The fashion magazine editor ‘Miranda (Meryl Streep)’, who seems so unflappable that not a single drop of blood would spill if pricked, and the entry-level newcomer ‘Andy (Anne Hathaway)’ who struggled at her side. <The Devil Wears Prada> (2006), whose characters themselves became iconic, returns with a sequel after 20 years.

“Miranda and Andy reunite here today.” The words of broadcaster Park Kyung-lim, who hosted the Korea visit press conference for <The Devil Wears Prada 2> at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 8th, were no exaggeration. Meryl Streep (77), who made a charismatic entrance in a red suit, and Anne Hathaway (44), who looked at her with admiration, evoked Miranda and Andy from the film.

Hathaway visited Korea eight years ago, but this is Streep’s first time. Offering a brief Korean greeting, “annyeonghaseyo,” Streep said, “I was excited looking out the airplane window. I am glad we could bring a work we love and are proud of.” She added, “My six grandchildren talk about <K-pop Demon Hunters> every day and even sing along. It is thrilling that the world is this connected.”

Just as 20 years have passed in real life, time has passed in the film as well. Miranda is still the editor-in-chief of the magazine <Runway>, but the fashion industry’s environment is not what it used to be. Having left <Runway> at the end of the first film to join a media outlet, Andy is now a mid-career investigative journalist. Yet the media landscape is also unforgiving. The sequel tells the story of their reunion amid these changes.

“The first film from 2006 is set even before the iPhone was released. Now the smartphone that everyone carries has changed everything in journalism and entertainment. The sequel is about Miranda and Andy, who find themselves in similar positions within a rapidly changing media environment.” Streep said.

An evolved Andy is one of the key things to watch in the sequel. Hathaway said, “If, in the first film, the 22-year-old Andy was an entry-level newcomer brimming with ideas but short on experience, then in the sequel she has faithfully lived the life she wanted as a journalist for 20 years. With experience, she is humble yet has her own point of view,” adding, “Andy emerges as Miranda’s potential partner, and she proves just that dependable.” Having grown into a standout, she still tenses up a little before Miranda, slipping back into old habits.

Not only Streep and Hathaway but also many members of the original cast, including Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, return. Director David Frankel and the original creative team have reunited as well. “I could feel the energy reignite vividly,” Streep said, “and above all, I was happy and delighted to meet a mature Hathaway rather than her younger self.”

<The Devil Wears Prada> also broadened views of the “career woman” 20 years ago. Streep said, “Watching Andy in the first film gave young women courage, and it also showed that a woman could be a bad boss. It was also the first film in a while in which men told me they ‘felt something’ about the character I played.”

Streep cited “the fact that Miranda is in her 70s” as something new in the sequel. “I think it is difficult to see any film where a woman in her 70s or older, like me, plays the boss. I am glad to embody that representation.”

Streep recently graced the cover of Vogue with Anna Wintour, the former U.S. Vogue editor-in-chief who inspired Miranda. Referring to this, she explained, “Anna Wintour and I, and even the photographer (Annie Leibovitz), were the same age.” She continued, “At some point, the opinions and thoughts of women over 50 often get reflected less in culture, so I am glad to present a character with a strong presence like Miranda.”

Hathaway said audiences may relate to protagonists who “try to make their way, but sometimes do not quite manage to,” adding, “I hope you discover people in the film who feel less like role models and more like yourself.” <The Devil Wears Prada 2> will open first worldwide in Korea on the 29th.