Anne Hathaway shades Meryl Streep's method acting in 'Devil Wears Prada'

The Devil Wears Prada 2 cast had a much different experience filming the second time around, especially since Meryl Streep left Method acting behind in 2006.

In a new interview with Variety published February 1, Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci reflected on TDWP legacy ahead of the sequel’s May 1st release. For Hathaway, the biggest and most positive difference was that the Oscar-winner didn’t stay in character between takes.

Recalling a camera test for the sequel, Hathaway said, “I heard over the radio: ‘Miranda Priestly is walking.' Meryl, as Miranda, had started down the hallway ahead of me — I was maybe 50 feet behind her — and seeing her from the back was practically psychedelic. I just felt so many portals open up at that moment. I was 22 again, but it was still now.”

She added with a laugh, “Thankfully, this time she didn’t stay in character the entire time, so we had a lot of laughs.”

Streep has been open about why she abandoned Method acting after the first film. “It was horrible!” she told Entertainment Weekly in 2021. “I was [miserable] in my trailer… I was so depressed! I said, ‘Well, it’s the price you pay for being boss!’ That’s the last time I ever attempted a Method thing.”

Hathaway admitted she once felt “intimidated” by Streep but always felt supported. Emily Blunt echoed that sentiment in 2023, calling Streep “amazing and slightly terrifying.”