Meryl Streep initially rejected ‘Devil Wears Prada’ to double her salary: ‘I was ready to retire’
Fans almost didn’t see Meryl Streep play the iconic role of Miranda Priestly.
During her interview with TODAY, Streep, along with her co-stars Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, looked back on the success of the 2006 film, The Devil Wears Prada, revealing that she had initially rejected the offer.
“I knew it was going to be a hit,” Streep said. “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 shared.
The 76-year-old actress added that she initially rejected the project to try to double her salary.
“I wanted to see if I doubled my ask, and they went right away and said ‘Sure,'” she recalled.
Looking back, Streep couldn’t be more grateful that she took the risk, even though she was ready to retire at the time.
“I [was] 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 added.
"That was a lesson, that was a great way to start," Streep added.
Based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada centers on Andy, a young journalist trying to navigate the demanding and often ruthless fashion industry under Miranda, the commanding editor of Runway magazine.
The film eventually became a cult favorite, especially for its standout cast. Nearly two decades later, all four are returning for the sequel, along with original supporting actors Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman.
A new lineup of cast members will also join the film, including Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon, Helen J. Shen, Pauline Chalamet, B. J. Novak, and Conrad Ricamora. The sequel movie is now showing in cinemas.
