8. Before making a commitment to accept the role, Streep executed a strategy that was reminiscent of her character, Miranda Priestly. At that stage in her career, having already achieved the impressive feat of winning two Academy Awards and garnering eleven additional nominations, Streep had still not fully embraced the art of negotiating for higher pay. However, this time she took the initiative to advocate for herself.

“The offer seemed, to me, somewhat less than flattering, if not outright insulting, and certainly did not reflect my true value to the project,” she shared in an interview with Variety. “It was a pivotal ‘goodbye moment’ for me, and after I voiced my concerns, they ended up doubling the offer. At the age of 55, I finally learned how to negotiate effectively on my own behalf.”

9. Streep also had additional stipulations regarding her role. Being mindful of the potential for Miranda to transform into a mere caricature, she insisted on including two specific scenes: one that she referred to as “the business of fashion,” where the trendsetter educates Andy about her iconic cerulean sweater, and another that reveals a vulnerable side to her character, described as “the unpeeled scene in the hotel room.”

Furthermore, the striking white hair of her character was also a creative choice by Streep; she arrived at a meeting with the studio head sporting her signature icy locks. Director Frankel recounted to EW how “Meryl fully embodied Miranda during that meeting, and there was an unspoken understanding about the hair; they simply gazed into Meryl’s eyes without uttering a word.”