Meryl Streep may be one of the most celebrated performers in film history, but the three‑time Oscar winner insists she has never felt like she has mastered the craft that made her a household name.
Filled with Uncertainty
Speaking to PEOPLE alongside Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt while promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, the 76‑year‑old star admitted she still approaches every role with uncertainty.
Streep, who holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor with 21 in total, said she often watches other performers and wonders how they achieve what they do on stage or screen. She recalled seeing Death of a Salesman on Broadway the night before the interview and being blown away by Laurie Metcalf’s performance, joking that the experience made her feel like she should retire. Streep said she frequently has moments where she thinks other actors possess a skill she somehow lacks, even after decades of acclaimed work.
She said, “I don’t know how to do it. I don’t know how people do it.”
“When I see people do it, I think, ‘How did she do that?’ I just saw Death of a Salesman last night [on Broadway]. I mean, I can’t believe Laurie Metcalf just blew my mind… all of them! I thought, ‘Well, I better just retire, because I don’t know how she did that. What an artist.'”
Following Instinct
She explained that she has never followed a formal acting method and instead relies on instinct, listening, and responding to the energy around her.
According to Streep, every new project begins with the same sense of not knowing, and she simply builds the character piece by piece as filming progresses.
She continued: “So yeah, I don’t know how to do it.”
“I go into everything, not knowing how people do it. And you sort of feel and listen and pick it up as you go along. I don’t have a method. But you have a feeling you know what you need to do.”
The Devil Wears Prada Role
The actress also reflected on her time playing Miranda Priestly in the original The Devil Wears Prada, revealing that she stayed in character throughout filming — a choice she now admits made the experience difficult.
Not one to mince her words, she said: “I was just miserable.”
“At first I hung around on-set, and then [in a scene] I’d try to intimidate them. And they didn’t have it, and so I thought, ‘Oh, okay. I’ve got to step back.’ It was really a conscious thing. So I went back to my trailer, and I knitted a lot and seethed. I don’t know if it helped them, but it helped me.”
Returning to the role for the sequel, however, was a very different experience. Streep said revisiting Miranda felt surprisingly natural, explaining that actors often “keep” their characters long after a film wraps.
Even with a career that spans generations, Streep maintains the same humility and self‑doubt she had at the beginning — something she says keeps her grounded, curious, and open to whatever comes next.