Stanley Tucci credits 'Gird Your Loins' line origin in 'Devil Wears Prada'

Stanley Tucci is finally divulging the backstory of one of the most memorable lines in current cinema history: the now-famous “gird your loins” from The Devil Wears Prada.

During Stanley Tucci in Conversation with Josh Horowitz: The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Tucci in Italy on Tuesday (May 5) at 92NY in New York, the 65-year-old actor revealed how this notable line came to be — and it wasn’t part of the original script.

When Horowitz inquired, “When you first encountered in the script, the phrase, 'gird your loins.' Did it raise questions? Did you think, ‘Yes, I can make this work?' ” Tucci quickly cleared up where the line truly came from.

“So, here's the story, actually, that part wasn’t in the script,” Tucci shared. “It was [director and producer David Frankel], we brainstormed a list of things to say — mine would have changed the film's rating. However, David suggested 'gird your loins,' and it was just right, perfect. Truly brilliant.”

The phrase, used in the scene where Tucci's character Nigel readies the Runway magazine staff for a high-tension event, quickly became one of the film's most frequently referenced lines.

Horowitz then questioned if Tucci was comfortable with the notion that this line will always accompany him.

“Have you accepted that you will be reminded of this line until your last breath?” Horowitz asked.

Tucci humorously admitted, “Indeed, it might end up on my gravestone."

Released in 2006, The Devil Wears Prada starred Meryl Streep as the intimidating Miranda Priestly and Anne Hathaway as young journalist Andy Sachs.

Tucci reprises his role in The Devil Wears Prada 2, released on May 1, focusing on Streep's Miranda Priestly as she maneuvers her career in a rapidly changing magazine industry.