Meryl Streep Turned Down ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and Then Brilliantly Doubled Her Asking Price

Hollywood is full of negotiation legends, but few are as satisfying as the one Meryl Streep just casually dropped on the press tour for ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’. The three-time Oscar winner has revealed that she initially turned down the role of Miranda Priestly in the original ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ as a strategic power move to force the studio into doubling her salary.

Speaking on TODAY alongside co-stars Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, Streep recalled reading the script and immediately recognizing its potential. “I knew it was going to be a hit,” she said. “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.'”

The then 56-year-old actress admitted the rejection was entirely calculated. “I wanted to see if I doubled my ask, and they went right away and said ‘Sure,'” she recalled, adding that the moment was genuinely revelatory for her. “It took me this long to understand that I could do that. They needed me, I felt. I was ready to retire.”

There have been conflicting reports about what the final number actually was. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Streep earned around $5 million for ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ after an original offer of $2.5 million, while other reports placed the figure closer to $4 million. Whatever the exact sum, the studio clearly considered it money well spent.

The gamble paid off in spectacular fashion. The original film earned two Academy Award nominations, including a best actress nod for Streep, and she also took home a Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a motion picture in the comedy or musical category. The film went on to gross over $325 million worldwide, cementing its status as a cultural touchstone.

Now back as Miranda Priestly for the sequel, Streep has also apparently loosened up her famously Method approach to the role. While she kept her distance from co-stars on the original to preserve Miranda’s aura of fear, her castmates noted she was far more present and social this time around, with Blunt joking that Streep had simply “got bored” with being Method.

The sequel picks up with Hathaway’s Andy Sachs returning to Runway amid a turbulent new era for journalism and media, with Tucci noting that artificial intelligence and shifting technology form a central part of the story’s hook. A wave of new cast members join the returning ensemble, including Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Pauline Chalamet, and B.J. Novak.

Streep’s revelation is a masterclass in knowing your worth, and the fact that it nearly reshaped one of cinema’s most beloved comedies makes it all the more compelling. Let us know in the comments whether Meryl Streep’s bold salary negotiation changes how you see her iconic performance as Miranda Priestly.