'Would we have fashion without gay people?' Meryl Streep salutes gay culture ahead of Devil Wears Prada 2

Meryl Streep has spoken warmly about the enduring love The Devil Wears Prada enjoys within the LGBTQ+ community, as anticipation builds for the long‑awaited sequel to the cult fashion comedy.

The Oscar‑winning actor first appeared as the formidable fashion editor Miranda Priestly in the endlessly quotable 2006 original, a role she reprises in the new film, due in UK cinemas on 1 May.

Reflecting on the film’s lasting queer legacy in an interview with Out magazine, Streep said she was deeply moved by the way LGBTQ+ audiences have embraced both the character and the world of Prada.

“It makes me so happy,” she said. “Would we have fashion without gay people? 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.”

Streep also spoke about the overwhelmingly positive response to the sequel across different cultures, noting the film’s broad appeal extends well beyond its devoted queer fanbase.

“Would we have fashion without gay people? Forgive me - would we have anything?"

“It’s cross‑cultural,” she said. “We’ve been around the world with this, and the reaction is the same in Mexico City as it is in Tokyo, Seoul or Shanghai. I honestly was surprised - by the universality of the response, and by how many different kinds of people it’s resonated with.”

The sequel reunites Streep with original castmates Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci. Reflecting on returning to the world of Runway two decades on, Streep described feeling grateful for the rare opportunity.

“I feel so lucky to come back to something we did 20 years ago. Who gets to do that?” she said. “We’ve had a whole lifetime. Look at Stanley Tucci - he’s blossomed! Emily Blunt blossomed at birth.”

Based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel, the original film followed Hathaway’s Andy Sachs, an aspiring journalist who lands a job as assistant to the notoriously demanding Miranda Priestly at a powerful New York fashion magazine. The film went on to gross more than $326 million worldwide and earned Streep a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actress.

Since its release, The Devil Wears Prada has become a cornerstone of queer pop culture, its sharp dialogue, camp sensibility and unapologetically powerful women finding particular resonance with LGBTQ+ audiences. That cultural impact was cemented further when a stage musical adaptation premiered in London’s West End in 2024.