Meryl Streep received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance as Miranda Priestly in the 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada.” But her greatest accolade may have been praise from Anna Wintour, widely believed to have been the inspiration for the character.
The movie was based on the 2003 book of the same name, written by Lauren Weisberger, who had previously worked as a personal assistant to Wintour, the longtime editor-in-chief of American Vogue.
Designers steered clear of ‘Devil Wears Prada’
Because of Streep’s prickly, difficult-to-please portrayal of Priestly, many designers and other fashion figures reportedly declined to appear as themselves in the movie, worried about upsetting Wintour.
It turns out they had nothing to fear. Wintour has since admitted she is a fan of “The Devil Wears Prada.”
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Wintour’s thoughts on the movie and Streep
Appearing on “The New Yorker Radio Hour” podcast, the London-born executive joked to host David Remnick that she “went to the premiere wearing Prada, completely having no idea what the film was going to be about.”
She was pleasantly surprised rather than offended, with Streep earning her particular admiration.
“First of all it was Meryl Streep, which, fantastic. And then I went to see the film, and I found it highly enjoyable. It was very funny,” Wintour said.
“A fair shot”
Wintour acknowledged that the movie made for somewhat awkward viewing for those close to her in the industry. “They were very sweetly concerned for me about the film, that it was going to paint me in some kind of difficult light.”
But she saw it differently. “In the end it had a lot of humor to it, it had a lot of wit, it had Meryl Streep. They were all amazing. And in the end, I thought it was a fair shot.”
On Sept. 1 this year, Wintour, 75, was replaced as editor of American Vogue, although she continues to serve as global chief content officer of Vogue internationally.
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