Meryl Streep was "ready to retire" before she signed up for The Devil Wears Prada.
The 76-year-old actress almost missed out on playing Miranda Priestly, the formidable Runway Magazine editor, in the 2006 comedy-drama film, but decided to "double" her salary ask.
Appearing on Wednesday's (29.04.26's) edition of NBC's TODAY with Jenna + Sheinelle, Streep revealed: "They called me up, and they made an offer, and I said, 'No, not going to do it.'"
After Jenna Bush Hager, 44, quizzed the Hollywood legend why, Streep 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.' And I thought, I'm 50, 60, it took me this long to understand that I could do that. They needed me, I felt.
"I was ready to retire, but that was a lesson."
Now 20 years on, the Oscar winner is back on the big screen as Miranda in the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada - which followed aspiring journalist Andrea "Andy" Sachs (Anne Hathaway) work as an assistant for Miranda.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 - which sees the return of Streep, Hathaway, 43, Emily Blunt, 43, (Emily Charlton), and Stanley Tucci, 65, (Nigel Kipling) - sees near-retiree Miranda competing with Emily, her former assistant and now executive, over advertising revenue.
Last week, Hathaway credited her co-stars for having made filming "one of the most hilarious experiences ever".
She told PEOPLE magazine: "I loved making the first. I know I was stressed and anxious and all those things, but it’s one of the most hilarious experiences ever because of the people I was with."
She heaped praise on her cast members, admitting she doesn't often tell Streep how much she "reveres" her.
Hathaway added: "Emily Blunt is such a dream of a human being. Stanley is so funny and quick, and Meryl, I don’t talk about how much I revere her to her, but I do.
"She’s someone I admire. Someone who defines how it’s done. Somebody who is just living greatness and never rests on that laurel, but is always pushing herself to expand as an artist. She’s unbelievable."
Fans descended on New York last summer to watch the cast shoot scenes for The Devil Wears Prada 2.
And the buzz made Streep feel "unnerved".
She told Harper’s Bazaar magazine's April 2026 The Now Issue: "Even though we were aware of the impact of the first film two decades ago, I think none of us were prepared for the ambush of both goodwill and avid attention that engulfed us.
"We needed police barriers and crowd control. Buses of fans turned up, and paparazzi swarmed and, in one case, kept jumping in front of the camera and the shot and got in a kerfuffle with crew!
"Annie kept her cool, but I was unnerved."
