Real Reason Behind Meryl Streep Dropping Method Acting After The Devil Wears Prada
Miranda Priestly took a lot more concentration than one can imagine.
Being an actor is hard. Although it comes with a lot of perks if you make it in the industry and become famous, there are still a lot of hardships that even the most well-off, famous, talented, and beloved professionals cannot escape.
More often than not, every other job requires an actor to go through a transformation. Whether the transformation is mental or physical, it always takes a lot of time, effort, and concentration.
If the character is closer to an actor in spirit, it's easier to get in touch with them and not lose the connection.
If not, the actor may have to withdraw from everything in his or her personal life in order not to ruin the filmmaking process and fall out of character.
And this deprivation is just part of the approach that Meryl Streep used to get into Miranda Priestly for the iconic 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada.
That was the last movie Streep would use the method on, however. In 2021, Entertainment Weekly held a cast reunion for The Devil Wears Prada, where Emily Blunt, Ann Hathaway, and Meryl Streep herself recalled the shooting of the production.
While Blunt and Hathaway had their fair share of on-set fun, Streep was locked into the role:
“It was horrible! I was [miserable] in my trailer. I could hear them all rocking and laughing. I was so depressed! <...> That's the last time I ever attempted a Method thing!” the actress said.
Judging by all the other projects Meryl Streep has been involved in since 2006, the method wasn't entirely necessary for the actress to give her best performance. After The Devil Wears Prada, the actress starred in many great productions, received 6 Oscar nominations, and won one for Best Actress for The Iron Lady in 2011.
At the very least, there's hope that the filming process for 2018's Mamma Mia! 2 was a much more lighthearted and enjoyable experience for Streep. It would be a shame to know that she missed out on all the fun on this one, too.
If you're feeling nostalgic and want to give The Devil Wears Prada another look, the movie is available to stream on Disney Plus, fuboTV, and Amazon Prime Video.
Source: EW