'The Devil Wears Prada': A few facts you probably didn’t know

Exactly 20 years later, 〈The Devil Wears Prada〉 is back. The sequel to the film that swept the world in 2006 is set to be released on April 29, 2026. With all of the original stars—Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci—returning, plenty of viewers are sure to rewatch 〈The Devil Wears Prada〉 and relive the memories. And for fans who can still recite the line, “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking”(“Flowers? For spring? How groundbreaking”), here are a few behind-the-scenes TMI from the first film.

20th Century Fox bought the rights before the source novel was even finished

Before the source novel 「The Devil Wears Prada」 was published, an unfinished manuscript began circulating among various film production companies. At the time, 20th Century Fox stepped in, saying, “Miranda Priestly is one of the best villains of all time,” and actively secured the project. The result is something you can probably guess. Made with a $35 million production budget, the film went on to earn $326.6 million worldwide—recording a return of 9.3 times its budget. It was the biggest box-office hit of the time for all three leading actresses—Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt. And Streep, in particular, earned her 14th Academy Award nomination (along with winning Golden Globe for Best Actress—Musical or Comedy for this role).

The ‘Miranda’ character is based on real people

The author of the source novel 「The Devil Wears Prada」, Lauren Weisberger, wrote it based on her real experience working as a personal assistant to Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of ‘Vogue.’ Wintour—an iconic figure in fashion and publishing—was known as a boss who was both demanding and tough. Weisberger started writing the novel years after leaving ‘Vogue,’ having worked as a secretary for one year. However, Weisberger has never publicly admitted that Miranda was modeled on Anna Wintour. Also, the Miranda played by Meryl Streep didn’t follow the real person’s exact way of speaking and behaving. Streep has said she got hints about Miranda’s delivery from Clint Eastwood. “He never, ever, not even once raises his voice. Everyone has to lean in to hear him—and in that way, he naturally becomes the most powerful person in the room.”

Because of the real person’s massive influence, she faced plenty of difficulties during the reporting process

Screenwriter Elinor “Caro” Brosky Mackenna said she had a hard time finding someone in the fashion industry who could serve as a consultant. She shared, “People feared Anna Wintour and ‘Vogue,’ and they didn’t want to be ostracized in the industry.” Even securing filming locations was tough. Production couldn’t film at places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art—where the Met Gala is held—or Bryant Park, which had long been the home of New York Fashion Week. They also had trouble getting costume sponsorships. Meanwhile, Valentino Garavani was the only fashion designer who appeared in the movie as a cameo.

On a side note, production designer Jess Gonchor even snuck into the ‘Vogue’ office to help recreate Miranda’s office. Because the recreation was so accurate, a rumor spread after the film’s release that Wintour actually remodeled her own office for real.

Anne Hathaway wasn’t the top choice for ‘Andy’

In hindsight, Anne Hathaway was a perfect fit for the role of ‘Andy,’ but at the time the studio wanted to cast Rachel McAdams as Andy. They offered McAdams the part three times, but after filming back-to-back movies like 〈The Notebook〉 and 〈Mean Girls〉, McAdams turned them down, saying she didn’t want to jump into another mainstream film.

Anne Hathaway has said, “I was the ninth candidate for the role.” To land the part, Hathaway wrote “Hire me” in the sand in the line garden on the studio executive’s desk. A big reason she was ultimately chosen as Andy was Meryl Streep. Streep reportedly watched 〈Brokeback Mountain〉—the film Hathaway was in—and then called the Fox executive, saying, “This woman is great. I think we’ll work well together.”

Miranda (almost) didn’t wear Prada

The movie title may be 〈The Devil Wears Prada〉, but in the story, Miranda Priestly wears far more clothes from other brands than from Prada. In her first-appearance scene, you do see Prada in the props—like her bag and shoes she throws—but across the overall wardrobe, labels like Chanel, Bill Blass, and Valentino take up a bigger share. Patricia Field, the costume designer who previously worked on 〈Sex and the City〉, built Miranda’s core look by digging through fashion collections from the 1980s and 1990s—deciding that timeless silhouettes fit the character best. The costume designer also said she worked hard to make sure the film didn’t look like a “Prada advertisement.”

