Meryl Streep says the cast of The Devil Wears Prada couldn't wear designer clothes because of fears of Anna Wintour. Photo / Getty Images
Meryl Streep says the cast of The Devil Wears Prada couldn't wear designer clothes because of fears of Anna Wintour. Photo / Getty Images
Meryl Streep claims the cast of The Devil Wears Prada were unable to wear designer clothes because “everyone was afraid” of Anna Wintour.
The 76-year-old actor played feared fashion editor Miranda Priestly in the 2006 original and has reprised her role for a sequel – and she’s now revealed thewardrobe department on the first film struggled to source designer items for the actors because of the rumours that suggested Streep’s character was loosely based on former Vogue boss Wintour.
In a joint interview with Wintour for Vogue magazine, Streep said: “Well, everybody was afraid of Anna on the first one, so we couldn’t find any clothes. Nobody would give us any clothes.”
Streep went on to talk about how Miranda’s style has changed in The Devil Wears Prada 2, insisting her style has become more simple this time around.
She said: “This time we pared her down. We made her simpler and just more essentially her. And we do have less hair with me – so that was not as floppy and floopy.
“She loves an accessory, but there’s a fearless thing with her. Less worried about what anybody thinks.”
Wintour also spoke about the two films and insisted she doesn’t mind the comparison because it’s an “honour” to be played by Streep. She told the publication: “First of all, I’d like to say it’s such an honour to be played by Meryl, however distant Miranda is from myself.
Meryl Streep says her character, Miranda Priestly, has a simpler style in the sequel for The Devil Wears Prada, with less emphasis on hair and accessories. Photo / Getty Images
“Who wouldn’t think that that wasn’t the most extraordinary gift?”
The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunites Streep with her co-stars Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, who return as Andy Sachs and Emily Charlton respectively.
Blunt returned to a red bob for her role but she’s admitted she had to wear a wig for the shoot because dyeing her hair would have been too much hassle.
She previously told Vogue: “You see a flash of it [the red hair] and people know it’s her [the character]. But it was a wig – that kind of red is too hard to maintain!”
Hathaway’s character Andy is seen sporting a fashion-focused wardrobe in the second film and the actor admitted she needed a story to explain how a reporter working these days could afford designer gear – revealing she came up with the idea Andy must be a fan of thrift stores.
She told the publication: “I made it an actual story point in the film that we had to explain how somebody who, working as a writer in these times, could have a fabulous wardrobe.
“I pitched that Andy went on to do investigative journalism, travelled the world for 15 years … and when you’ve had an education at a place like [fictional magazine] Runway, you know what to do when you see a consignment shop. So she’s been thrifting for the better part of 20 years.”
