“It was horrible!” - When Meryl Streep recalled how she felt while filming The Devil Wears Prada

Few performances have lodged themselves in pop-culture memory as firmly as Meryl Streep’s ice-cold Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Yet, behind the perfectly cut bangs and whispered threats, Streep was having a miserable time.

In a 15-year-anniversary oral history for Entertainment Weekly published on June 14, 2021, she admitted that adopting Method techniques to stay in character left her isolated from a cast who were “rocking and laughing” between takes. She said,

“It was horrible! I was [miserable] in my trailer”

She added that the experience convinced her to abandon Method acting for good. Streep’s candor, echoed in a companion, offers a fascinating flip side to the breezy fashion comedy that grossed $327 million and earned her an Oscar nomination.

“That’s the last time I ever attempted a Method thing” - Meryl Streep on her miserable experience filming The Devil Wears Prada.

As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated June 14, 2021, Streep laid out the cost of her commitment, stating,

“I could hear them all rocking and laughing. I was so depressed! I said, "Well, it's the price you pay for being boss!" That's the last time I ever attempted a Method thing!”

Two short sentences capture her dilemma. Staying aloof preserved Miranda’s iciness, but it robbed Streep of her usual camaraderie. Director David Frankel remembered the tone she set even in prep meetings, noting that executives,

“looked into Meryl's eyes and never said a word.”

Emily Blunt felt the chill, too. The British actor recalled,

“Meryl is so gregarious and fun as hell, in some ways it wasn't the most fun for her having to remove herself.”

Sympathizing with a colleague forced into solitude to keep the boss-from-hell mystique alive. Anne Hathaway, then 23, found the intimidation purposeful rather than cruel. She told EW,

“I did feel intimidated, but I always felt cared for.”

She described how Streep would subtly shift her performance to help a scene land once the cameras rolled. Those revelations reframed the film’s lighter backstage legend, like Stanley Tucci’s improvised line,

“Gird your loins!"

It exposed the strain beneath the couture. The actress who made a generation root for Miranda was sacrificing her on-set joy to do it.

Method in the madness: why it worked

The Devil Wears Prada was shot on a lean $35 million budget that nearly lost its Paris climax. Meryl Streep’s laser-focused severity, producer Wendy Finerman later argued, gave the mid-budget project leeway and helped open wallets worldwide.

Her approach also set a benchmark for complex female antagonists. In subsequent interviews, Streep said male CEOs still tell her they know how Miranda felt, proof that viewers found unexpected empathy in a character originally written as a one-note tyrant.

Cast bonds forged in the cold

Blunt, Tucci, and Hathaway each credited Streep’s intensity for sharpening their own work. Blunt’s breakout happened under that pressure cooker. Hathaway remembers Streep subtly moderating her stare to draw stronger reactions. Tucci has joked that everyone stood up straighter when Miranda glided by. The fear was real, but so was the growth.

Where Meryl Streep is now (2025 update)

Nineteen years after The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep remains active in the industry. She reprises folkloric chanteuse Loretta Durkin in Hulu’s Emmy-magnet Only Murders in the Building Season 5.

And mirroring Priestley’s runway return, she has signed on for The Devil Wears Prada 2, now filming for a May 2026 release, with original co-stars Hathaway, Blunt, and Stanley Tucci all back on board.

Beyond acting, Meryl Streep continues her advocacy for gender parity in film financing and recently served as jury president at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival. While she has long since abandoned Method extremes, the lessons from that “horrible” 2005 shoot still resonate.

Meryl Streep’s willingness to endure discomfort for authenticity not only elevated The Devil Wears Prada but also set a template for performers navigating powerful yet vulnerable roles today.

Stay tuned to Primetimer for more updates.