Meryl Streep says her new film does justice to the original it follows: 'They took the money'
With less than a month left until the release of the new film in which Meryl Streep can be seen again on the big screen, the three-time Oscar-winning actress reflects on how the film industry has changed in the two decades that have passed since the appearance of the first feature film “The Devil Wears Prada”, reports Variety magazine.
Invited by TV host Stephen Colbert on his show “The Late Show”, Streep reported that the 2006 film in which she played Miranda Priestly, the influential head of a fashion magazine, and Anne Hathaway played her shy assistant, was labeled as a “chick flick”.
“So we had to fight for our budget,” said the veteran actress, adding that the budget made available by studio 20th Century Fox was barely enough for the production.
“That label has not aged well after 'Barbie' and 'Mamma Mia!' and other movies that completely take the studios by surprise because people actually want to see them because they have women at the center of the story,” Meryl Streep continued.
She revealed that she even discussed the topic with Greta Gerwig, the director of “Barbie,” the top-grossing movie of 2023 ($1,441,818,186).
“I talked to Greta about it. It was true to a certain extent for 'Barbie,' compared to how much is spent on other movies,” said the Oscar-winning actress for her performances in “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979), “Sophie's Choice” (1982) and “The Iron Lady” (2011) — in which she played Margaret Thatcher.
Streep says budget was no longer an issue for The Devil Wears Prada 2
However, for the new film “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which brings Streep and Hathaway's characters back together to tackle the current crisis in print journalism, the veteran actress says budget was no longer an issue.
“This time, honey, they took the money!” she told Stephen Colbert.
The now 76-year-old actress also gave Colbert some details about the inspiration for Miranda Priestly's character. Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine from 1988 to 2025, is often considered the model for the character in The Devil Wears Prada, the 2003 bestseller by American author Lauren Weisberger.
But Streep said she was actually inspired by two famous movie directors for Miranda's speech and mannerisms.
“If Mike Nichols and Clint Eastwood had a child, it would be Miranda Priestly,” Streep said.
“Because they kept everything under control on the set. Mike did it with a kind of subtle humor, and Miranda knows what he's saying is a little malicious, but he also knows it's funny. And the calm comes from Clint, because he never raises his voice. He was directing, and people had to lean forward to hear what he was saying,” Meryl Streep said.
All the main actors from the original 2006 film are back for the sequel
The new film “The Devil Wears Prada 2”, considered one of the most anticipated comedies of this year, will appear in cinemas in Romania on May 1, at the same time as the international release.
It will be Streep's first major film appearance since 2021's Netflix feature Don't Look Up.
In addition to Streep and Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt also returned for the new film, alongside new names such as Sydney Sweeney, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux or Kenneth Branagh.
Since the 20th Century Fox studio was bought by Disney in 2017 in a larger transaction valued at more than $50 billion, the original movie “The Devil Wears Prada” can be seen streaming on the Disney+ platform.
