Meryl Streep Criticizes 'Marvel-ized' Movies, Talks 'Devil Wears Prada 2'

Meryl Streep criticized modern filmmaking for "Marvel-izing" movies, arguing that clear-cut heroes and villains make storytelling boring. She praised narratives with flawed heroes and human villains as more compelling. Streep also discussed renegotiating her salary for the original 'The Devil Wears Prada,' doubling her pay after initially declining. The sequel, 'The Devil Wears Prada 2,' is now in theaters and touches on themes like AI.

Key Points: Meryl Streep on 'Marvel-ized' Movies & 'Devil Wears Prada 2'

  • Meryl Streep criticizes modern films for relying on clear-cut heroes and villains, calling it "Marvel-izing"
  • She praises "messier" stories with flawed heroes and human villains
  • Streep discusses renegotiating her salary for 'The Devil Wears Prada,' doubling her original pay
  • She and Anne Hathaway touch on AI, with Streep noting Miranda Priestly would never need it
  • 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' is now in theaters
2 min read

"We tend to Marvel-ize movies now": Meryl Streep on present storylines in films

Meryl Streep says superhero storytelling makes movies boring. She discusses 'Devil Wears Prada 2,' renegotiating her salary, and AI.

"I think we tend to Marvel-ize the movies now. We got the villains, and we got the good guys, and it's so boring. - Meryl Streep"

Washington DC, May 2

Actress Meryl Streep weighed in on the state of modern filmmaking, arguing that the dominance of superhero storytelling has led to less nuanced character work across the industry, reported Variety.

Speaking in a recent interview on the Hits Radio Breakfast Show, as quoted by Variety, Meryl Streep criticised what she described as a growing reliance on clear-cut heroes and villains in contemporary movies.

"I think we tend to Marvel-ize the movies now. We got the villains, and we got the good guys, and it's so boring," she said, adding that the most compelling storytelling comes from characters who resist easy categorisation.

"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," said Meryl Streep as quoted by Variety.

Streep reprises her role as Miranda Priestly in the sequel to 'The Devil Wears Prada,' which returns to the world of high fashion two decades after the original.

The actor has also recently spoken about renegotiating her compensation for the 2006 original film, revealing she initially declined the offer before returning on revised terms.

"I said, 'No, not going to do it,'" she said in a separate interview on Today, as quoted by Variety, noting she ultimately returned after the studio agreed to her asking price, doubling her original salary.

"They went right away and said, 'Sure.' It took me this long to understand that I could do that! They needed me, I felt. I was ready to retire. That was a lesson."

The discussion also touched on AI and whether Miranda Priestly would ever use it, another theme the sequel engages with. Streep suggested her character would have no need for it, given that she already has assistants handling that kind of work.

That then prompted Hathaway to share a recent hiring experience, saying she was interviewing candidates for an unspecified role when each one followed up with nearly identical thank-you notes, each of which she suspects was written using ChatGPT.

'The Devil Wears Prada 2' is now in theatres.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul R
While I agree with her point about complex characters, I think superhero movies have their place too. They're escapism for the masses. But yes, I miss the grey shades in storytelling - like in our own Indian classics like Satyajit Ray films or even more recent ones like 'Gangs of Wasseypur'. That's what real cinema should be about.
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Sneha F
Meryl Streep is a legend but I think she's being a bit harsh. The Marvel movies have their own charm - they're not all black and white. Take Thanos, for example - he genuinely believed he was saving the universe. That's pretty complex if you ask me! 😊
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Aman W
'Marvel-ize' - what a perfect word! I see this happening in Indian cinema too. Our filmmakers are so obsessed with copying Hollywood formulas instead of telling stories that are rooted in our own culture. We need more messy, human stories like the ones Meryl Streep talks about. The ones that make you think, not just switch off your brain.
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Deepak U
I think she's right about the nuance, but let's be fair - Hollywood still makes plenty of complex, character-driven films. And here in India, we have filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, and Shoojit Sircar who are still doing amazing work with grey characters. The problem is these films don't get the same marketing muscle as the big franchise movies.
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James A
As an American living in India, I find this very interesting. I think Meryl has a point about the over-simplification of characters in mainstream cinema. But I also see how Bol

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