Meryl Streep chose cerulean blue colour for iconic Devil Wears Prada speech, made this crucial addition to Miranda: ‘I was shocked’

Just because of that lone vulnerable moment, the rest of her mechanical body language throughout the course of the film makes more sense. Because Miranda’s ageing, being exhausted of life is so human, and it comes so unexpectedly that it leaves both audience and Andrea in a bit of a shock. And to think that addition was made by Meryl herself makes it that much more meaningful in hindsight.

“Meryl definitely kept her distance … She was very aloof and they (the cast and crew) were properly intimidated by that. It meant that they were always super prepared and always apologetic just to her as an actress, and that definitely fed all of their performances. She was able to properly condescend to them,” said filmmaker David Frankel while speaking to Insider. David added that seeing Meryl perform Miranda like that was definitely unexpected.

“We were shooting at the St. Regis Hotel in New York and they said, ‘Meryl’s ready’. And I got in one elevator and we got off the elevator about the same time in the hall and there she was. And I saw her and I was shocked. I was in as much shock as the audience is when they first see her like that. In a moment, you get it, what she was going for and she did it beautifully,” he stated.

Anne Hathaway in a still from The Devil Wears Prada.

Meanwhile Meryl, in an interview with Variety, had said she just wanted to peel back the mask of Miranda at least once in order to give her more depth: “I also wanted a scene where she is without her armor, the unpeeled scene in the hotel room—just to see that face without it protective glaze, to glimpse the woman in the businesswoman.”

Now comes the cerulean blue speech, the colour which the Oscar-winning actor popularised single-handedly. Seriously, can you recall when had the world ever paid so much attention to this colour before? The monologue is delivered deliciously by Streep, who lashes out at Anne Hathaway’s Andrea for sniggering when a staff asks which blue-coloured belt should she pick for an outfit. The two similarly coloured belts make Andrea laugh at her and the fashion world in general. Her attitude prompts a miffed Miranda (aka Streep) to remind Andrea why such decisions and distinctions are significant, and how in turn they influence the fashion market and the choices an individual makes when they buy an outfit. The pitch-perfect Streep did not disappoint, and now that sequence has been cemented as one of the most unforgettable moments from the film.

Here’s a small trivia for movie buffs: It was Meryl Streep herself who chose to go with the cerulean blue colour, after being given the options of turquoise and lapis among other shades of blue to choose from. “I had also sent Meryl a list of blues: lapis, azure, cerulean. She picked cerulean,” screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna had revealed during the Vulture Festival held in Los Angeles at the time.

While the film might have turned out great, Meryl Streep herself was admittedly ‘miserable’ during the shoot as she could hear the rest of the crew laughing and having a gala time by themselves. “It was horrible! I was miserable in my trailer. I could hear [the cast and crew] all rocking and laughing. I was so depressed! I said, ‘Well, it’s the price you pay for being boss.’ That’s the last time I ever attempted method thing!” the actor had earlier told Entertainment Weekly.

Here’s hoping the money the film made (an estimated 320 million dollars plus) and the accolades it won (an Oscar and Golden Globe nom) helped Meryl feel it was all worth it.

The Devil Wears Prada is available to stream on Disney Plus Hotstar and YouTube.