Why Meryl Streep nearly turned down iconic role in The Devil Wears Prada, then she asked one question

Meryl Streep nearly turned down her most iconic role – until they doubled her pay.

The actress, 76, reflecting on The Devil Wears Prada, told US Today that she turned down the chance to play Miranda Priestly at first.

The 2006 film has become a classic, no doubt thanks to Streep's impeccable performance as the blunt, icy editor of Runway magazine.

Her iconic performance almost never happened, with Streep saying she knew the movie would be a hit, but they couldn't do it without her.

"I read the script. Script was great. And they called me up and they made an offer, and I said, 'No, not going to do it,'" Streep said.

The seasoned actress explained she thought she was worth more than what the role was offering, salary-wise. 

"I knew it was going to be a hit, and I wanted to see if I doubled my ask," she continued.

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"And they went right away and said sure. And I thought, I'm 50, 60 — it took me this long to understand that I could do that."

The actress was reportedly offered $2.8 million (US$2 million) at first, asking them to double her pay to $5.6 million ($US4 million).

"They needed me, I felt ... I was ready to retire. But, you know, that was a lesson," she continued.

Two decades after the original came out, the highly anticipated sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2, hit cinemas around the world.

The original cast, including Streep, Anna Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt, reunited for the film, alongside other actors like Simone Ashley and Australian Patrick Brammall.

Streep was not the only cast member who almost turned down a role in the iconic film.

Brammall revealed he originally said no to the offer to star in the sequel.

The Colin from Accounts star shared why he nearly didn't take the role in what is arguably the biggest film of 2026 at the Australian premiere earlier this week.

"It wasn't self-doubt so much, it was pragmatics," he shared with the crowd, as per the Sydney Morning Herald.

"When they asked me to audition, and I'm 50, I've been around the block, I've been working as an actor for many, many years, and I've put down a lot of auditions for a lot of big things going, 'oh, this could be it.'

"And so when that came through, I was like, 'that's really nice that they're considering me', but I genuinely didn't have time," he said, sharing that he preferred to spend his time on another project and raising his two young daughters, Joni, four, and Mabel, one.

"I was just like 'at the end of the day, they're not gonna call me back about this, so no thanks.'"

"History had told me that 99 per cent of things that you go for as an actor, you don't get. And so I thought this is really lovely to be in this conversation, but I've got other things I've got to do, and it wasn't a play, but it turned out to feel like one because they came back to me with an offer."

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