Millennial or not, you can't call yourself a fashion girl if you've never seen the film The Devil Wears Prada. Although we have to admit to being slighty more biased since we belong to the same cutthroat magazine world that it's centered in, the movie proved to be a massive hit because a) it had perfect timing as it was shown at the peak of the democratization of the fashion industry; and b) the perfect casting. In celebration of the film's 10th year anniversary, Variety.com's Ramin Setoodeh wrote a tell-all piece with interviews from Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, director David Frankel, and pretty much the whole lot in order to get them to reveal never-before-heard deets about the film.
Here are the five shocking things we found out:
1. Rachel McAdams was the top pick to play the role of heroine Andy Sachs.
Can you imagine Regina George transforming into Andy Sachs?
Fox wanted a big movie star to play the lead character, and fresh from the success of The Notebook and Mean Girls, all eyes were on Rachel McAdams. Lucky for Anne, Rachel turned the role down multiple times after deciding to step away from mainstream material.
2. Anne Hathaway went as far as begging to get the role.
“I had to be patient. I wasn’t the first choice," Anne shared. But that didn't stop her from showing her desire to play the part. After she met with Carla Hacken who was the studio's former executive vice president, Anne recalls leaving a not-so-subtle message on her desk by tracing the words “hire me” in the sand of a zen garden and letting the executive discover it after their meeting had ended.
3. They had to pay Meryl Streep double of what they initially offered to get her to accept the role.
There was no second choice. Meryl Streep was destined to play Miranda Priestly. The team, however, encountered a slight sitch when they realized there was a price to pay to get the perfect actor to play the perfect villain. "The offer was, to my mind slightly, if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project," Streep said. "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." Thank God they did, because truth be told, the movie wouldn't have been the same. In fact, she even gave depth to the character by helping edit the script! She was behind that iconic cerulean blue sweater scene and more. Up to this date, she is the epitome of how a true fictional editor-in-chief should walk, talk, stand, and dress up.
4. Stanley Tucci accepted the role of Nigel only 72 hours hours before his character debuted on set!
Trust us when we say that no fashion magazine is complete without a "Nigel." If you ask us, his role was just as important as Miranda and Andy. They sure hit a buzzer beater by bagging Tucci at the last minute after months of searching for the perfect actor.
5. The costumes cost more than a million dollars.
To make a fashion film, one must spend on the fashion. At that time, ten years ago, over a million dollars for the wardrobe was quite a budget. The costumes came from celebrated designer Patricia Field.
To read more juicy revelations about the film—including Anne's love life during the time she was filming, the male actors who influenced Meryl Streep's character (nope, it wasn't Anna Wintour!), and how the movie launched Emily Blunt's career—check out the full story here.
Now, where's our copy of this movie? Might stay in for a movie marathon tonight!
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