New Delhi: Filmmaker Karan Johar spoke with Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway for the promotions of The Devil Wears Prada 2, and declared his undying love for Streep’s character, Miranda Priestly. He shared the clip of the conversation on Instagram.
“Miranda is navigating uncharted waters, like we all are,” said Streep.
The sequel is all set to release in India on 1 May, nearly 20 years after the original film.
“I have been channeling Miranda Priestly in many of my boardrooms. I run a studio. Should I be worried about myself, or should you be flattered?” asked Johar as Hathaway and Streep laughed. “But do you judge their shoes?” Hathaway asked.
Streep even complimented Johar, and said, “You have the perfect shoe on today.”
Johar, who was dressed in a black suit, paired with a floral tie, also mentioned one of the most iconic Pristely-isms, “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.”
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Nostalgia and the changing landscape
During the interview, Johar mentioned how he has watched Devil Wears Prada (2006) more than 200 times. He asked how Streep plans to combat nostalgia associated with the film, and its characters.
“The film you loved appeared before we had iPhones. The world has changed so profoundly in 20 years, I have changed and you have changed in 20 years. We have brought all of that in this new incarnation of Runway, and it deals with the digital revolution in journalism and publishing,” said Streep.
The actor also talked about why it took so long to make the sequel.
“The writer, Lauren Weisberger, who wrote the first one, began talking about a sequel three years after the first film appeared because it was such a huge hit and had a cultural impact that nobody in Hollywood could feel,” she said. “It took that long for her to find a concept. The moment we’re in right now, with where journalism and publishing are, it took all that time to place these characters in jeopardy.”
Hathaway spoke about her experience of acting in the original movie as a 22-year-old actor and how everyone protected her back then.
“I have built up my craft, and I have built up my confidence over 20 years, and I got to go back to back and show all of these people that I love and respect them so much and I am so grateful to show them what I have been up to,” said Hathaway.
The interview ended with Hathaway persuading Streep to do theater, where the veteran actor started her career. When Streep responded, “I wish I could,” Hathaway was visibly pleased and said, “We will talk?” as the two burst into laughter.