Meryl Streep says two directors inspired Miranda Priestly in Devil Wears Prada

Meryl Streep has revealed that her The Devil Wears Prada character Miranda Priestly is a cross between directors Mike Nichols and Clint Eastwood.

While it's widely believed that the ice-cold magazine boss Miranda was based on former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Streep has revealed that she actually took inspiration for the character from two unexpected sources.

During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night, the Oscar-winning actress revealed that she was "just basically imitating Mike Nichols that whole time" while playing Miranda.

However, she then noted that her portrayal of Miranda was actually inspired by crossing the late filmmaker - who directed her in films including Postcards From the Edge and Silkwood - with Eastwood due to their commanding presence on set.

"If Mike Nichols and Clint Eastwood had a baby, it would be Miranda Priestly," she explained with a laugh. "Because they just (have) the command on the set. Mike would do it with sort of a sly humour, and Miranda, she knows what she's saying is sort of snide, but she knows it's kind of funny too. That little way of doing things, people take as mean, but it's funny, you know. I think it's funny."

She continued, "And Clint never would raise his voice. He would direct, and people had to lean forward to hear what he was saying. He'd say (adopts quiet, calm voice), 'Well, that was all right. I think... I think let's move on.' He'd often shoot the rehearsal and then move on."

The Mamma Mia! star noted that she never told her Bridges of Madison County director that he was her inspiration for Miranda, but she informed Nichols, who died in 2014, and he was "thrilled" by the news.

Streep made her debut as the Runway boss alongside Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt in 2006's The Devil Wears Prada. The cast are returning for a long-awaited sequel, which hits cinemas on 1 May.

The 76-year-old, who wore Hathaway's cerulean blue sweater from the first film for the interview, explained that they had to "scrabble for our budget" while making the original 20 years ago because studio executives considered it a "chick flick" and were surprised that people wanted to see a film revolving around women.

Of the sequel, she quipped, "This one, honey, they spent the money!"