Anne Hathaway Fought for Realistic Beauty Looks in Devil Wears Prada 2

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The Devil Wears Prada 2 cast would rather you bore someone else with unrealistic body standards. 

Meryl Streep shared that after seeing how extremely thin the models were at Milan Fashion Week, her colleague Anne Hathaway made a point of advocating for more diverse and realistic body types to be represented in their movie.

Meryl revealed in a recent Harper’s Bazaar interview, published on March 25, that she believed the issue had been resolved a long time ago. Anne also noticed it and immediately brought it to the attention of the show’s producers.

I was so impressed by Anne Hathaway! As Meryl Streep – who really knows talent – said, Anne immediately stepped up to make sure the extras in Les Misérables weren’t unrealistically thin. Meryl called her a ‘stand-up girl,’ and honestly, I couldn’t agree more. It was amazing to see her use her voice to advocate for a healthier standard, and it really speaks to her character.

Anne isn’t simply challenging traditional beauty standards in her films. She’s also been very candid about the challenges of getting older as a woman working in Hollywood.

Anne recently shared that she doesn’t believe the best years are always behind us. In an interview, she explained that people often assume early life is the happiest, but she disagrees. As a mother of two sons, Jonathan, 10, and Jack, 6, with her husband Adam Shulman, she was surprised to find new joy and fulfillment at age 40.

But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t face her own insecurities from time to time.

Anne remembered having those days where you look in the mirror and feel pretty good, and other days where you don’t recognize yourself. She was having one of those days. She’d packed a swimsuit she only wore when she felt confident, hoping for a good body image day, but ended up needing to wear it on a day when she was feeling self-conscious.

For the Princess Diaries alum, it was important to own the moment and the swimsuit. 

She shared that she was excited to spend the day with her family, even though it meant being in front of people with their phones. She had been worried about how she looked, initially feeling insecure when anticipating seeing something different. But after taking a look, she felt good about what she saw, acknowledging she was 43 and accepting her body as it is.

Ultimately, Anne is prioritizing self-acceptance and feeling comfortable in her body as she gets older. She’s learned to focus her energy on what truly matters, realizing that most worries aren’t worth the stress.

For more secrets from the Devil Wears Prada, keep reading…

Even before the book The Devil Wears Prada was published, a movie adaptation was already being planned. Fox executives were impressed with just the first 100 pages and a summary, which were enough to convince them to buy the rights. As Carla Hacken, a former Fox executive, explained to Variety in 2016, she was the first at the studio to read it and immediately recognized the character of Miranda Priestly as a fantastic villain. She recalled that the studio quickly moved to secure the project.

Even before the book became a New York Times bestseller in 2003, people were trying to adapt it into a movie. After four different writers attempted to create a straightforward script, Aline Brosh McKenna was brought in to rewrite it. Her version focused on the compromises women make to succeed in the competitive world of fashion magazines. “I was able to write a first draft fairly quickly – it took around a month,” McKenna explained. “Then I revised it based on feedback from everyone involved.”

Creating the story for the film faced challenges because people in the fashion industry were hesitant to speak with the author, fearing retribution from Anna Wintour and Vogue. According to the author, one anonymous source told her the characters were too kind, pointing out that people in that world are often too busy and cutthroat to be nice. Based on that feedback, the author revised the story to portray the characters as more demanding and less friendly.

As a huge fan, I always knew getting ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ made wasn’t easy! Director David Frankel actually told EW that Anna Wintour’s influence made finding filming locations incredibly tough. Apparently, the Met Gala meant the Metropolitan Museum wouldn’t let us film there at all, and even Bryant Park – which was the home of New York Fashion Week back then – was a no-go. It’s amazing they managed to pull it all off!

We couldn’t even get permission to film in the famous apartment buildings we considered for Miranda’s place – the co-op boards wouldn’t allow it. Finally, a producer friend, Wendy Finerman, lent us a five-story townhouse on the Upper East Side to use instead.

Bethenny Frankel shared that the production designer, Jess Gonchor, was the only connection they had to Vogue. He secretly visited Anna Wintour’s office to study it, and then recreated it so accurately that, reportedly, Wintour immediately redecorated her actual office after seeing the movie.

The costumes posed another problem. At first, the filmmakers couldn’t get any well-known designers to loan clothing for the movie, as reported by EW. Frankel explained, “They were afraid of upsetting Anna [Wintour].”

The film’s incredible wardrobe was crafted by renowned costume designer Patricia Field, who gathered around 150 items from top designers like Donna Karan, Zac Posen, Rick Owens, and Prada. She carefully distinguished Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Miranda Priestly from Anna Wintour through the clothing choices. As Streep joked, “Everything was borrowed, so we had to be careful not to spill anything at lunch – those pieces needed to be returned in perfect condition!”

