In The Devil Wears Prada 2, Miranda Priestly admits that she unashamedly loves her job. Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway discuss why it’s important for mothers.
Why Meryl Streep added this line in The Devil Wears Prada 2
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway talk about how much they love their jobs, the importance of financial independence, and how they inspire women.
Spoiler alert! We discuss important details about the ending of The Devil Wears Prada 2 (currently in theaters). If you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t want to know what happens, stop reading.
You can thank Meryl Streep for some of the most emotional moments in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
In the long-awaited sequel, fashion’s high priestess Miranda Priestly (Streep) saves Runway magazine. She finds a wealthy new buyer, Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu), for her magazine, which is in trouble after a coup attempt by her former assistant Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt).
The film ends with Miranda’s appearance, with editor Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) musing in the back seat of a car about the uncertain future of journalism in general. During the conversation, Miranda reveals that she knows that Andy is writing an exposé about his time on Runway. Andy declares he doesn’t want to do it anymore, but Miranda insists on going ahead with the reveal, mournfully lamenting the missed moments of her twin daughters growing up.
“You should write it and leave all the important parts,” Miranda tells Andy. “How impatient I am, how demanding, how cocky, how much I’ve missed out on my children’s lives. Give it your all, because people should know there’s a price. But, hey, I love to work. I really love it, don’t I? I just love it.”
It was a weighty moment for Streep, 76, a three-time Oscar winner who shares three daughters and a son with Don Gummer (they divorced in 2017). In fact, the Hollywood icon ad-libbed to himself, “I love my job.”
“That line wasn’t there,” Streep told USA TODAY while sitting with Hathaway on a recent afternoon. “That was something I came up with, because I just love working. I love working as an actor. And I thought, for women, that’s a way for Miranda to share that insight. It’s kind of sly, like, ‘Why don’t you sneak a cigarette every once in a while?'” Because it’s still frowned upon to try to do something selfish that rewards yourself and[also]wants to have a family. I mean, people do. I did that. I wanted both.
“We are human beings. We can do that and we should be able to set an example for our children, boys and girls, that it’s great to be creative and to go out into the world and do your best at the same level as you.”
Hathaway, 43, has two young sons with husband Adam Shulman. The Oscar-winning actress has been working steadily for more than 25 years, with breakthrough roles in 2001’s The Princess Diaries and the 2006 original version of The Devil Wears Prada.
“It’s really nice to be able to take care of yourself financially,” Hathaway says. “I’ve worked since I was a teenager, and I’ve been in charge of my own finances for just as long. That means I’ve signed every check in my adult life. I’ve paid my rent. I’ve graduated from college. All of these things I’ve assumed financial responsibility for.”
As a result, “my life feels like my own life,” Hathaway says. “I don’t have to ask anyone for anything, and there’s nothing wrong with working for that freedom. I like that.” For many women, “that option has only been available to us in the last few decades, and it’s crazy. So I don’t want to waste this opportunity.”
The month-long “The Devil Wears Prada 2” promotional tour took both A-listers around the world, with stops in Mexico City, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo.
In every city, girls came up and said, “‘This means so much to me,'” Streep says. “I thought it was a kind of bubbly, fun movie, but it has a different kind of appeal to young people, and that’s very reassuring. I mean, it’s[resonating]in a lot of different cultures. And a lot of different cultures are in different places when it comes to how women feel about working.”
The poignant exchange between Andy and Miranda echoes the ending of the first film, The Devil Wears Prada, which similarly ends with the two characters having a conversation in the back of a car in Paris. Only in that movie, Andy decides he doesn’t want to be like Miranda and quits his assistant job.
“I was really touched by the line, ‘I love working,’ and I think that’s true,” says director David Frankel. “I respect people who love what they do and are determined to continue doing it of their own volition. That’s great.”
In both films, “Miranda is the heroine to me,” Frankel says. “There’s a[perception]of, ‘Oh, she’s the boss of evil!'” No, she’s the main character. She’s doing what she loves. She creates something special, unique and iconic day in and day out. And I respect that a lot. And anyone who does something with the same passion and the same excellence deserves to be celebrated. ”
Despite their long-standing differences, Andy respects that about Miranda as well. Although Runway’s long-term prospects seem tentative at best, she decides there’s no one she’d rather work for than her devilishly devoted boss.
“It’s great that she didn’t walk away at the end and throw her phone into the fountain,” Frankel says. “She’s holding on with her claws up and wanting to be given a voice and wanting to be part of the team with Miranda. It’s a big change and it shows maturity.”
