'They needed me': Meryl Streep was 'ready to retire' before The Devil Wears Prada

Meryl Streep was "ready to retire" before she signed up for The Devil Wears Prada.

The 76-year-old actress almost missed out on playing Miranda Priestly, the formidable Runway Magazine editor, in the 2006 comedy-drama film, but decided to "double" her salary ask.

Appearing on Wednesday's (29.04.26's) edition of NBC's TODAY with Jenna + Sheinelle, Streep revealed: "They called me up, and they made an offer, and I said, 'No, not going to do it.'"

After Jenna Bush Hager, 44, quizzed the Hollywood legend why, Streep replied: "I knew it was going to be a hit and I wanted to see if I doubled my ask...

"And they went right away and said, 'Sure.' And I thought, I'm 50, 60, it took me this long to understand that I could do that. They needed me, I felt.

"I was ready to retire, but that was a lesson."

Now 20 years on, the Oscar winner is back on the big screen as Miranda in the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada - which followed aspiring journalist Andrea "Andy" Sachs (Anne Hathaway) work as an assistant for Miranda.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 - which sees the return of Streep, Hathaway, 43, Emily Blunt, 43, (Emily Charlton), and Stanley Tucci, 65, (Nigel Kipling) - sees near-retiree Miranda competing with Emily, her former assistant and now executive, over advertising revenue.