Anna Wintour seems to have a good sense of humor about the situation. Meryl Streep spoke with the editor-in-chief of Vogue for the magazine’s 125th anniversary issue, discussing her role as Katherine Graham in the 2017 film The Post. When asked which character was the most difficult to portray, Streep began to answer, but Wintour playfully interrupted, saying with a laugh, “No, no! We’re not going there, Meryl.”

Wintour actually did see the movie—the same screening as her previous assistant, Weisberger. She later explained to 60 Minutes that while she found it entertaining, it wasn’t an accurate portrayal of life at the magazine.

Meryl Streep was the only actress the studio considered for the role of Miranda, according to studio VP Hacken, who told Variety they didn’t even think about anyone else. Hacken said she simply hoped Streep would accept the part. When Streep’s agent called to say she’d read the script and wanted to meet with the director, Hacken was overjoyed – she even put the agent on hold so she could celebrate privately. “I was shouting in my office,” she recalled.

I’ve always admired Miranda’s strength and refusal to compromise who she was. What really struck me, as Meryl Streep explained, was that the character never shied away from her flaws or tried to be someone she wasn’t. She just didn’t bother trying to win people over, and as my friend Carrie Fisher brilliantly put it, she skipped all the ‘squeezy and tilty’ – that tendency for women to soften their approach to get what they want. Miranda just…didn’t do any of that, and I found that incredibly powerful.

Before agreeing to the role, Meryl Streep did something very characteristic of the demanding character she would later play, Miranda Priestly. Although she had already won two Oscars and received eleven more nominations, Streep wasn’t used to negotiating a higher salary. This time, however, she confidently asked for more money.

She told Variety that the initial offer felt a little low – not necessarily insulting, but not quite what she deserved given her contributions to the project. She described having a moment where she prepared to walk away, and then the offer was doubled. At 55, she realized she was finally learning to negotiate for herself.

Streep also requested specific scenes to avoid portraying Miranda as a one-dimensional character. She wanted to show Miranda’s expertise in fashion – particularly the famous scene about the blue sweater – and a more vulnerable side, revealed in a private hotel room scene where she wasn’t putting on a strong front.

Meryl Streep actually came up with the idea for Miranda Priestly’s white hair, debuting the look during a meeting with studio executives. Director David Frankel told EW that Streep fully embodied the character at that meeting—executives simply looked into her eyes and didn’t feel the need to comment on the hair at all.

Anne Hathaway revealed she wasn’t the first choice for her role in The Devil Wears Prada. During an appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race, she joked that she was actually the ninth actress considered for the part – meaning she had to work really hard to convince the filmmakers she was right for the role, perhaps even harder than her character, Andy, worked for Miranda Priestly in the movie.

Anne Hathaway recently shared with Variety that while she didn’t need to audition, she had to be very persistent to land the role. She even went so far as to write “hire me” in the sand of the director’s zen garden! When she finally received the news, she was at home getting dressed with friends. She recalls running into her living room, still half-dressed, and excitedly yelling, “I got The Devil Wears Prada! I got The Devil Wears Prada!”

Anne Hathaway landed the role after the studio’s first choice, Rachel McAdams, turned it down several times. Director Frankel told Entertainment Weekly that they offered the part to McAdams, who was filming The Family Stone at the time, on three separate occasions. McAdams, fresh off the success of Mean Girls and The Notebook, wasn’t interested in taking on another popular, mainstream movie. According to Frankel, the studio really wanted McAdams, but she was set against doing the film.

Kate Hudson turned down a highly coveted role, saying it simply wasn’t the right time. She explained on Capital FM’s Capital Breakfast in February 2025 that she regretted not making it work, admitting she had a negative reaction when she first saw the script.

Meryl Streep, impressed by Anne Hathaway’s performance in the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, played a key role in casting Hathaway in The Princess Diaries. Director Garry Marshall remembered Streep telling him about the scene, then contacting Fox executive Tom Rothman to say she thought Hathaway was talented and they would collaborate well together.

Finding the right actress for Emily proved particularly challenging. Frankel reviewed over 100 auditions for the role of Miranda’s tough assistant (including Tracie Thoms, who later auditioned for the part of Andy’s friend Lily). Ultimately, it was Emily Blunt, who showed up dressed casually, that really stood out to him.

Emily Blunt was already at the Fox studio auditioning for the movie Eragon when a casting director asked her to read for The Devil Wears Prada. She recalled on The Late Late Show in May 2021 that she was in a hurry to catch a flight and felt flustered during the audition. She even admitted she was wearing sweatpants and didn’t look the part at all.

A few days after missing out on the role in Eragon, Emily Blunt received a call from casting director Billy Frankel. She explained to Variety that she was at a club in London and had to take the call from the bathroom. Frankel told her that while he liked her audition, the studio wanted to see her again, asking her to recreate the audition while wearing more appropriate clothing for the part.

Emily was originally conceived as an American character, but Kate Blunt’s performance changed that. When Blunt delivered the character’s sharp lines with her British accent, the writers quickly adapted the script. As screenwriter McKenna explained to Entertainment Weekly, they met for coffee and added British phrases and expressions throughout the dialogue.

