'The Devil Wears Prada': 9 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About the Stylish Hit
It's been 10 years since "The Devil Wears Prada" hit theaters (June 30th, 2006) and we've never looked at the color cerulean the same way since. But the box office success had more of an impact on audiences than teaching them about the subtle nuances of colors and fabrics. The film's enviable glamorous wardrobe, one of Meryl Streep's most delightfully devilish performances, and the ridiculously quotable script all guarantee that this is one movie that really will never go out of style.
You probably already know the film was based on the best-selling 2003 Lauren Weisberger novel of the same name, but we're here to fill you in on a few more little-known facts about the fashion film gem you may not be aware of.
1. The role of recent Northwestern graduate and aspiring journalist Andy Sachs ultimately went to Anne Hathaway, but she wasn't the first choice for the lead. Rachel McAdams was Fox's number one pick, but she turned it down after a few offers.
2. To prepare for her role as an assistant in a cutthroat environment, Anne Hathaway interned at Christie's auction house for a few weeks, but her work experience sounds a lot more pleasant then the film. "It was amazing. I got to see some wonderful art and everybody was really nice. It was great," she told ET in 2015.
3. The clothing budget for the film was only $100,000, so stylist Patricia Field resorted to borrowing a huge portion of the wardrobe. The clothing actually ended up being worth over $1 million.
4. Meryl Streep almost turned down the Oscar-nominated role of Miranda Priestly. "The offer was to my mind slightly, if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project," Streep revealed to Variety. "There was my 'goodbye moment,' and then they doubled the offer. I was 55, and I had just learned, at a very late date, how to deal on my own behalf."
5. The character of Miranda's first assistant Emily, played to wicked perfection by Emily Blunt, was not originally supposed to be British.
6. Meryl Streep's inspiration for Miranda didn't come from Anna Wintour or the fashion industry. She told Variety that she modeled the character's voice after none other than Clint Eastwood, noting that he "never, ever raises his voice."
7. One of the film's most memorable scenes -- the iconic "cerulean" monologue where Miranda gives Andy a biting lesson on why her blue sweater means more than meets the eye -- almost didn't make it in the movie. Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna said that the lines putting down Andy's style sense "didn't serve the narrative." But Meryl Streep changed all that. "Meryl wanted to make it bigger," McKenna explained. The concept became less about dissing Andy, and more about showing the importance and impact of fashion and how much of an influence Priestly had on the industry.
8. Lauren Weisberger, the author of the book the film is based on, actually makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. She portrayed the nanny to Miranda's twins -- you can catch her in the scene on the train where the girls are reading the Harry Potter manuscripts.
9. The film sparked a huge love connection! Emily Blunt set her sister Felicity up with Stanley Tucci, who played Runway art director Nigel. Felicity and Stanley ended up tying the knot in 2012.