Meryl Streep Rejected ‘Devil Wears Prada’ at First So She Could Double Her Salary: ‘They Needed Me. I Was Ready to Retire’

By Daniel D'Addario

Daniel D'Addario

Chief TV Critic

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Meryl Streep very nearly didn’t play Miranda Priestly.

Speaking on “Today” as part of a group interview with her “The Devil Wears Prada 2” castmates Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, Streep discussed her decision to sign on for the 2006 original.

“I knew it was going to be a hit,” Streep told host Jenna Bush Hager (who herself has a cameo in “The Devil Wears Prada 2”). “I read the script — the script was great. They called me up, and they made an offer, and I said ‘No. I’m not going to do it.'” Streep said she foresaw the film’s success — and wanted to be paid accordingly. “I wanted to see if I doubled my ask, and they went right away and said ‘Sure.'”

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