Anne Hathaway is one of the most well-known and adored actresses in Hollywood. She has made a name for herself by starring in massively successful projects like The Princess Diaries franchise, Love & Other Drugs, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight Rises. She has also been awarded for her contributions to the film industry, having been nominated for the Acadamy Award once, for her work in Rachel Getting Married, as well as winning the same in the category of Best Supporting Actress, for her work in Les Misérables. 

Anne Hathaway

Despite all of these professional achievements, however, Hathaway is perhaps most well-known for her work in the iconic 2006 film, The Devil Wears Prada, where she starred alongside another Oscar-winning actress, Meryl Streep, who played the role of Miranda Priestly. What many might not know is where Streep drew her inspiration for this character and how Hathaway was completely caught off-guard on set with Streep.

Where Did Meryl Streep Get Her Inspiration For The Devil Wears Prada?

Meryl Streep‘s Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada is perhaps one of the most iconic and memorable portrayals of a character on-screen. Being a terrifying businesswoman at the top of her profession, there were many aspects of Priestly’s character that made the audience on edge whenever she was on screen. One of the most notable, however, was her calm way of talking, despite the situation and what she needed from those around her, making her even more intimidating.

Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada

“He never, ever, ever raises his voice, and everyone has to lean in to listen, and he is automatically the most powerful person in the room,” she stated.

Streep talked about her inspiration for this aspect of the character and it is, perhaps one of the most unexpected things the actress could have said. She revealed that her inspiration was the legendary filmmaker, Clint Eastwood, more specifically, a character that he played in the 1966 film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The actress talked about how this character did not raise his voice, which made the people around him pay more attention to what he said. She then went on to say that this aspect of his character was something, she thought, exuded power.

Anne Hathaway Was Caught Off Guard With Meryl Streep’s Performance in The Devil Wears Prada

While this truly added uniqueness to Meryl Streep’s character, others on the set of The Devil Wear Prada were not expecting this change. Anne Hathaway, who played the protagonist in this film, revealed that when she began working on this project and read the script, she had a clear image of what she was expecting Streep to do in character. This expectation ended up being quite wrong.

Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada

“I’d read the script so many times, and I was expecting [Meryl] to come in imperious, loud, and barking orders,” said Hathaway.

Hathaway revealed that when she first read the script, she was expecting Streep to get into character as a person who would be yelling and giving orders to everyone. This clearly did not happen when The Princess Diaries actress came on the set of the film, being surprised to see the actress being calm and using other means to terrify her employees.