- Meryl Streep revealed that she originally turned down her iconic role in "The Devil Wears Prada."
- Streep said she knew the film would be a hit, but felt she could leverage her demand for more money.
- "I wanted to see if I doubled my ask — and they went right away and said, 'Sure,'" Streep said.
Much like her iconic character Miranda Priestly, Meryl Streep knows her worth.
During an interview on "Today" with her costars Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, Streep revealed that she originally rejected the offer to star in 2006's "The Devil Wears Prada" — but not because she didn't want the role.
"I knew it was going to be a hit," Streep told host Jenna Bush Hager. "The script was great. They called me up, and they made an offer, and I said, 'No. I'm not going to do it.' I wanted to see if I doubled my ask — and they went right away and said, 'Sure.'"
"I thought, 'I'm 56. It took me this long to understand that I could do that,'" Streep continued. "They needed me, I felt."
"The Devil Wears Prada" — anchored by Streep's icy portrayal of Miranda, the editor in chief of Runway, a fictional fashion magazine — went on to gross $326 million worldwide. Critics lauded Streep's performance as the film's main attraction, lending nuance and gravitas to an otherwise unlikable antagonist.
"When Streep is absent from the screen," Peter Bradshaw wrote for The Guardian, "the interest factor plummets." In her review for the Washington Post, Jennifer Frey wrote that Streep "totally commands every scene."
Two decades later, Streep has stepped back into Miranda's stilettos for "The Devil Wears Prada 2," joined by costars Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci reprising their roles.
The long-awaited sequel is eyeing an $80 million debut weekend at the domestic box office and $180 million globally, Variety reported.
Streep, now 76, is once again earning high praise for her performance. And to think that 20 years ago, Streep said she was prepared to walk away.
"I wanted it, but if they didn't want to do that, I was OK," Streep told Hager of her salary negotiation. "I was ready to retire. But, you know, that was a lesson."
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