The cast of The Devil Wears Prada reunited 15 years after the iconic film’s release in June 2006 to discuss the magic of the movie that made us all look at spring florals a little differently. In a new profile for Entertainment Weekly, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and scene-stealing actors Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci and Adrian Grenier looked back on filming the movie.
Streep said of playing Runway editor Miranda Priestly, “I liked that there wasn’t any backing away from the horrible parts of her, and the real scary parts of her had to do with the fact that she didn’t try to ingratiate, which is always the female emollient in any situation where you want your way — what my friend Carrie Fisher used to call ‘the squeezy and tilty’ of it all. [Miranda] didn’t do any of that.”
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Blunt agreed that Priestly’s character was aspirational to a point in her ability to be “uncompromising, tough, real, honest, to the point,” and not have to “contort and dance” to get her point across without hurting feelings, which she noted men have a much easier time with.
When it came to Hathaway’s character, Andy Sachs, the Princess Diaries actress was just one of the many A-Listers considered for the role. Also in the running were Rachel McAdams, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson, and Kirsten Dunst, but Hathaway recalled taking the part as “the easiest yes in the world.” She told Entertainment Weekly, “I remember the moment I found out I got the part, I just ran screaming through my apartment. I had a bunch of friends over at the time, I just jumped up in the living room and screamed, ‘I’m going to be in The Devil Wears Prada!’”
Streep’s embodiment of her character on set created an interesting environment for her co-stars. Blunt noted that the actress is “so gregarious and fun as hell,” but watching Streep “remove herself” made it seem like it wasn’t very fun for her. Streep agreed, “It was horrible! I was [miserable] in my trailer. I could hear them all rocking and laughing. I was so depressed! I said, ‘Well, it’s the price you pay for being boss!’ That’s the last time I ever attempted a Method thing!” Even diving into the character of Priestly, Hathaway said she “always felt cared for.” The star explained, “I knew that whatever she was doing to create that fear, I appreciated [because] I also knew she was watching out for me.”
