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Meryl Streep Says She Was ‘So Depressed’ Filming ‘The Devil Wears Prada’: ‘It Was Horrible’
Meryl Streep is celebrated by fans for her iconic role in The Devil Wears Prada, but portraying the demanding and difficult Miranda Priestly was no walk in the park. In fact, the Oscar-winning star said she was actually “so depressed” on the set of the famous film.
“It was horrible! I was [miserable] in my trailer,” Meryl, 71, shared with Entertainment Weekly while celebrating the film’s upcoming 15th anniversary at the end of June. “I could hear them all rocking and laughing. I was so depressed!”
Meryl, who starred alongside Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci and more in the legendary 2006 film, blamed the nature of her character on the difficult experience. “I said, ‘Well, it’s the price you pay for being boss!'” she shared. “That’s the last time I ever attempted a Method [acting] thing!”
The Mamma Mia! star played Miranda, a powerful New York City-based editor-in-chief who runs the fictional fashion magazine titled Runway. Though her character made costar Anne Hathaway “feel intimidated,” the Princess Diaries actress told EW she “always felt cared for” by Meryl.
“I knew that whatever she was doing to create that fear, I appreciated [because] I also knew she was watching out for me,” Anne shared, recalling the scene when Meryl says, “You’re just as disappointing as the rest of those silly girls.”
“I remember when the camera turned on me, the pressure really got to me, and I’d had such emotional fluidity in the day up to that point, but it just wasn’t there anymore,” Anne continued, praising the film icon. “I remember having the experience of watching [her] watch me, and [she] altered [her] performance ever so slightly, and just made it a little bit different, and brought more out of me and got me to break through whatever barrier I had.”
While Meryl may not have the fondest memories on the set of The Devil Wears Prada, the now-iconic movie earned the actress a Golden Globe win and Academy Award nomination, both for Best Actress. Aline Brosh McKenna, a screenwriter for The Devil Wears Prada, told Vanity Fair that Meryl’s acting was so convincing because she’s just that talented.
“She was terrifying,” the film creator shared in June 2016. “The first scene I saw was when she turns around to glare at Andy from the top of the stairs. I was so terrified by her look alone that I threw my arm out in front of the director like we were in a car wreck. I was so scared.”
