While Meryl Streep is reprising one of her most iconic characters in The Devil Wears Prada 2, her rate has increased quite a bit in the 20 years since the original.
The 3x Oscar winner recently revealed that she originally turned down the 2006 adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s book, noting that “it took me this long” to gain the confidence to negotiate on her pay offer.
“I read the script. Script was great,” she said on Today. “And they called me up and they made an offer, and I said, ‘No, not going to do it.’”
Streep continued, “I knew it was going to be a hit, and I wanted to see if I doubled my ask. 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.”
With her instantly classic performance in the first film, Streep said, “They needed me, I felt. … I was ready to retire. But, you know, that was a lesson.”
Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci in ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’
Macall Polay /Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
In addition to Streep’s Runway editor Miranda Priestley, The Devil Wears Prada 2 sees the fashionable return of Anne Hathaway’s Andi, Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton and Stanley Tucci as Nigel Kipling.
Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman will also reprise their roles from the original 2006 Aline Brosh McKenna-penned film, with Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Pauline Chalamet, Rachel Bloom, Patrick Brammall, Conrad Ricamora and Lady Gaga also joining the cast.
