Meryl Streep admits she has 'no method' despite 21 Oscar nominations

Meryl Streep is once again challenging expectations about acting, including her own, saying she still doesn’t truly know “how to act,” despite holding a record-breaking Hollywood career.

The 76-year-old Oscar winner, who has received 21 Academy Award nominations and three wins, made the candid admission in an interview with People magazine while promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, where she reprises her iconic role as Miranda Priestly.

“I don’t know how to do it. I don’t know how people do it,” Streep said, reflecting on her approach to acting. She described her process as instinctive rather than structured, adding that she does not follow a formal method.

Streep said she often looks at the work of other performers with admiration and disbelief, citing a recent Broadway performance of Death of a Salesman as an example that left her questioning her own craft.

Despite her legendary status, she emphasized that she continues to approach every role without certainty, relying instead on intuition and observation rather than technique.

Her comments come as she returns to one of her most recognizable characters, Miranda Priestly, the formidable editor-in-chief of Runway, in the sequel to the 2006 hit film.

Streep also reflected on her experience filming the original movie, recalling that staying fully in character as Priestly proved difficult and, at times, personally uncomfortable.

She admitted that she initially attempted to remain intimidating on set but eventually chose to step back from that approach.

Instead, she spent time in her trailer, describing a quieter, more internal process while filming.

The actor said that returning to the role in the sequel felt more natural, noting that she was able to “rediscover” the character with ease rather than struggle through reinvention.

The Devil Wears Prada 2, which also reunites her with co-stars Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, is now playing in theaters.