Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci Detail Chaotic Family Trips as In-Laws

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Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci know to gird their loins for a family reunion.

Besides appearing together in The Devil Wears Prada 2, the sequel to the popular 2006 film, the actors are actually family members in real life. Stanley is married to Emily Blunt’s older sister, Felicity Blunt.

I was so thrilled to hear that the cast and their families got to experience Italy while filming the sequel! It was wonderful that Emily and John Krasinski brought their daughters, Hazel and Violet, along for the adventure. And it was so sweet that Stanley and Felicity included their kids, Matteo and Emilia, too. It really seemed like a special time for everyone, both on and off set!

Stanley shared with TopMob News’ Will Marfuggi that it was wonderful because he and his colleague travel frequently together. Their children are close in age and good friends, so having their personal and professional lives overlap felt strange.

Things were incredibly hectic – almost as crazy as Paris Fashion Week! While the grown-ups were cooking and mixing drinks, the kids were getting into all sorts of mischief.

“The kids are all over the place,” Stanley observed. Emily jokingly added, “It’s like we rarely even see them—they’re practically wild!”

Given all the playful chaos within their family, Emily has joked that the film crew probably realized they’d need to keep her and her sister apart during the filming of The Devil Wears Prada 2. That movie also brought back the original stars, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep.

“We barely had any scenes together,” Emily bemoaned. “It was like they separated the naughty kids.”

She added, “We laughed way too much. We know each other. We are over related at this point.”

The pair also fondly remember making The Devil Wears Prada in the 2000s. Stanley actually met his future wife, Felicity, at the film’s premiere, and he played a part in helping Emily and Meryl become friends behind the scenes.

Emily remembered finishing her first scene and telling Stan she was leaving. Stan suggested she say goodbye to Meryl, which Emily realized she hadn’t even thought about.

Let me tell you, working on a film set can be intense! I recently learned that Stanley had to deliver some tough news to Meryl – Emily was no longer involved in the project. Apparently, that’s exactly what Meryl needed to hear! She’s a true method actor, and getting that closure finally allowed her to step out of character and relax a bit. It’s amazing how a single conversation can shift everything.

Emily recounted how the actress came rushing out of her trailer without her wig, wearing a large black coat. ‘You were amazing!’ she exclaimed. Emily then explained she cried the entire drive home, because the actress had been quietly let go from the project, and Emily wasn’t aware.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 hits in theaters on May 1. 

For more secrets about the making of the first movie, keep reading…

Even before the book The Devil Wears Prada was published, a movie adaptation was already being planned. Fox executives were impressed by the first 100 pages and a story outline, which were enough to secure the rights to the novel inspired by author Lauren Weisberger’s time as assistant to Vogue‘s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. According to Carla Hacken, a former Fox executive, she was the first person at the studio to read it. She was immediately captivated by the character of Miranda Priestly, calling her one of the greatest villains ever created, and the studio quickly moved to acquire the film rights.

Even before the book became a New York Times bestseller in 2003, people were trying to turn it into a movie. Four different writers attempted to create a straightforward adaptation, but ultimately Aline Brosh McKenna was brought in to write a new version. Her focus was on the compromises women often make to succeed in the competitive world of fashion magazines. “I wrote a first draft quite quickly—it took about a month,” McKenna explained. “Then I revised it based on everyone’s feedback.”

Creating the backstory for the film presented significant challenges during production. According to author McKenna, people in the fashion industry were hesitant to speak with her, fearing retribution from Anna Wintour and Vogue. She told Entertainment Weekly that one anonymous source reviewed her work and pointed out the characters seemed too kind, noting that people in that world simply don’t have the time or inclination to be nice. McKenna then revised the script to portray the characters as more driven and less accommodating.

Director David Frankel told Entertainment Weekly that Anna Wintour’s influence created challenges finding filming locations. The Met Ball meant the Metropolitan Museum of Art wouldn’t allow them to film there, and Bryant Park – which was then the home of New York Fashion Week – was also unavailable.

We even looked at some famous apartment buildings for Miranda’s place, but the building committees wouldn’t allow us to film there. Finally, a producer friend, Wendy Finerman, let us borrow a five-story townhouse on the Upper East Side.

