Anne Hathaway was 9th choice for ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’ and other viral moments from RuPaul’s ‘Drag Race’
Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of budding journalism and fashion ingenue Andrea "Andy" Sachs in the 2006 comedy-drama film The Devil Wears Prada is easily one of her most memorable. The movie itself has become a modern comedy classic. We cannot imagine the character of Andy Sach being played by anyone else.
So it comes as a surprise that Hathaway actually wasn’t high on the list of actresses who was supposed to play her.
In the eighth episode of the reality competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race, which aired over the weekend, Hathaway revealed that she was actually the ninth choice to play Andy in The Devil Wears Prada! The actress appeared on the show via a virtual Zoom call, to give the show’s contestants acting tips and a pep talk for their musical-theater challenge.
This revelation came after Rosè, one of the show’s contestants this season, asked Hathaway if there were movie roles she had to fight for to play. This is after, during the episode, Rosè and Denali, another competitor in the show, had to fight for the lead role in their “Social Media: The Unverified Rusical” challenge.
“How much time do you have? A lot of them,” Hathaway quipped.
She added: ”I will give you some tea, I was the ninth choice for The Devil Wears Prada. But I got it!"
Hathaway, of course, didn’t mention who the other eight choices to play Andy were. Nor did she mention what she had to do to get the role. But Hathaway said, “Hang in there, never give up!”
“When you don’t get the role that you want, you steal the show anyway,” Hathaway said.
Apparently, Hathaway not being the first choice to play Andy isn’t new information. However, the idea that she had to beat seven other actresses—apart from the top choice—for the role is almost unbelievable, considering how well Hathaway played the character and how successful The Devil Wears Prada was in the box-office. It earned over $320 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2006.
In 2016, it was reported by Variety that Rachel McAdams was actually the top choice to play Andy. Fox, the studio behind The Devil Wears Prada, wanted McAdams to headline the role as she was already a big movie star, starring in big hits such as The Notebook and Mean Girls. Hathaway, at the time, was well-known for starring in family movies such as The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted. But McAdams refused the part, so it eventually went to Hathaway.
That Hathaway made this revelation on RuPaul’s Drag Race isn’t a surprise. (The actress has said in past interviews that she is a fan of drag and the show)
RuPaul's Drag Race, now on its 13th season, has been making waves the past few years, winning Emmy Awards and viewers along the way.
Even if you don’t watch the show—for those not in the know, it’s a competition show featuring drag queens doing a number of challenges including fashion runways and lp syncs—you have probably seen clips of RuPaul’s Drag Race on your social media feeds. Easily one of its most viral moments this year is the lip sync battle between drag queens Denali and Kahmora Essence Hall to the song 100% Pure Love by Crystal Waters. Denali’s performance here has been dubbed by the media as “one of the best performances we’ve seen on television so far this year, full stop.” Watch it here:
Another breakout of the show—one that has transcended its core audience and has become a meme, a sign of mainstream success—is drag queen Utica Queen, who created a hooded gown using nothing but sleeping bags for one of the show’s challenges. Check out the looks from the show's Ball challenge (including Utica's amazing sleeping bag gown look) here:
In the Philippines, RuPaul's Drag Queen is available on Netflix Philippines and WOW Presents Plus.
Banner photo: 20th Century Fox, RuPaul's Drag Race YouTube channel