Meryl Streep has revealed she initially turned down the role in The Devil Wears Prada in order to double her salary, admitting she was ready to retire at 56.
Speaking on Today alongside co-stars Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, Streep said she knew the 2006 film would be a hit. '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 recalled.
Streep explained her strategy: 'I wanted to see if I doubled my ask, and they went right away and said 'Sure.'' She added, '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.'
The gamble paid off: Streep earned an Oscar nomination for her performance, and the film launched her into a new level of box-office success with hits like Mamma Mia! and It's Complicated. She went on to win her third Oscar for The Iron Lady in 2012.
Now, nearly 20 years later, Streep is set to reprise her role in The Devil Wears Prada 2, marking her first live-action film in five years.
