The truth is, nobody can do what she does. In true Miranda Priestly fashion, Meryl Streep gave the creative team behind the original Devil Wears Prada an ultimatum: either double her salary, or she’d walk. The esteemed actress knew her worth and got what she wanted, but Meryl didn’t reveal any of this until 20 years later, while she and her co-stars, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, were promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2.
“I knew it was going to be a hit,” Meryl told Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager — who makes a cameo in the sequel film — during an April 2026 interview. “I read the script, the script was great. They called me up, and they made an offer, and I said ‘No. I’m not going to do it.’ … I wanted to see if I doubled my ask, and they went right away and said, ‘Sure.’”
Pointing out that she was 56 years old at the time, the Only Murders in the Building alum added that it “took me this long to understand that I could do that! I was sure of it. I was sure it would be a hit. And they needed me, I felt. And I wanted it, but if they didn’t want to do that, I was OK. Because I’m old. I’m 56, I was ready to retire.”
So, how much did Meryl actually make from the first movie? More importantly, how much did 20th Century Studios pay her to return for the sequel? Here’s what we know.
As of 2026, Meryl has a net worth of around $100 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
It’s unclear how much Meryl was actually paid for the first film, but multiple outlets reported that it was around $4 million.
At the time of publication, it’s still unclear what Meryl’s Devil Wears Prada 2 salary is, but the film is projected to rake in millions worldwide.
