Meryl Streep’s bold negotiation for the original Devil Wears Prada has been revealed in a recent interview; the 2006 film, which grossed over $325 million globally, was a critical and commercial success. Streep, who played the icy editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, doubled her salary request when offered the role, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “I knew it was going to be a hit, and I wanted to see if I doubled my ask,” Streep said. “They went right away and said, ‘Sure.’”

Cast Reunites After 20 Years

Twenty years after the original’s release, the cast has reunited for Devil Wears Prada 2, which is set to premiere in Korea on April 29, according to Korea.net. Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci will reprise their roles, with Hathaway once again playing Andy Sachs. “They started talking about a sequel, but we all waited until we had that good idea,” Streep said. “I think we all had to do it as well,you got to have all four of us come back,” added Blunt.

At a press conference in Seoul, Hathaway praised Streep’s acting. “What impressed me most when we shot the first film was that Meryl, when she acts, listens deeply to what others say,” Hathaway said, according to 스포츠경향. “I learned many lessons from watching that.”

New Faces and Old

The sequel introduces new cast members including Helen J. Shen, Conrad Ricamora, and Lucy Liu, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Shen, known for Maybe Happy Ending, will join the cast, as will Ricamora, who recently starred in Oh, Mary!. Liu, previously in Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill, is also on board. Returning faces include Tracie Thoms, who reprises her role as Lily, and Tibor Feldman, who plays Irv Ravitz.

Among the new additions is B. J. Novak, known for his work on The Office and his directorial debut Vengeance. Novak joins a cast that also features Justin Theroux, who previously co-starred with Liu in Full Throttle.

Critique of Modern Cinema

In a separate interview, Streep criticized what she described as the “marvelisierung” of modern cinema, according to GMX. She argued that films have become too simplified, with characters clearly divided into good and evil. “In real life, heroes make mistakes and villains are human and interesting,” Streep said. “Exactly that is what I like about my new film.”

Streep also commented on the use of artificial intelligence in the film industry. “Miranda Priestly would never use AI tools,” she said, noting that she has assistants for such tasks. Hathaway added a humorous anecdote about receiving identical thank-you letters from job applicants, all written by the same AI tool. “That is the absolute death knell—no one on that list gets the job,” Streep remarked.