Meryl Streep says she is "happy to represent" older women in lead roles

New York [US], April 10 : Hollywood actor Meryl Streep has said she is "happy to represent" older women in leading roles as she returns to the big screen with the upcoming film The Devil Wears Prada 2. The actor, who will soon turn 77, reprises her iconic role as Miranda Priestly in the sequel to the 2006 hit film, according to People.

Speaking at a press conference in Japan alongside co-star Anne Hathaway, Streep highlighted the lack of representation for older women in mainstream cinema.

"I do think that there's something in this one that's unusual, because you don't see many 70-, almost 77-year-old women playing parts like this in any movie or under any circumstance," she said, adding with a laugh, "So I'm happy to represent."

Streep further noted that women over 50 often fade from on-screen visibility in the entertainment industry.

"Often women over 50, I'd say, disappear into the woodwork. Their interests and opinions are less valued in our culture," she said, adding that it is encouraging to see such characters portrayed with influence and relevance.

Streep reprises one of her most beloved characters, Miranda Priestly, in the upcoming sequel to the iconic 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada. The movie also sees Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt reprising their roles as the cast reunites at the fictional offices of Runway magazine 20 years after the original movie, according to People.

Based on Lauren Weisberger's book of the same name, The Devil Wears Prada originally followed Andy Sachs (Hathaway, now 43), a recent college graduate eager to pursue a career in journalism. Andy gets a job as a junior assistant for Miranda (Streep, 76), the editor-in-chief of Runway, a fictional high-fashion magazine. Streep received an Oscar nomination for her performance in the movie, and her character has been compared to real-life Vogue editor Anna Wintour over the years.

New cast members who will appear in the upcoming sequel include Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Pauline Chalamet, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon and Broadway stars Helen J. Shen and Conrad Ricamora.

According to a press release, actors Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman will also reprise their roles as "Lily" and "Irv" from the original movie. Adrian Grenier, who played Andy's boyfriend in the original movie, will not return for the sequel, according to People.

Streep most recently voiced a character in Pixar's Hoppers and made a funny voice cameo in Ryan Gosling's Project Hail Mary, according to People.

According to Variety, The Devil Wears Prada 2 follows Priestly "as she navigates her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing and as she faces off against Blunt's character, now a high-powered executive for a luxury group with advertising dollars that Priestly desperately needs."

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is scheduled for theatrical release on May 1.

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