Anne Hathaway has revealed which actress was actually supposed to play Andy in The Devil Wears Prada

Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway onstage at the 2024 SAG awards
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Devil Wears Prada is a cult classic, with millennials and Gen Zs the world over quoting the 2006 rom com on the regular. 

This week, its three stars Anne Hathaway (Andy Sachs), Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestly) and Emily Blunt (Emily Charlton), reunited on stage at the 2024 SAG awards to present an award, giving us a mini TDWP reunion.

The surprise appearance has of course resurfaced news around the film, with one particular anecdote around its casting causing quite the stir. 

It turns out that Anne Hathaway (the Andy Sachs of our dreams) was not actually the first choice for the role. In fact, she was actually the ninth choice.

Yes, really.

Hathaway made the revelation during a guest appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race a few years back, in response to Drag Race star Rosé asking if there were any roles that she'd had to "fight tooth and nail for".

"How much time do you have?" joked Hathaway, before continuing: "I will give you some tea: I was the ninth choice for Devil Wears Prada. But I got it! Hang in there. Never give up."

The role of Andy Sachs was reportedly earmarked for first choice Rachel McAdams, following her huge success in Mean Girls and The Notebook.

McAdams turned it down however, explaining her decision in a 2007 interview with ELLE.

"I’m not going to make movies just to make movies," she explained to the publication. "I have to be passionate about it. And at the same time, I can get very distracted when I'm working, and I like to get back to my life a lot."

Other actresses who reportedly tried out for the role of Andy Sachs include Clare Danes and Juliette Lewis, but it is not known who were the other top contenders.

Well, that's our daily reminder from Anne Hathaway to persevere and get the job in the process!

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.