She knows her worth.
Meryl Streep revealed that she initially refused to star as Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
“I knew it was going to be a hit,” she told host Jenna Bush Hager on Wednesday’s “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle” of the 2006 cult classic.
“I read the script — the script was great. They called me up, and they made an offer, and I said, ‘No. I’m not going to do it,’” Streep, 76, recalled.
When Bush Hager, 44, asked Streep why she turned the role down, the iconic actress replied, “I knew it was going to be a hit and I wanted to see if I doubled my ask, and they went right away and said, ‘Sure.’”
The “Mamma Mia!” star — who was 56 at that time — said “it took [her] this long to understand that I could do that!
“I was sure of it. I was sure it would be a hit. And they needed me, I felt,” she explained.
“And I wanted it, but if they didn’t want to do that, I was OK. Because I’m old — I’m 56, I was ready to retire.”
Fans were shocked with Streep’s salary revelation, expressing their feelings on social media.
“Not enough women realize this earlier in their career. We all need to be better advocates for ourselves,” commented one user.
“Does she know she’s Meryl Streep?” added another.
“They could quadruple her ask and she’s still worth every cent 😍 icon ❤️,” said a third fan.
“She realized the script was just ok and the movie wouldn’t be good without her. And she was right,” wrote a fourth netizen.
Streep went on to take the role, starring as the cruel editor-in-chief of Runway magazine, alongside Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt.
The David Frankel-directed film became a box office success, raking in nearly $125 million in the United States and Canada and over $326 million worldwide.
Twenty years later, Streep is returning as Priestley for the film’s sequel, “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which, per Deadline, is set to earn nearly $180 million in its worldwide debut.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” hits theaters May 1st.
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