Meryl Streep nearly wasn’t cast in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ because some people thought she wasn’t funny
By Issy Ronald, CNN
(CNN) — It’s now virtually impossible to imagine “The Devil Wears Prada” without Meryl Streep’s bravura portrayal of icy fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly, but the three-time Oscar winner almost didn’t land the part, the movie’s producer, Wendy Finerman, told the “Hollywood Gold” podcast.
“And Meryl, people thought we were crazy. I mean, I had people call me up and say, ‘Are you out of your mind? She’s never been funny a day in her life,’” Finerman told podcast host Daniela Taplin Lundberg in an episode released on Wednesday.
“She has been funny and they were wrong but this was clearly a different kind of role for her,” Finerman added, while Lundberg recalled Streep’s more comic performances in “She-Devil” and “Death Becomes Her.”
Before 2006, when “The Devil Wears Prada” was released, Streep was acclaimed as a predominantly dramatic actress, known for her Oscar-winning performances in “Sophie’s Choice” and “Kramer vs. Kramer.”
She eventually received yet another Oscar nomination for her performance as Miranda Priestly, the editor who inspires terror in her employees, including her assistants, played by Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt.
The character, first created by Lauren Weisberger in her 2003 novel of the same name, is widely acknowledged to have been inspired by Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
“I think that (casting Streep) was part of the fun of the unexpected,” Finerman added, before recalling the process of working with the legendary actress and visiting her house with binders filled with ideas for the film.
“(Streep) calls me and says ‘Wendy, what else do you have? Where’s the whole thing?’ She’s amazing,” Finerman said.
“She stayed in character the entire time. She made it very clear that she makes her choices and she sticks with them,” Finerman said, adding that Streep chose the now-iconic gray wig for the role even though the studio had “some reservations about it.”
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