20 Years Ago, Casting Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” Was a Huge Gamble!

With the recent release of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” on April 29, CBS is airing the first film, now a 20-year-old classic! Looking back, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Meryl Streep as the formidable fashion empress Miranda Priestly, who torments her assistant, Andrea, played by Anne Hathaway.

Selecting Meryl

Back in 2006, casting Meryl Streep was far from a foregone conclusion. Film producer Wendy Finerman, known for hits like “Forrest Gump” and “Stepmom,” shared her experiences on “Hollywood Gold.” “With Meryl, people thought we were insane,” she explained. “I had calls from people saying, ‘Have you lost your mind? She’s never been funny a day in her life.’ They were wrong, she was hilarious,” Wendy Finerman recounted. Indeed, Meryl Streep had already proven her comedic chops long before “The Devil Wears Prada.”

I had calls from people saying, ‘Have you lost your mind? She’s never been funny a day in her life.’

Her comedic roles include “Death Becomes Her” by Robert Zemeckis, “Prime” with Uma Thurman, and “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” as the eccentric Aunt Josephine.

A Versatile Actress

While Meryl Streep is best known for her powerful dramatic performances in films like “Sophie’s Choice,” “The Deer Hunter,” and “The Bridges of Madison County,” she has consistently shown that she can play a wide variety of roles.

Following “The Devil Wears Prada,” she continued to explore different genres, including pure comedy. She was seen singing and dancing in “Mamma Mia!”, cooking in “Julie & Julia,” playing a wicked witch in “Into the Woods,” and embodying a rock star in “Ricki and the Flash.”

Recently, the star discussed the challenges the team faced in marketing the film back then.

“Twenty years ago, the film was labeled as a ‘chick flick,’ a term that has somewhat lost its appeal since then, thanks to films like ‘Barbie’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’ – to name just a couple – which took studios by surprise. People wanted to see these films because they featured girls and women at the center of the story.”

“So, we had to fight over the budget. That’s the truth. And I talked about it with Greta [Gerwig]: it was somewhat the case for ‘Barbie,’ compared to what they spend on other films. For [Prada 2], darling, they went all out,” she revealed on Stephen Colbert’s show.

If you’re missing Meryl Streep and you’ve caught up with “The Devil Wears Prada” tonight on CBS, head to theaters to enjoy the sequel! Miranda, Andy, Emily, and Nigel dive back into the cutthroat, glamorous world of Runway magazine and the New York streets where style is a formidable weapon.

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