Meryl Streep just aimed at one of modern Hollywood’s biggest habits: turning complicated people into easy labels.

In a recent interview, Streep said movies often “Marvel-ize” characters by flattening them into familiar tropes, then delivered the verdict with cutting clarity: “It’s so boring.” The comment landed because it came from an actor whose most iconic roles, including Miranda Priestly in

The Devil Wears Prada

, resist simple sorting. Reports indicate Streep pointed to the value of characters who feel contradictory, difficult and human instead of neatly coded as heroes, villains or comic relief.

“We tend to Marvel-ize [characters] by flattening them into tropes. It’s so boring.”

The timing matters. Streep’s remarks arrive as

The Devil Wears Prada 2

pulls renewed attention to Miranda Priestly, a character audiences still debate years later. She can read as ruthless, demanding, funny, lonely and unexpectedly perceptive, often in the same scene. That tension helped make the original film stick. It also explains why Streep appears to value characters who force viewers to sit with discomfort instead of handing them a clean moral map.

Key Facts

  • Meryl Streep said films often “Marvel-ize” characters by reducing them to tropes.
  • She called that approach to storytelling “so boring” in a recent interview.
  • Her comments surfaced amid fresh interest in Miranda Priestly and

    The Devil Wears Prada 2

    .
  • The discussion centered on why nuanced characters endure while simpler archetypes fade.

Streep’s critique taps into a larger frustration among viewers who want more than recognizable formulas. Franchises may dominate the box office, but audiences still respond to characters who surprise them, shift emotionally and refuse easy judgment. Sources suggest that is exactly why Miranda Priestly has lasted in the culture: not because she fits a type, but because she keeps slipping past one.

What happens next matters beyond one interview or one sequel. As studios keep mining familiar brands, the pressure to simplify characters will only grow. Streep’s point cuts through that trend with unusual force: if filmmakers want stories to last, they need to trust audiences with complexity. That debate will follow every legacy sequel and franchise release from here on out.