Emily Blunt Says Meryl Streep Was "Terrifying” On The Devil Wears Prada Set

To this day, Emily Blunt’s portrayal of Emily Charlton in The Devil Wears Prada remains one of her most celebrated roles. As fans of the 2006 release will recall, Charlton is the snobby first assistant of the intimidating Runway magazine editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly — a character said to be inspired by Vogue’s Anna Wintour and played by Academy Award winner, Meryl Streep. Speaking in a recent interview, Blunt recalled working on the acclaimed adaptation, revealing that co-star Streep was just as “terrifying” as her Devil Wears Prada character while on the film’s set.

During a conversation with Succession star Brian Cox in an episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors, the A Quiet Place star first praised Streep as “amazing,” before describing her time starring opposite the three-time Oscar-winner as “slightly terrifying.” Blunt went on to explain that The Devil Wears Prada marked “one of the first times” Streep had attempted method acting, which “made her so miserable” during filming.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2021, during a special reunion interview marking the film’s 15-year anniversary alongside co-stars including Blunt and Anne Hathaway (Andrea Sachs), Streep reflected on her experience of method acting while filming The Devil Wears Prada, describing it as “horrible.”

“I was so depressed,” Streep continued. “I said, ‘Well, it’s the price you pay for being boss!’ That’s the last time I ever attempted a method thing.”

Meanwhile, during her 2023 Variety sit-down, Blunt credited the 2006 film for sparking “an extraordinary overnight shift” in her career, while Cox heaped praise on Streep, describing her as “one of the greatest screen actresses of all time.”

“I met her once and I said, ‘I never liked you,’” the Succession star disclosed. “And she went, ‘What?’ I said, ‘I never liked you because I was jealous.’ How can anybody be that good?”