Meryl Streep’s – Meryl Streep revealed she demanded a salary raise for The Devil Wears Prada 2, aligning her ask with the film’s return.
Meryl Streep didn’t just return for The Devil Wears Prada 2. She negotiated her way back in, and her surprising reveal is now turning heads decades after the original hit.
While promoting the sequel alongside Anne Hathaway. Emily Blunt. and Stanley Tucci. Misryoum reports that Streep described an on-the-record standoff that dates back to the first round of offers.. According to her account from an April 2026 interview. she told the creative team that she would not take the role unless her salary was doubled.
In Streep’s telling, she read the script, felt the project was destined to land, and then went to negotiations with a clear deadline mindset: if they matched her ask, she’d come back. Otherwise, she was prepared to step away.
That kind of bargaining power matters because it highlights how performers protect their value when a story is no longer a “maybe” but a proven brand. In Hollywood, that shift from instinct to leverage can make all the difference.
Streep also framed the decision in terms of timing and confidence, noting her age at the time and how she felt ready to retire if the deal didn’t work out. She emphasized that she believed the sequel would resonate, and that the team’s need for her played a role in her willingness to walk away.
So what does that mean for the numbers? Misryoum reports that it’s not fully clear what she earned for the original film, though multiple entertainment outlets have suggested it was about $4 million. For the sequel, however, reports indicate she earned $12.5 million.
Another notable detail from her story is that she reportedly pushed for fairness beyond herself. In coverage, it was said she sought matching pay so her co-stars Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt would receive the same salary.
Even without every figure confirmed, the bigger takeaway is how much Streep’s approach reshaped the conversation around the sequel. When the audience sees Miranda Priestly-level precision on screen, it turns out that kind of control can show up off screen too.
Finally, Streep shared that the idea for a second film wasn’t overnight. Misryoum notes she explained that conversations about a sequel started years earlier, but the cast and team waited until they had the right concept before moving forward.