One A-lister has opened up about her regret turning down the lead role in 'The Devil Wears Prada'

Anne Hathaway filming on location for 'The Devil Wears Prada' in 2005
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Devil Wears Prada is a cult classic, with the 2006 rom com still quoted by millennials and Gen Zs on a regular basis.

And with reports of a sequel in early development, and original screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna returning to the helm, fans are hoping to see stars Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt reunite for the project.

Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson attend Dolce & Gabbana's "The One" Fragrance Launch and Private Dinner

(Image credit: Getty Images)

However, it was the original casting that made headlines this week, as A-list actress Kate Hudson revealed that she had originally been offered the role of Andy Sachs.

Hudson, 45, opened up about the situation during a recent appearance on Capital FM, describing her decision to turn down the role as a "bad call".

"That was a bad call. And it was like a timing thing," Hudson explained. "It was one of those things where I couldn’t do it, and I should’ve made it happen, and I didn’t.

"That was one where when I saw it I was like, ugh," she continued. "But again, everything happens for a reason. There’s a reason for that. That was a real like, ‘I should’ve made that work.'

"It’s funny, it’s waves of things that are happening and people shooting at different times," she went on to add. "It’s not like you don’t do them because you don’t want to do them. It’s like, oh, you’re doing something else. And it just sucked, you know?"

Rachel McAdams attends the 77th Annual Tony Awards in 2024

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Other actresses who were reportedly in the running for the role of Andy Sachs included Clare Danes, Kirsten Dunst and Juliette Lewis, with Anne Hathaway actually being the ninth choice.

Rachel McAdams was reportedly the first choice for the role, following her huge success in Mean Girls and The Notebook. And according to director David Frankel, she was offered the role three times. "The studio was determined to have her," he recalled. "And she was determined not to do it."

McAdams has since opened up about the situation, explaining her decision in a 2023 interview with Bustle.

"I felt guilty for not capitalising on the opportunity that I was being given, because I knew I was in such a lucky spot," she explained. "But I also knew it wasn’t quite jiving with my personality and what I needed to stay sane."

She continued: "There were definitely some anxious moments of wondering if I was just throwing it all away, and why was I doing that? It’s taken years to understand what I intuitively was doing."

Well, that's that.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.