NEW YORK: Hollywood actor Meryl Streep has said she is “happy to represent” older women in leading roles as she returns to the big screen in the upcoming film The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Streep, who will soon turn 77, reprises her celebrated role as Miranda Priestly in the sequel to the 2006 hit, according to People. Speaking at a press conference in Japan alongside co-star Anne Hathaway, she drew attention to the limited representation of older women in mainstream cinema.
“I do think there’s something in this that’s unusual, because you don’t see many 70-, almost 77-year-old women playing parts like this in any film or under any circumstance,” she said, adding with a laugh, “So I’m happy to represent.”
The Oscar-winning actor also observed that women over 50 often become less visible on screen. “Often women over 50, I’d say, disappear into the woodwork. Their interests and opinions are less valued in our culture,” she said, noting that it was encouraging to see such characters portrayed with influence and relevance.
Streep returns as Miranda Priestly in the sequel to the acclaimed 2006 film, which also sees Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt reprise their roles, reuniting the cast at the fictional offices of Runway magazine two decades later, according to People.
Based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel of the same name, the original film followed Andy Sachs (Hathaway, now 43), a young graduate pursuing a career in journalism who becomes junior assistant to Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of Runway, a fictional high-fashion magazine. Streep received an Oscar nomination for her performance, with the character often compared to former Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
New cast members include Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Pauline Chalamet, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon, and Broadway performers Helen J. Shen and Conrad Ricamora.
Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman will also reprise their original roles, while Adrian Grenier will not return for the sequel, according to People.
Streep was most recently heard in Pixar’s Hoppers and made a cameo voice appearance in Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary, according to People.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is scheduled for theatrical release on 1 May.
(With inputs from ANI)