Rachel McAdams was the first choice for the lead
A recent reunion of 'The Devil Wears Prada' has revealed all kinds of behind the scenes trivia for fans of the movie.
It turns out that the first choice for the lead role of Andy Sachs in the movie wasn't Anne Hathaway, but Rachel McAdams.
'The Devil Wears Prada' director David Frankel told EW that the actress turned down the roles three times altogether.
He said that Fox 2000, the studio behind the movies, was really pushing for Rachel McAdams.
She was a superstar and in high demand at the time having just starred in 'Mean Girls' and 'The Notebook'.
"We started negotiating with Annie to make a deal, and that didn't go well with the studio.… We offered it to Rachel McAdams three times," Frankel recalled. "The studio was determined to have her, and she was determined not to do it."
Before Hathaway landed the part, other actresses considered for the role included Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson and Kirsten Dunst.
The 'Les Mis' star detailed how she really had to push to get cast.
She told EW: "It spoke to me. It made me feel. It was about a subject that I take very seriously, but in such a wonderfully joyful and lighthearted way."
Hathaway met with studio executives and campaigned hard for the part. She even wrote the words "hire me" in the zen garden of then-Fox 2000 vice president Carla Hacken.
Having her co-star Meryl Streep's backing also helped a lot.
Frankel said: "Meryl was eager to make the movie, and she said 'let me meet with her.' Brokeback Mountain was about to come out. Annie had a wonderful, small role in that. And Meryl watched that scene from the movie, she met with her and called up Tom Rothman at Fox and said, 'Yeah, this girl's great, and I think we'll work well together.'"
On hearing she got the part, Anne Hathaway said: "I patiently waited until it was my turn. And I got the call. It was the easiest yes in the world.
"I remember the moment I found out I got the part, I just ran screaming through my apartment. I had a bunch of friends over at the time, I just jumped up in the living room and screamed, 'I'm going to be in 'The Devil Wears Prada'!'"