Meryl Streep reveals Anne Hathaway asked that models ‘not be so skeletal’ for ‘Devil Wears Prada’ sequel

Two decades after the original film, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep are returning to the world of The Devil Wears Prada for its long-awaited sequel.

The Devil Wears Prada 2, which also sees the return of stars Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt, follows Hathaway as journalist Andy Sachs and Streep as Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of fictional fashion magazine Runway, crossing paths again 20 years after the events of the first movie.

When Streep and Hathaway starred in the original Devil Wears Prada, it was an untested franchise that fashion houses hesitated to lend their clothes and brand names to. But the sequel is an entirely different story, with the fashion industry opening doors for the film’s cast and crew, including having its stars attend actual shows at Milan Fashion Week.

But as Streep revealed in a new interview for Harper’s Bazaar, both she and her co-star had an eye-opening experience at those fashion shows that Hathaway took straight to the film’s producers.

Streep said she was “struck by how not only beautiful and young […] but alarmingly thin the models were.”

“I thought that all had been addressed years ago. Annie clocked it too,” Streep said. “She made a beeline to the producers about it, securing promises that the models in the show that we were putting together for our film would not be so skeletal! She’s a stand-up girl.”

Despite taking heavy inspiration from the real-world fashion industry (including comparisons between Streep’s character and longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour), its depiction of models is apparently one area where it’s willing to diverge from reality.

It’s not a secret that in 2026, thin is in—or at least, that’s what advertisers want you to think. Weight loss drugs, from Ozempic to Wegovy to Ro, are more prevalent than ever, with one in eight adults (12%) saying they’re currently taking a GLP-1 as of November. Even Olympic athletes are peddling weight loss: Champion tennis player Serena Williams told more than a million viewers that she’s “healthier on Ro” during a Super Bowl ad for the drug last month.

That cultural return to idolizing thinness makes Hathaway’s request stand out even further, though fans of The Devil Wears Prada are split on the decision. 

Some argue that the sequel ought to depict the fashion industry accurately—including its often regressive attitudes toward body diversity—if it hopes to provide any real critique or satire. “Another indication that this movie will be so bad,” one user wrote on social media in response to the discourse. “Giving insight to the industry was what made the original so sharp.”

But others praised Hathaway for advocating not to show unhealthily thin bodies on screen. “She doesn’t want her movie to perpetuate or encourage dangerously thin/disordered bodies,” one user argued. “I think you guys underestimate how serious eating disorders are and how they can kill you.”

The Devil Wears Prada 2 comes to theaters on May 1.