Anne Hathaway Says She Was The ‘9th Choice’ For ‘Devil Wears Prada’: ‘Never Give Up’

Anne Hathaway almost missed out on her star-making role in “The Devil Wears Prada”?  Groundbreaking.

The Oscar winner revealed during a surprise appearance on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” this week that she was nowhere near the top of the list to play naïve assistant Andy opposite Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly in the 2006 classic.

“I will give you some tea: I was the ninth choice for ‘Devil Wears Prada,'” Anne revealed, when a contestant asked if she ever had to “fight tooth and nail” for a part.

“But I got it! Hang in there, never give up,” she added.

The mom of two didn’t share which actresses were also vying for the coveted role, but Rachel McAdams reportedly turned down multiple offers.

Though this marks the first time Anne has shared details on just how much competition she faced when auditioning for “Prada,” she previously opened up to Variety about needing to “be patient” while hoping for her dream to come true.

That doesn’t mean she didn’t find creative ways to shoot her shot, though.

The 38-year-old told the mag in 2016 that she went so far as to trace “hire me” in an executive’s Zen garden after they met to discuss the film.

It was worth the wait and effort. “Prada” became a blockbuster hit that skyrocketed Anne to the A-list. When reflecting on the career impact she felt after the movie, Anne noted in her Variety interview that being the “straight man” to Meryl’s showstopping icon actually worked in her favor.

“I’m proud of what I did. But amongst the showy roles, it’s the quiet one. I think what people saw was promising – it made people want to see more,” she said at the time.

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— Erin Biglow

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