Anne Hathaway Was Ninth (But The Only Right) Choice For The Devil Wears Prada
Fans wouldn't want to see it any other way.
The Devil Wears Prada has been called iconic for a reason, and it's not just because it touched the souls of fashionistas everywhere.
The movie stands out because of its amazing cast, with Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep shining in the lead roles. Of course, it's hard to imagine it any other way, but the cast wasn't meant to be like that initially.
You might be surprised to learn that Anne Hathaway was only the ninth choice for the role of Andy. The studio was determined to cast Rachel McAdams instead, but she turned the deal down three times.
And even then, Hathaway was not even under consideration. It took a dozen phone calls, auditions, and a special recommendation from Meryl Streep herself to convince the studio to give an actress a chance.
It's not as if Hathaway wasn't known. By 2009, when The Devil Wears Prada was released, she had already broken out, and audiences were familiar with her portrayal of Princess Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries and Lureen Newsome in Brokeback Mountain.
It was the latter that Streep saw and based her positive testimonial on.
This moment is recalled by the film's director, David Frankel:
"Brokeback Mountain was about to come out. Annie had a wonderful, small role in that. And Meryl watched that scene from the movie, she met with her and called up Tom Rothman at Fox and said, 'Yeah, this girl's great, and I think we'll work well together'".
The actress' experienced gaze did not let her down. They worked very well together on screen, although Hathaway later admitted that she was terrified of Streep's presence for quite some time.
Maybe that just added to the realism of the movie, as Miranda Priestly was supposed to be anything but sweet and friendly.
If you're feeling nostalgic and want to revisit The Devil Wears Prada, you can do so by streaming the movie on Disney Plus.
Source: Entertainment Weekly