Emily Blunt shared that she often draws inspiration from real life, even ‘stealing’ moments from people she encounters. She recounted an instance on The Howard Stern Show where she observed a frustrated mother in a supermarket while filming. The mother, while scolding her child, used a unique gesture and phrase – opening and closing her hand while saying, ‘Yeah, I’m hearing this, and I want to hear this.’ Blunt found it so compelling that she incorporated the line into one of her films, and it’s now a memorable part of her work.

Stanley Tucci played a key role in creating some of the most memorable lines in the film. After a long search for the perfect actor to play art director Nigel, Tucci took the part just in time, as he told Entertainment Weekly. He then perfectly captured Nigel’s witty and sarcastic personality, even coming up with some of the character’s most famous lines on the spot.

Stanley Tucci recalled fondly a scene from the film where Miranda first arrives at the office, causing a bit of panic among the staff. He explained to Buzzfeed that the cast kept bursting into laughter during filming, and director David Frankel would improvise lines for Tucci to deliver. Ultimately, ‘Gird your loins’ made the final cut. Tucci also shared with Entertainment Weekly that one of his suggestions, ‘Tits in!’, didn’t make it, but always got a big laugh on set.

One of Stanley Tucci’s most cherished memories from making movies is the connection he’s made with his family. He became close with his co-star Emily Blunt, and was even invited to her wedding to John Krasinski in 2010. It was there he reconnected with Felicity Blunt, who is now his wife. They married in 2012 and have two children, Matteo and Emilia.

Joe Tucci shared with People magazine that he first met his current wife at the premiere of a film in 2006. He was still married to his late wife, Kate, who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer at the time. He explained that he made the movie, Kate began treatment, and then they attended the premiere. Kate lived for four more years after that. Interestingly, Felicity—Emily’s sister and now Joe’s wife—actually spoke with Kate at the premiere, and Joe has a photo of them together.

Rosario Dawson, similar to Anne Hathaway, vividly remembers getting the call about landing the role of Lily – it happened on her 30th birthday in August 2005. While she felt good about her audition – having often played supportive best friend roles at that point in her career, she thought Lily would be a natural fit – she was still overjoyed when she found out she’d been cast.

She remembered being at Dartmouth, workshopping a new play by Alan Ball, when she found out she’d been cast in The Devil Wears Prada. She told TopMob News that she received the news casually during lunch in the cafeteria – someone simply wished her a happy birthday and then told her she’d gotten the part. She described it as a memorable birthday.

Thoms recalls seeing Adrian Grenier, who was very popular at the time thanks to Entourage, surrounded by fans. Instead of signing autographs, Grenier cleverly gave each fan a CD by his band, The Honey Brothers.

Thoms observed that Josh Grenier, playing Andy’s boyfriend Nate, used the role as a chance to highlight his bandmates, since he wasn’t the lead singer. Thoms admired how Grenier thoughtfully acknowledged and appreciated everyone’s support, and then actively returned that support to his fellow band members.

Thoms had a wonderful time filming, describing it as feeling like they were working on Sex and the City – though it wasn’t quite the same! – with a very New York and sophisticated vibe. However, she does wish one thing had gone differently.

She had a specific idea for how to react to the Marc Jacobs bag that both Lily and Thoms clearly wanted in a particular scene. She asked the props team to keep the bag hidden until filming began, so her surprise would be real. “The excited reactions – the gasps, the reaching, wanting it – that all happened because the bag was truly stunning.”

She confessed to TopMob News that she loved the purse so much she’d actually planned a storyline about keeping it! Unfortunately, the scene where she’d ‘accidentally’ leave it behind at work was cut, meaning she never got a chance to put her plan into action – and she was really disappointed about it.

Meryl Streep didn’t travel to Paris for the film. Originally, no one was scheduled to film in Paris for the scenes depicting Miranda and Andy’s trip to Paris Fashion Week. Director David Frankel was shocked by this, but he created a compelling preview reel that convinced the studio to move the film’s release to the summer and increase its budget.

Hathaway and Simon Baker (playing Christian, her other love interest) traveled to France for filming, but Meryl Streep shot her scenes in New York. The studio said it was too expensive to fly Streep to France.

Meryl Streep actually ended up missing out on a lot of the enjoyable moments on set. She later told Entertainment Weekly that fully committing to her stern Miranda character and distancing herself from the playful atmosphere was deeply unpleasant. She could hear everyone having fun, which made her feel really down. She joked that it was the cost of playing a boss, and it was the last time she ever tried that kind of intense acting method.

Before Meryl Streep playfully turned distant, she quickly encouraged Anne Hathaway, telling her, “I think you’re going to be great, and I’m really happy to be working with you…and that’s the last compliment I’ll give you,” according to Hathaway’s interview with People magazine.

That’s all. 

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2026-03-25 19:55