Meryl Streep’s input played a decisive role in shaping Miranda’s appearance. She suggested coloring her hair a striking white, just like supermodel Carmen Dell’Orefice, a regular model from the postwar era of ‘Vogue.’ Streep also said she drew inspiration from Liz Tilberis, the former editor-in-chief of ‘Harper’s Bazaar.’

Emily Blunt auditioned in jeans and slippers

Director David Frankel put a lot of effort into casting not only Miranda and Andy, but many other characters as well. Stanley Tucci, who played Nigel, didn’t sign on until just 72 hours before filming began. Meanwhile, for the Emily audition, more than 100 actors applied—but none of them managed to win the director over. Emily Blunt’s involvement started by chance. Blunt was already at Fox Studios for an audition for the fantasy film 〈Eragon〉. Before she could catch her flight back, a casting agent abruptly demanded that she record an audition tape right then and there. At the time, Blunt was wearing jeans and slippers. Even though she was playing an American character, she had no time, so she performed the scene with her British accent intact. But that tape caught the director’s attention, and as soon as 〈Eragon〉’s team officially ruled her out as an option, the director cast her as Emily. Emily was rewritten as a British character, and as a result, Blunt’s British-accent performance made it straight onto the screen.

Meryl Streep was paid double her scheduled salary

The studio didn’t have any other actress in mind for the role of Miranda besides Meryl Streep. However, when Streep wasn’t happy with her pay and the movie almost fell apart, the studio raised her salary to double—agreeing to pay $4 million. In a later interview, Streep said, “They couldn’t be called insulting—at least not outright—but they didn’t properly reflect my actual value. I was 55 then, and I only learned how to negotiate for myself at such a late age.”

Besides money, Streep also demanded that two scenes be included in the script—so that Miranda wouldn’t exist as nothing more than an exaggerated character. One was the “Cerulean sweater” scene, a famously talked-about moment from 〈The Devil Wears Prada〉. The other was a scene in a hotel room, where Miranda tells Andy about her divorce without makeup or her usual composure. Streep explained, “I wanted to show her without her armor on. I wanted to peek at the woman hidden behind the businesswoman.”

Meryl Streep didn’t go to Paris

The Paris Fashion Week sequence later in the film is one of the key scenes that drives the movie’s climax. But originally, the studio didn’t allow local filming due to the tight budget of $35 million. Director Frankel used the weekend to fly to Paris by herself, filmed the location, and even made a short clip. After the studio saw it, they increased the budget and approved two days of local filming. But there was a catch: because of the production cost limits, they could only bring Anne Hathaway and Simon Baker to Paris, excluding the highest-paid Meryl Streep. In the end, the scenes that make it look like Miranda is roaming all over Paris were shot by cleverly combining green screen with New York sets. For the scene where she steps up the stairs after getting out of a Mercedes car, they composited in close-up shots of a stand-in actor who had been filmed in Paris.

After filming, the costumes were auctioned for charity

The initial budget for costumes was only about $100,000, but by the end of filming, the total value of the costumes piled up on the set came to around $1 million. What happened to all that $1 million worth of clothes?

The idea for the charity auction came from Meryl Streep. Valentino blouses, Bill Blass pinstripe suits, and Calvin Klein wool coats were all auctioned off through eBay. The proceeds were donated to organizations like the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Dress for Success, and Equality Now.

Anne Hathaway wanted to get her hands on the vintage green dress that Andy wore. She reportedly had her then-boyfriend bid for it at the auction and gift it to her. The only item Meryl Streep made sure to take with her on set was sunglasses. Those sunglasses resurface again in 2008’s 〈Mamma Mia!〉 during the “Money Money Money” scene.