Meryl Streep says slipping back into her stilettos to play ice-queen magazine editor Miranda Priestly at 76 means a lot to her – as women over 50 ‘often disappear into the woodwork.’
The Oscar-winning actress is returning with her long-suffering protege Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs in Devil Wears Prada 2, nearly 20 years after the original – and excitement is at fever pitch.
She says, “I do think it’s unusual. You don’t see many almost seventy-seven-year-old women playing parts like this – in any movie. Or under any circumstance. So I’m happy to represent!”
Miranda Priestly’s Return
Streep, whose steely Miranda, editor-in-chief of the fictional title Runway, is said to have been inspired by Anna Wintour, also graced the cover of Vogue with Wintour this month. And she was clearly delighted at the collaboration.
“Anna’s such a great sport. And she’s also 76. We’re the same age! It was shot by Annie Leibovitz, who is also 76. ’76 trombones make a big parade…!’
“Often women over 50 disappear into the woodwork. Their interests and opinions are less valued in culture. So it’s fun to see this person who is credibly placed in the world and having that influence.”
The star says that the global success of the 2006 original, which grossed some $326m worldwide, ‘shocked’ her – especially as it was not only embraced by women but men, too.
“This is the first film I've been in, in 50 years or however many years I’ve been in this?! – where men came and said, ‘I know how you felt.’
“They felt the same way. And I think that’s because Miranda is in a position of responsibility – the top of a corporation. It touched them. And so that contributed to its success. That’s very meaningful to me.”
The Sequel’s Plot
In the sequel which has got Hollywood – and the rest of the world – buzzing, the gang is all back – including Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, serving up more sass, shade and high-fashion drama.
But this isn’t a mere nostalgia trip, as the new flick dives headfirst into the cutthroat chaos of modern fashion media – with Miranda now facing a crisis, as glossy magazines teeter on the brink.
Emily Charlton [Blunt] is now a power player in a luxury empire, locking horns with her former boss in a fierce, money-driven showdown – and there’s also a glam new lineup including Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux and Lucy Liu set to shake things up.
As for Miranda, the three-time Academy Award-winner says we find her in a very different place in 2026, with technology having evolved considerably – and her industry facing an uphill battle.
“The film we made in 2006 came out the year before the iPhone. There were no iPhones. I mean, that thing that you all have in your pockets has changed everything in publishing.
“Certainly, that’s where this film comes in. We begin 20 years after that, in that changing media landscape, with Miranda challenged by how to keep her business afloat.”
She adds, “In the past 20 years, the world has become global. And maybe she has a larger ambition. So you’ll see her contend with that, I think.
“She has the same boss, the same man, the same actor who comes back and plays the owner of the publishing house. But yes, you’ll see her navigate this confusing and exciting expansion, influence of the Runway fashion world.”
No Central Message
But Streep, who is rumoured to be dating her Only Murders in the Building co-star Martin Short following her separation from her husband of 45 years, sculptor Don Gummer, is loath to define any central ‘message’ within the film.
“I do recognise that young women, especially, took some courage from Andy’s story in the first film. But there was also the idea that a woman can be a really mean boss, too.”
No doubt, there will be more deliciously wicked lines in the sequel, but Miranda’s devastating put-downs to staff in the original are still quoted enthusiastically by fans to this day.
Who could forget killer lines such as “By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me”, or “Details of your incompetence do not interest me”.
Her advice for watching the latest film, she says, is “come looking for fun, and come looking for the underpinnings of some very serious issues that we are confronting today. But also, just take from it what you want. You’re going to enjoy it!”
Reuniting with the Cast
The star says her chemistry with Anne Hathaway and the rest of the cast on-set was totally different the second time round, as she didn’t have to do the getting to know them this time.
”Twenty years ago, we didn’t know each other. And I tend to come into the set on the first week like it’s a party. I love the hang. I did that for a couple of days, then realised it was not valuable. I had to… pull back and stay in my trailer, while they all had fun with each other. So, I was kind of miserable on the first one!
“It’s my own fault. It was a decision. But this time, I just loved reigniting the energy between us. And meeting Anna as a full-blown woman, not a young girl on the cusp. It’s been just a great pleasure. It was great seeing Emily Blunt again. Stanley Tucci, I can’t get rid of him, he’s in my life forever.”
It’s not easy to create a sequel to any much-loved movie, never mind two decades later. But for Streep, there was never a moment when she thought, ‘we should have done this sooner’.
“No, because I think this script meets this moment exactly. It’s exactly right. We had to wait 20 years, honestly, to be unmoored in the same way we are at the beginning of this film.”
Credit: The Devil Wears Prada 2 is in cinemas across the UK from Friday, 1 May.
