“The Devil Wears Prada” without Meryl Streep is like girding without loins, but it almost happened. The original 2006 film has become a classic, earning two Academy Award nominations, including a best actress nod for Streep, who won raves for her portrayal as icy Runway editor Miranda Priestl y. The role, based on famed Vogue editor Anna Wintour, also netted Streep a Golden Globe Award for best performance by an actress in a motion picture — comedy or musical. Streep reprises the iconic role in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” opening May 1. The three-time Oscar winner — who is actually a distant relative of Wintour — was not initially sold on the part, however, even though she had faith the movie would be a success. “I knew it was going to be a hit,” she told Jenna Bush Hager in an interview alongside “The Devil Wears Prada” co-stars Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci — all of whom return for the sequel — that aired April 29 on TODAY. “I read the script. Script was great. And they called me up and they made an offer, and I said, ‘No, not going to do it,’” Streep continued. “Why?” an astonished Jenna asked. Streep felt she could earn more than she was being offered. “I knew it was going to be a hit, and I wanted to see if I doubled my ask,” she said. “And they went right away and said sure. And I thought, I’m 50, 60 — it took me this long to understand that I could do that.” Streep sensed she would be vital to the film, even as landing the part proved to be a teachable moment for her. “They needed me, I felt. … I was ready to retire. But, you know, that was a lesson,” she said. Movies 10 hours ago ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2' cast on why it took 20 years to perfect the sequel Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Apr 28 Stanley Tucci Meryl Streep channeled their ‘Devil Wears Prada' characters at Milan Fashion Week It’s been 20 years since the original film came out and the sequel, which features a cameo from Jenna, proves it’s better fashionably late than never. “I think people are hungry for it,” Tucci told Jenna about the sequel. “Arguably, it has become a classic film. It endures, and people seem to have not been able to get enough of us. So here we are.” As for the hype that comes with making a second film, Hathaway says that wasn’t necessarily the case in this instance. “There’s always pressure when you make a movie, but because the screenplay was so amazing, I felt like that actually took a lot of the pressure off,” she said. “Then it was just back to what we do every time, which is just hang out and try to make a great script better.” This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: Anna Wintour called Meryl Streep when she heard ‘Devil Wears Prada’ sequel rumors. How Streep … Meryl Streep shares the 1 word she thinks best describes life as a grandma EXCLUSIVE: Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour are related. Groundbreaking. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less