Meryl Streep Reveals Miranda Priestly’s Origin — And It’s Not Anna Wintour

[ad_1] Since The Satan Wears Prada hit theaters in 2006, the belief has been that Meryl Streep modeled Miranda Priestly solely after then-Vogue editor-in-chief and style icon Anna Wintour.

Streep visited The Late Present with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday, and she or he knowledgeable the world we have gotten all of it fallacious.

"I imply, I used to be simply mainly imitating Mike Nichols that entire time," the three-time Oscar winner stated, including, "It is a cross between if Mike Nichols and Clint Eastwood had a child, it will be Miranda Priestly. The command on the set, and Mike would do it form of with a sly humor. Miranda, she is aware of that what she's saying is form of snide, however she is aware of it is form of humorous, too. That means of doing issues, folks take as imply, but it surely's humorous."

<img id="11778560" alt="" caption="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 01: Meryl Streep seen at 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' in Midtown in Midtown on April 01, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Aeon/GC Images)" credit="" sourcealt="" sources="[]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="3000" height="1999" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" src="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 768px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2269448762.jpg?w=640&quality=80&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2269448762.jpg?w=750&quality=80&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2269448762.jpg?w=1000&quality=80&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2269448762.jpg?w=1200&quality=80&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2269448762.jpg?w=1360&quality=80&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2269448762.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2269448762.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1"/> Streep continued, "Clint by no means would increase his voice. He would direct, and folks needed to lean ahead to listen to what he was saying. He'd say, 'Properly, that was alright. I believe let's transfer on.'"

Eastwood directed and starred alongside Streep within the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County and earned an Oscar nomination for Greatest Actress. Streep starred in a number of Nichols-directed initiatives.

Streep stated she has by no means advised Eastwood that he impressed Miranda, however she advised the late Nichols, who was "thrilled."

Streep's portrayal of Miranda Priestly in The Satan Wears Prada earned her one other Oscar nomination for Greatest Actress.

The long-lasting film adopted aspiring journalist Andy (Anne Hathaway) after she unexpectedly bought a job as Miranda's assistant on the high-fashion journal Runway.

Andy jockeys for Miranda's favor with Emily (Emily Blunt) with the tough-love steerage of Nigel (Stanley Tucci), all whereas her relationship with Nate (Adrian Grenier) crumbles because of the calls for of her new job and glamorous way of life.

David Frankel returned to direct The Satan Wears Prada 2, which additionally returns its star-studded solid from the unique. The sequel hits theatres on Might 1. Watch the trailer under.