Meryl Streep Says She Was ‘Imitating’ These 2 Hollywood A-listers While Playing Miranda Priestly — but Not Anna Wintour
Meryl Streep Says She Was ‘Imitating’ These 2 Hollywood A-listers While Playing Miranda Priestly — but Not Anna Wintour
Angelique BrenesSun, April 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC
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Meryl Streep on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and in 'The Devil Wears Prada'Credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS; Moviestore/Shutterstock -
Meryl Streep revealed Miranda Priestly was inspired by Mike Nichols’ humor and Clint Eastwood’s quiet authority
Streep wore a custom cerulean blue sweater on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, referencing The Devil Wears Prada’s iconic fashion moment
She reflected on the film’s “chick-flick” label and how female-led movies now receive bigger budgets
Meryl Streep is finally setting the record straight.
Twenty years after The Devil Wears Prada debuted, fans have long speculated that her icy, commanding fashion editor character, Miranda Priestly, was inspired by Anna Wintour. However, during an April 1 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Streep revealed that wasn’t the case at all.
Instead, the Oscar winner said she drew inspiration from two Hollywood heavyweights: Mike Nichols and Clint Eastwood.
“I was basically imitating Mike Nichols that whole time,” Streep said. “If Mike Nichols and Clint Eastwood had a baby… it would be Miranda Priestly.”
She explained that Nichols’ directing style helped shape the character’s tone on set. “The command on the set. And Mike would do it sort of with a sly humor,” she said. “People take it as mean, but it’s funny. I think it’s funny.”
Mike Nichols and Clint EastwoodCredit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty; Kevin Winter/Getty
Eastwood, meanwhile, inspired a quieter kind of authority. “Clint would never raise his voice,” Streep said. “He would direct and people had to lean forward to hear what he was saying.”
While she hasn’t told Eastwood about the connection, Streep shared that Nichols knew — and loved it. “I told Mike, and he was thrilled,” she said.
Nichols, known for films like The Graduate, Working Girl and Catch-22, worked with Streep on several projects, including Silkwood, Heartburn and the HBO miniseries Angels in America. Eastwood, known for his signature “one-take” directing style on films like American Sniper, Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River, also worked with Streep on The Bridges of Madison County.
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Streep’s late-night appearance also had a nostalgic fashion moment. She wore a cerulean blue sweater reminiscent of the iconic piece from The Devil Wears Prada — a wink to the film’s unforgettable monologue opposite Anne Hathaway. The version was a custom design by Olympia Gayot for J.Crew, styled by Micaela Erlanger, and paired with Mejuri earrings.
“Meryl makes everything iconic. We just made sure this cerulean lived up to it,” Gayot said in a statement, PEOPLE previously reported.
The callback comes as excitement builds for The Devil Wears Prada 2, which is set to hit theaters on May 1.
Meryl Streep (L) and Anne Hathaway in 'The Devil Wears Prada'Credit: Barry Wetcher/Fox
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During the interview, Streep also reflected on how the original film was received when it premiered in 2006, recalling that it was often labeled a “chick-flick,” which impacted its budget.
“That designation has not worn well,” she said, pointing to the success of female-led films in the years since. She specifically mentioned the critical and commercial success of Barbie and her own film Mamma Mia!, saying the films “catch the studios by surprise [when] people want to see them, because they have girls in the center of the story, women in the center of the story.”
While they had to "scramble for our budget" in the original Devil Wears Prada, she added that times have changed — and budgets along with them.
“I've talked to Greta [Gerwig] about it. That was true with Barbie a little bit in comparison to what they spend on other films,” she said. “This one, honey, they spent the money.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
