How 'The Devil Wears Prada' Transformed Careers

Saturday, February 27, 2010 , Posted by Should I See It at 2:20 AM



So what do you remember most about The Devil Wears Prada? Meryl Streep’s delicious performance? The clothes? New York? Simon Baker without a shirt on?


Or maybe it's the aftermath of this intelligent blockbuster that you remember most? Now you know who Emily Blunt is, and you watch The Mentalist every week and you secretly hope Stanley Tucci will walk away with the Academy Award in a few weeks time.

What ever you liked or didn't like about it, you can't help but notice that after this film the careers of the leading cast members took a turn for the better.

I call it 'The Devil Wears Prada Effect.' Symptoms include increased publicity, more widespread roles, becoming a 'bankable' name, and having greater attention focused on the actor's career. Side effects may include, but are not limited to, above the title billing, increased interest in the actor's personal life and an increase in nominations and awards.

I am in no way suggesting that these actors were nobodies before this film, but rather we can plot a definate upwards trajectory in their careers that got it's boost from The Devil Wears Prada.






 EMILY BLUNT

Now, be honest: Who here had heard of Emily Blunt before she literally stole every scene in The Devil Wears Prada??? Anyone????? Now she does have an impressive list of credits pre-Prada, including a Golden Globe Award for her role in British miniseries Gideon’s Daughter, but Prada sky-rocketed her from relative unknown to the hottest property in young Hollywood.

Prada gave Blunt’s career the attention her talent deserves. She has graduated into and ‘above the title’ actress and has had quite a few nominations for her work in The Young Victoria.

It’s actually hard to believe Hathaway got an Academy Award nomination before her.





ANNE HATHAWAY



Okay, so Anne Hathaway is probably the actor in this list least impacted by The Devil Wears Prada Effect. Hathaway had a pretty good career behind he; She was already well known and a marketable name in Hollywood. But Prada allowed her to move beyond the teeny bopper roles like The Princess Diaries in to more adult territory (yes, I know she was in Brokeback Mountain, but who remembers her in that?!). Since Prada, Hathaway was nominated for an Academy Award in 2009 for Rachel Getting Married as well as winning a number of independent and critics choice awards for that performance.









STANLEY TUCCI



For Tucci, great roles have never been a problem. He has an impressive list of credits and awards including two Emmys Two Golden Globes and an Independent Spirit Award amongst others.

Stanley Tucci has never been the sort of bankable name the way Streep and Hathaway are. He has flown under the radar, while delivering performances worthy of attention.

His turn as over worked/ underappreciated designer Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada is almost like Tucci’s career; great performances, but not widely recognised.

Last year, Tucci delivered great performances in both Julie & Julia and The Lovely Bones. In fact, the journalists predicting the likely candidates for the Academy Awards were torn between which of the two performances would be recognised. Tucci actually scored his first Academy Award nomination for The Lovely Bones.




SIMON BAKER



The Devil Wears Prada is one of the highlights of Simon Baker’s otherwise lacklustre resume. Apart from LA Confidential and season one of The Guardian, there are some pretty embarrassing films on there (Affair of the Necklace, Something New).

His performance in Prada as devilishly charming writer Christian Thompson was (more than likely) responsible for him landing the role of devilishly charming fake psychic Patrick Jane on The Mentalist.

For his work on The Mentalist, Baker has been nominated for an Emmy, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe, as well as receiving the coveted title of Sexiest Man on Television.





MERYL STREEP



Yes, even Queen Meryl makes this list. Oh I know she had like thirteen Academy Award nominations before Prada, and is widely recognised as one of the greatest actresses of all time, but I don’t think we should over look the impact of Prada.

Not only did The Devil Wears Prada introduce Streep to a new generation of cinema goers (trust me, Out of Africa was not high on any teenagers must watch list), but it also launched something of an Academy Award nomination spree: three nominations in the last four years (including her work in Prada). And after the massive box office success of Mamma Mia!, it is suddenly hip to be Meryl Streep.