Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
It’s been well over a decade since The Devil Wears Prada graced our screens for the very first time, giving us arguably some of the greatest onscreen moments in cinematic history.
The film—based on Lauren Weisberger’s best-selling novel of the same name—gave audiences a dramatised insight into the glamorous world of fashion magazines. And even movie royalty Meryl Streep she was making something special, claiming to have known it was going to be a box-office hit the moment she read the script.
Some of the film’s quotes are now firmly cemented into pop culture history. Streep’s character Miranda Priestly was the queen of one-liners including, “That’s all” and “Please bore someone else with your questions.” An honourable mention also goes to her first assistant Emily, played by Emily Blunt, who famously told Andy, “Oh I’m sorry, do you have some prior commitment? Some hideous skirt convention you have to go to?”
The cast and crew have divulged some of the juicy details about what went on behind-the-scenes over the past 15 years, and we’re rounding them up here as an ode to the iconic film.
Meryl Streep Nearly Turned Down The Role Of Miranda Priestly After Being Offered A Slightly ‘Insulting’ Salary.
Streep learnt the art of salary negotiation at the ripe old age of 55. (Better late than never, we say.) Initially, she was unimpressed by the salary she was offered, telling Variety, “The offer was to my mind slightly, if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project.”
So she walked. “There was my ‘goodbye moment,’ and then they doubled the offer,” Streep said. “I had just learned, at a very late date, how to deal on my own behalf.”
Amen to that!
Anne Hathaway Wasn’t The First Choice To Play Andy Sachs.
We couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the role of Priestley’s second assistant Andy Sachs… but it turns out that she wasn’t the first pick for the role.
Appearing on Rupaul’s Drag Race in February 2021, the actress made a remote guest appearance, telling the contestants “I was the ninth choice for Devil Wears Prada.”
“But I got it,” she continued. “Hang in there, never give up.”
According to reports, Fox had their heart set on Rachel McAdams for the role. However, McAdams wasn’t interested and turned them down multiple times.
To Secure Her Role, Anne Wrote “Hire Me” On Carla Hacken’s Desk.
That ‘Cerulean’ Scene Nearly Didn’t Happen.
You know that *iconic* moment in the film, where Priestly schools Andy on her cerulean knit? Well, we have Meryl Streep to thank for that.
Streep’s monologue went a little like this: “You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select… I don’t know… that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise. It’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean.”
Initially, her character only delivered a few lines to belittle Andy’s fashion knowledge, but Streep wanted the scene to express how seriously Priestly took her job.
Priestly continued, “That blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.”
The Character Of Emily Was Meant To Be American.
Well, that is… until Emily Blunt auditioned.
Blunt—who had been hanging around the Fox lot for callbacks on another big studio blockbuster—submitted a last-minute audition for the role of Priestly’s first assistant Emily. While the character was meant to be American, Blunt read the lines in her British accent… and the rest, as they say, is history.
Blunt Came Up With One Of Her Famous Fiery One-Liners.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, Blunt revealed she was behind one of the film’s most iconic one-liners. “I like to soak up people on the street,” she told the host. “I guess I steal from people I meet. Like, I saw a mother speaking to her child in a supermarket when we were shooting that film. And it’s a line that gets quoted back to me now. She yelled at her kid and her kind of opened and closed her hand and she goes, ‘Yeah, I’m hearing this, and I want to hear this.’ I went and put it in the movie.”
They Didn’t Have Anyone To Play Nigel Until 72 Hours Before Filming Started.
Yep, 72 hours! We’re getting anxiety just thinking about the casting director’s stress levels in the days leading up to Stanley Tucci’s audition. Fortunately, Tucci was the perfect fit for the role and signed his contract a mere 72 hours before he was due to appear on set.
Stanley Tucci Later Wed Emily Blunt’s Sister.
The actor met his now-wife Felicity Blunt thanks to his appearance in the 2006 film. The couple shares two children.
Meryl Donated All of Her Costumes to Charity.
One Deleted Scene Could Have Changed The Entire Film.
During the gala where Andy and Emily must hover behind Miranda to help her remember all of her guests’ names, creators decided against a scene that showed the ice-queen in a rare moment of vulnerability—and fans are convinced the dynamic could have changed the entire movie.
The final few seconds of the original clip show that Miranda’s husband comes along, stumbling about drunk and being extremely obnoxious. Luckily, Andy is on hand to change the subject and it allows Miranda to steer her husband away.
The key moment, however, is when Miranda turns to Andy and mouths, ‘Thank you.’
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