The truth is that no one can do what she does. In true Miranda Priestly style, Meryl Streep gave the creative team behind the original The devil wears Prada an ultimatum: either he doubled his salary or he left. 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 and Emily Blunt and Stanley Tuccithey were promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2.
“I knew it was going to be a hit,” Meryl said. Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager – who makes a cameo in the film’s sequel – during an interview in April 2026. “I read the script, it was fantastic. They called me, made me an offer, and I said, ‘No. I’m not going to do it.’…I wanted to see if I had doubled my order, and they immediately went and said, ‘Sure.'”
Noting that she was 56 years old at the time, the Only murders in the building alum added that “It took me so long to understand that I could do that! I was sure of it. I was sure it would be a success. And I felt like they needed me. And I wanted it, but if they didn’t want to do that, that’s fine. Because I’m old. I’m 56 years old, 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 him to return for the sequel? This is what we know.
What is Meryl Streep’s net worth?
In 2026, Meryl has a net worth of around $100 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
What was Meryl Streep’s salary in the original film? The devil wears Prada?
It’s unclear how much Meryl was actually paid for the first film, but several Departures reported it to be around $4 million.
What is Meryl Streep? The Devil Wears Prada 2 Salary?
Meryl earned a whopping $12.5 million for the sequel, according to Variety. Two sources told the publication that Meryl made sure her co-stars Anne and Emily also received the same salary.
During that April 2026 Today In the interview, Meryl acknowledged that the concept of the sequel had been in talks for years.
“They started talking about a sequel, but we all waited until we had that good idea,” he said.
