Meryl Streep’s last experience of method acting left her “so depressed”.
The 71-year-old actress immersed herself in the role of Runway editor Miranda Priestly in 2006 movie ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ both on and off camera, but hated being isolated away from the rest of the cast because she could always hear them having a good time together.
She told Entertainment Weekly: “It was horrible! I was [miserable] in my trailer. I could hear them all rocking and laughing. I was so depressed! I said, ‘Well, it’s the price you pay for being boss!’
“That’s the last time I ever attempted a Method thing!”
As well as drawing on the advice of her old drama teacher, Meryl’s portrayal of the tough fashion guru was also inspired by actor-turned-director Clint Eastwood.
She explained: “It was a direct steal from the way I saw Clint Eastwood run a set. He’s someone that guys really respect, and he never raises his voice, ever; the one time that he did, it so terrified people for two weeks, they were traumatised.
“In drama school [a teacher] said, ‘How you play a king has nothing to do with you – you’re just you – it’s how everybody else in the room acts when you enter it that makes you the king.’ It was all up to them to have this reaction. I could just speak and be slightly nastier than I normally am.”
Meryl’s co-star, Emily Blunt, admitted she could tell the veteran actress wasn’t having a great time on set.
She said: “Meryl is so gregarious and fun as hell, in some ways it wasn’t the most fun for her having to remove herself. It wasn’t like she was unapproachable; You could go up to her and say, ‘Oh my God, the funniest thing just happened,’ and she’d listen, but I don’t know if it was the most fun for her to be on set being that way.”