Meryl Streep Champions LGBTQ+ Community Ahead of 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Release

The acclaimed actress reprises her role as the formidable Miranda Priestly in the long-awaited sequel, expressing gratitude for the queer community's embrace of the original film.

Meryl Streep is stepping back into the iconic heels of fashion editor Miranda Priestly for the upcoming The Devil Wears Prada 2, set to premiere in cinemas across the globe starting next week. During promotional activities for the sequel to the 2006 blockbuster, the celebrated performer reflected on the film's enduring resonance within the LGBTQ+ community.

"It makes me so happy! Would we have fashion without gay people?" Streep remarked in an interview with Out magazine. "Forgive me, would we have anything? I wouldn't know how to put together anything. It's a joy to have made it with [the LGBTQ+] community in mind. Top of mind."

The actress further emphasized the film's universal appeal across diverse demographics and geographic regions. "It's cross culture. We've just been around the world with this. The reaction is the same in Mexico City as Tokyo, as Seoul, as Shanghai... I honestly was surprised. I really was surprised by the universality of the response and from so many different kinds of people," she explained.

A Reunited Ensemble

The sequel brings together the original cast, featuring Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci alongside Streep. The actress expressed her appreciation for reuniting with her co-stars after two decades. "I feel so lucky to be able to come back to something we did 20 years ago. Who gets to do that? We've had a whole lifetime. Look at Stanley Tucci! He's blossomed! [Emily Blunt] blossomed at birth," she remarked.

A Decades-Long LGBTQ+ Advocate

Streep's support for the queer community spans multiple decades. During her 2004 Golden Globes acceptance speech for Angels in America, she openly championed marriage equality and condemned then-President George W. Bush's opposition to same-sex marriage.

In 2017, the Human Rights Campaign recognized her unwavering commitment by awarding her the Ally for Equality Award. In her acceptance remarks, Streep directly challenged those attempting to reverse progress for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. "We should not be surprised that fundamentalists, of every stripe, are exercised and fuming," she declared. "We should not be surprised that these profound changes come at a steeper cost than we originally thought. We should not be surprised that not everyone is actually cool with it."

She concluded her speech with a powerful statement on constitutional rights: "There is a prohibition against the establishment of a state religion in our Constitution, and we have the right to choose with whom we live, whom we love and who and what gets to interfere with our bodies. As Americans, men, women, people, gay, straight, L, G, B, T, Q, all of us have the human right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And if you think people got mad when they thought the government was coming after their guns, wait till they come and try to take away our happiness!"

Release Schedule

The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiered on April 20 in New York. The film will reach most European theaters on April 29, with its UK and US release scheduled for May 1.