TF1 broadcasts “The Devil Wears Prada” this Thursday, September 21 at 9:10 p.m. If Meryl Streep plays the iconic role of Miranda Priestly, it was an ordeal for the actress.
This Thursday, September 21, TF1 offers viewers the opportunity to (re)see an American comedy that has become cult: “The Devil Wears Prada”. In this feature film released in 2006, Anne Hathaway plays a young journalist who lands her first job as an assistant to the tyrannical Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of a prestigious fashion magazine.
If Meryl Streep is astonishing in this role inspired by Anna Wintour (editor-in-chief of “Vogue”), the filming of the film was very difficult for her. The three-time Oscar winner revealed to Entertainment Weekly magazine in 2021 that she was “depressed” on set.
“It was horrible! I was unhappy in my dressing room.” Meryl Streep had in fact made the decision to stay away from the film crew, in order to test the “Method” (technique which consists of blending into one’s character to play in the most authentic way possible). His goal: to make himself feared by the other actors, like the characters fear Miranda Priestly in the film.
But this working technique does not correspond at all to the playful nature of the actress, now 74 years old: “I could hear everyone having fun and laughing. I was so depressed. I told myself that it was was the price you pay when you’re the boss. But that’s the last time I tried the Method.”
However, this technique worked. In the same article, Anne Hathaway said she felt “very intimidated” by the actress, even when the cameras weren’t rolling. “But I always felt protected and cared for. I knew that whatever she did to create this fear, deep down, she would always take care of me.”
If the filming of “The Devil Wears Prada” was particularly trying for Meryl Streep, it paid off, since she then received her 14th Oscar nomination, without however winning the prestigious statuette. She now has 21 nominations to her credit and three awards.
