Meryl Streep just called out Hollywood for turning complex characters into flat superhero tropes. The legendary actor spoke with Hits Radio Breakfast Show about her return in The Devil Wears Prada 2, praising how her character Miranda Priestly resists easy categorization. Streep's take. blockbuster franchises strip away nuance. "It's so boring," she said.
Her point lands hard. Hollywood has embraced the Marvel formula. across genres. Studios flatten morally ambiguous characters into heroes or villains. They sand down the rough edges that make people actually interesting. Streep's Miranda works because she's a difficult boss with hidden depths. She's not purely evil. She's not purely good. She's human.
The actress clearly values that complexity. It's why she keeps returning to roles that demand layers. Devil Wears Prada succeeded because Andy Sachs and Miranda shared a genuine relationship beneath the power dynamic. That nuance made it resonate.
Streep's frustration reflects a wider audience fatigue. Audiences crave characters with contradictions. They want moral gray areas. They're tired of cookie-cutter archetypes dressed in different costumes. The formula works for opening weekends but dies in cultural memory.
Her comments arrive as studios finally reckon with audience hunger for original storytelling and character-driven narratives.