Meryl Streep Almost Passed on ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Before Changing Her Mind: “I Was Thinking of Retiring”

Meryl Streep is set to reprise her iconic role in The Devil Wears Prada 2, but her compensation has significantly increased since the original film was released two decades ago.

Recently, the three-time Oscar winner divulged that she initially declined the 2006 adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s novel, sharing that “it took me this long” to gain the confidence necessary to negotiate her salary.

“I read the script. The script was great,” she stated during an interview on Today. “And they called me up and they made an offer, and I said, ‘No, not going to do it.’”

Streep revealed her thought process behind the negotiation, explaining, “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.”

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Reflecting on her memorable performance in the first film, Streep acknowledged, “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’

In addition to Streep’s role as Runway editor Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada 2 will feature the return of Anne Hathaway as 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 film, which was penned by Aline Brosh McKenna. New cast members include Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Pauline Chalamet, Rachel Bloom, Patrick Brammall, Conrad Ricamora, and Lady Gaga.