Anne Hathaway has often spoken with admiration about working opposite Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, but one moment from the 2006 production has become especially memorable. Before cameras even began rolling, Hathaway experienced a sharp introduction to the kind of discipline and emotional distance Streep planned to bring to the role of Miranda Priestly.
According to Hathaway, their first table read began warmly. Streep greeted her with kindness and gave her a maternal embrace, creating what seemed like a comforting first impression. But that softness disappeared almost instantly. Streep leaned in and delivered a sentence Hathaway would never forget: “That is the last nice thing I will say to you.”
The line was brief, but its effect was enormous. Hathaway, who played the hopeful and inexperienced Andy Sachs, quickly understood that Streep was not simply joking. From that point forward, Streep committed herself fully to the cold, controlled energy of Miranda Priestly, the powerful fashion editor whose quiet intimidation defines the film.
For Hathaway, the experience was both terrifying and educational. Streep’s distance helped create the tension that made their onscreen relationship feel so believable. Andy’s nervousness around Miranda was not just acting; it was strengthened by the atmosphere Streep carefully built around the role.
The production reportedly became a demanding exercise in focus and restraint. Streep did not rely on loud outbursts or obvious cruelty. Instead, she used silence, precision, and emotional control to embody Miranda’s authority. That approach left a lasting impression on Hathaway, who later reflected that it changed how she viewed serious character work.
What makes the story so striking is the contrast between Streep’s reputation as a generous colleague and the icy persona she adopted for the film. Her warning to Hathaway was not meant to wound her, but to establish the emotional rules of the performance. In doing so, she gave Hathaway a real environment to react against.
Nearly two decades later, The Devil Wears Prada remains beloved because of that sharp chemistry. Hathaway’s vulnerability and Streep’s controlled intensity created one of modern cinema’s most memorable mentor-rival dynamics. That nine-word icebreaker was not just a backstage anecdote. It was the beginning of a performance relationship that helped turn a stylish workplace comedy into a cultural classic.