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Behind-the-scenes of The Devil Wears Prada
As a cult classic watched hundreds of times by every fashion enthusiast, The Devil Wears Prada is getting a sequel! As the first opus will be airing on TMC on October 13, 2025, Numéro looks back at five anecdotes that helped cement the myth of this 2006 film, led by the iconic duo of actresses Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep.
By Erwann Chevalier.
The costume budget for The Devil Wears Prada exceeded one million dollars
Fashion yes, but at what cost? For years, The Devil Wears Prada (2006) held the title of the most expensive film in history in terms of wardrobe budget. No surprise there, knowing that American stylist Patricia Field, also behind Sex and the City and Emily in Paris, crafted a five-star closet perfectly tailored to the formidable Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) and young Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway).
While many fashion houses deliberately refused to appear in the film so as not to jeopardise their relationships with real-life magazines, others agreed to play the game. Among them are Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein and Valentino. Their runway pieces, seen throughout the film, significantly increased the production cost. The infamous editor-in-chief of Runway herself is said to have worn a necklace inspired by ancient Egypt designed by New York jewelleler Fred Leighton, worth $100,000…
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway: A duo that almost never existed
It’s hard to imagine anyone but Anne Hathaway in the role of the assistant to the tyrannical Miranda Priestly. And yet, the studios originally set its eyes on Rachel McAdams. They wanted to ride on the success of her role as Regina George in Mean Girls (2004). But after that breakout hit film, Rachel McAdams chose to step away from mainstream films. At the time, she was also filming The Family Stone (2005).
During a guest appearance alongside RuPaul on season thirteen of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Anne Hathaway revealed that she fought hard to land the role of Andrea, being the production’s ninth choice only. Considered too immature by casting directors due to her Disney background, the young actress eventually stood out against Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets) and Claire Danes (Homeland), who also auditioned to play Andrea Sachs.
Meryl Streep played her role until the last very day of shooting
“Sweetie, that’s the last time I’m nice to you,” Meryl Streep told Anne Hathaway on set before the filming. To embody the character of Miranda Priestly, the American actress, drew her inspiration from the calm demeanour of actor and director Clint Eastwood and the looks of American model Carmen Dell’Orefice, and used method acting. This approach required the actress to fully immerse herself in the character, even off set, in order to deliver the most authentic performance possible.
While Anne Hathaway later admitted to finding the actress intimidating, Meryl Streep revealed in a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly that she was miserable during the filming: “It was horrible! I was miserable in my trailer. I could hear them all laughing. I was so depressed! I thought, ‘Well, it’s the price you pay for being boss!’ That’s the last time I attempted a method thing.”
Meryl Streep didn’t film the scenes in Paris with Anne Hathaway
At the end of The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway’s characters travel to Paris to attend the Fashion Week. But due to budget constraints, some of those scenes nearly didn’t happen. Indeed, the film’s $41 million budget already exceeded and there wasn’t enough left to shoot in the French capital.
Ultimately, a portion of the crew was sent to Paris… Without Meryl Streep, whose fee for the trip was reportedly too expensive for the production. The interior of the Ritz on Place Vendôme was recreated using the lavish settings of Manhattan’s St. Regis Hotel. As for the runway show, scenes were filmed in a studio in Queens, New York.
The author of The Devil Wears Prada made a cameo in the film
Before it became a cult film directed by David Frankel, The Devil Wears Prada (2006) was a novel published by American author Lauren Weisberger in 2003. Tanslated into 27 languages and written in the first person, the bestselling book chronicles the author’s own journey: fresh out of university, she landed her first job as assistant to Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue US.
Despite the speculation, Lauren Weisberger has always denied basing her character on the real-life fashion editor, though many doubts persist. In David Frankel’s adaptation, the author makes a cameo appearance as the nanny to Miranda Priestly’s twins. A detail viewers can still catch on Disney+, while waiting for the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2…
The Devil Wears Prada (2006), directed by David Frankel, airing on TMC on October 13th, 2025.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026), directed by David Frankel coming out in theatres on April 29th, 2026.
