Meryl Streep has criticized Hollywood's tendency to reduce characters to simplistic heroes and villains, a trend she likens to the Marvel franchise. Speaking about her role in the recently released The Devil Wears Prada 2, the Oscar-winning actress said that flattening characters into such categories is 'so boring.'
In an interview with Hits Radio Breakfast Show, Streep discussed the nuanced portrayal of her iconic character, Miranda Priestly, in the sequel. Co-host Fleur East noted that the film reveals a softer side to the formidable editor-in-chief. Streep agreed, calling it 'a realistic view' of a complex woman.
'I think when we tend to Marvel-ize the movies now – we got the villains and we got the good guys – and it's so boring,' Streep said. 'And what's really interesting about life is that some of the heroes are flawed and some of the villains are human and interesting and have their own strengths. So that's what I like about this [film]. It's messier.'
Streep's comments come two decades after the original The Devil Wears Prada became a cultural phenomenon, with Priestly's cutting one-liners, such as 'Florals for spring? Groundbreaking,' entering the pop culture lexicon. The sequel reunites Streep with Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, and sees Hathaway's Andy Sachs return to Runway magazine as a senior editor.