vital to the film, even as landing the part proved to be a teachable moment for her.
“They needed me, I felt. … I was ready to retire. But, you know, that was a lesson,” she said.
It’s been 20 years since the original film came out and the sequel, which features a cameo from Jenna, proves it’s better fashionably late than never.
“I think people are hungry for it,” Tucci told Jenna about the sequel. “Arguably, it has become a classic film. It endures, and people seem to have not been able to get enough of us. So here we are.”
As for the hype that comes with making a second film, Hathaway says that wasn’t necessarily the case in this instance.
“There’s always pressure when you make a movie, but because the screenplay was so amazing, I felt like that actually took a lot of the pressure off,” she said. “Then it was just back to what we do every time, which is just hang out and try to make a great script better.”
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