10 Deleted Scenes That Actually Improve Movie Characters

9. Miranda's Thanks - The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

As predictable as the plot is for a mid-2000s New York comedy, The Devil Wears Prada has earned its place as a mainstay of guilty pleasure viewing the world over. This is thanks to an always-reliable Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, and Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestley, in a performance so acidic it makes The Iron Lady look like Barney.

Priestley is the cruel editor-in-chief of Runway fashion magazine, Andy her subordinate, and the two women duke it out throughout the film as Andy attempts the time-honoured tactic of smothering her with excellence. Unsurprisingly, Miranda refuses to budge.

In this deleted scene at a black tie event in Paris, Miranda's husband drunkenly approaches a group of industry high-flyers and proceeds to insult the CEO of the company that publishes Runway. Miranda deals with him while Andy distracts the CEO, and the two share a moment in which Miranda mouths "thank you".

We know by the film's conclusion that Miranda didn't hate Andy, but it is never shown directly. Thus, this scene is a touching moment of validation amidst an otherwise fairly relentless onslaught of toxicity in an apparently HR-free workplace.

Some fans have rallied against this scene, saying that it betrays Miranda's character. However, affording this cold, sharp shell of a woman the opportunity to overtly display just a scintilla of tenderness, rather than keeping her distant and unloving to the end, seems more than justified.

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