Behind the Scenes: Lady Gaga's Iconic Runway Cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2
By Published May 2, 2026, 12:04 PM EDT Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2026, became a news writer in 2026, a senior staff writer in 2026, and an editor in 2026. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Warning: There are minor spoilers ahead for The Devil Wears Prada 2.The backstory behind Lady Gaga's cameo in is revealed.
In the film, Lady Gaga appears as a musical guest for Runway during Milan Fashion Week. The iconic star emphasizes to that she is not happy about being there, explaining that Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) told her she would never be on another Runway cover if she didn't agree to perform. It's made clear that this ultimatum actually came from Miranda, who previously says in the movie that working with Lady Gaga "almost killed me."
While speaking with , director David Frankel explains that the cameo became possible after Streep and Lady Gaga met on the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special. Per Frankel, "They said, 'Let’s work together sometime,'" and he later "called Meryl, and I go, 'Hey, how would you feel about reaching out to your new friend?'"
The plan was originally for Lady Gaga to just write and perform a song for the film, and she went above and beyond that with “Runway,” the duet with Doechii, “Shape of a Woman” and “Glamorous Life.” Her involvement then expanded to giving her a scene beyond her performance, which Frankel wanted to be "something dramatic" for "such a great actress." This led to developing a contentious history between Miranda and Lady Gaga, which was well-received by the star. Check out Frankel's comments below:
She’s such a great actress. We thought, "What could the scene be? How do you create something dramatic?"
We thought we’d make up this persona for Gaga that there’s this terrible history, and she’s such a diva that Miranda can’t stand her, and she loved it! It was really fun for both of them to play this real catty moment.”
Streep was also pleased with how Lady Gaga's cameo turned out, as she recounted on how the part was originally just written as a pop star singing on a live runway in Milan. Lady Gaga agreed to do it even before Streep gave her any specifics, and the Academy-Award-winning actor ended up being so impressed by her performance that she described it as "a little too good in the scene I had with her."
That turned out well. It was written there would be a pop star that would sing live on a runway in Milan. We were going to have this big show there. I thought, well why don’t we get Gaga, cause she’s so great, and she loves fashion, and… I had her number.
I gave her a ring. I love this girl, I love her so much. She is so game. She just said, "Yeah." I said, "Well, I haven’t asked you what I’m going to ask you." She said, "Anything. What do you want?"
This was a big get for us. We were really, really thrilled, because she’s so spectacular. She’s written three songs for us. She’s a great actress, a little too good in the scene I had with her.
As for what Lady Gaga would wear, she collaborated with costume designer Molly Rogers, who recalled that, “I had things. She brought things. Things were made. In the end, it was a combination. There was one Versace canary yellow crystal gown, and she rehearsed in it a few times … but she looked like a part of the fashion show, so we settled on a piece of her archive."
Rogers confirms that a custom Atelier Versace piece with a matching scepter, which Lady Gaga also wore at the 2012 Grammys, ended up being the finalized look: “She rehearsed in like three different things, and that was the one. I said, you move differently in this one. And she said, ‘I felt it too. Let’s go for it.'"
The dress began falling apart during filming, but Rogers reveals that this did not deter Lady Gaga at all: “It was literally like dry-rot on Carrie. Things have fallen apart on Sarah Jessica Parker [during Sex and the City], and this was falling apart on her. But, Gaga, ever the professional, didn’t sweat it. The show must go on, after all. We mended it, and it was amazing!”
There are many , including Donatella Versace, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rory McIlroy, Ashley Graham, Jenna Bush Hager, Tomi Adeyemi, and Heidi Klum. Lady Gaga's cameo is by far the most prominent, though, as she has an entire performance, a conversation in her dressing room with Miranda, and backstory that is discussed even before she appears.
Similar to the original movie, while there is plenty of fashionable glamor and celebrity appearances, the sequel has more to offer beyond this. have been positive, with many critics praising what the film has to say about journalism in an age of digital media, along with the stellar performances from Streep and the rest of the cast.
When Runway is hit with a scandal, the award-winning and recently laid off journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is brought in to be the new features editor and fix the situation. She is reunited with Miranda and Nigel two decades after working with them, although her time with Miranda is not exactly what she envisioned, and it grows more complicated when the future of Runway is put in jeopardy.
Other returning characters in The Devil Wears Prada 2 are Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), Lily (Tracie Thoms), and Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), while some of the key new individuals are billionaire Benji Barnes (Justin Theroux), Irv's son Jay Ravitz (B.J. Novak), Miranda's new husband Stuart (Kenneth Branagh), and Miranda's assistant Amari Mari (Simone Ashley).
Cast
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Miranda Priestly -
Andy Sachs
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