Bethenny Frankel shared that the team perfectly recreated Anna Wintour’s office for the film. According to Frankel, production designer Jess Gonchor secretly visited Wintour’s actual office for inspiration. The recreation was so accurate that Wintour reportedly redecorated her real office soon after the movie’s release, according to Frankel’s conversation with EW.

The costumes also proved difficult. At first, according to Frankel in EW, they struggled to borrow clothes from well-known designers, who were afraid of upsetting Anna Wintour.

The film’s incredible costumes were created by the renowned Patricia Field, who gathered around 150 pieces from designers like Donna Karan, Zac Posen, Rick Owens, and even Prada. She carefully crafted looks that distinguished Meryl Streep’s character, Miranda Priestly, from Anna Wintour herself. As Streep joked, “Everything was borrowed, so we had to be extra careful – no spaghetti at lunch!” because anything spilled couldn’t be returned.

Anna Wintour seems to have a good sense of humor about being portrayed on screen. Meryl Streep recently spoke with Wintour for Vogue’s 125th anniversary issue about playing Katherine Graham, a friend of Wintour’s, in the 2017 film The Post. When asked which role was the most difficult to play, Streep began to answer, but Wintour playfully cut her off, saying, “No, no! We’re not going there, Meryl.”

Anna Wintour actually did see the movie—the same screening as her former assistant, Andrew Weisberger. She later explained to 60 Minutes that while she found it entertaining, the film wasn’t an accurate portrayal of life at the magazine.

Meryl Streep was the only actress the studio considered for the role of Miranda. Studio VP Hacken told Variety they were completely focused on her, saying, “I just kept hoping it would be Meryl.” When Streep’s agent called to say she’d read the script and was willing to meet with the director, Hacken was overjoyed and briefly celebrated before continuing the conversation. “I was shouting in my office,” she admitted.

Meryl Streep explained to Entertainment Weekly that she admired the character’s strength and refusal to compromise herself. She appreciated that the character didn’t shy away from her flaws, and that she didn’t try to be likable or charming to get what she wanted – something Streep’s friend, Carrie Fisher, playfully referred to as being overly accommodating. Streep noted that this character simply didn’t engage in that behavior.

Before agreeing to the role, Meryl Streep did something very characteristic of the demanding character she would play. Although she had already won two Academy Awards and received eleven nominations, she wasn’t used to negotiating for a higher salary. However, this time, she confidently asked for more money.

She told Variety that the initial offer felt a little low – not necessarily insulting, but not quite recognizing how much she contributed to the project. After she prepared to leave, they increased the offer significantly. She was 55 and realized, somewhat late in life, how to confidently negotiate for herself.

Streep also requested specific scenes to avoid portraying Miranda as a one-dimensional character. She wanted to show Miranda’s expertise in fashion – specifically, the scene about the blue sweater – and a more vulnerable side, shown when Miranda is alone and unguarded in the hotel room.

Meryl Streep actually came up with the idea for Miranda’s white hair. She showed up to a meeting with the studio head sporting the icy look. As director David Frankel told Entertainment Weekly, Streep fully embodied the character during that meeting – the studio executive looked into her eyes and didn’t even need to discuss the hair; they were immediately convinced it was right.

Anne Hathaway revealed she wasn’t the first choice for her role in The Devil Wears Prada. She jokingly mentioned on RuPaul’s Drag Race that she was actually the ninth actress considered for the part – she had to work hard to convince them she was right for the role, perhaps even harder than her character, Andy, worked for Miranda.

Anne Hathaway shared with Variety that while she didn’t need to audition, she had to be very patient and actively pursue the role. This included even writing “hire me” in the sand of the director’s zen garden! When she finally received the news, she was at home getting dressed with friends. She recalled running into her living room, still half-dressed, and excitedly yelling, “I got The Devil Wears Prada! I got The Devil Wears Prada!”

Anne Hathaway landed the role after the first choice, Rachel McAdams, turned it down multiple times. Director Frankel told Entertainment Weekly that they offered the part to McAdams three times while she was filming The Family Stone. McAdams, fresh off hits like Mean Girls and The Notebook, wasn’t interested in another big-budget movie at the time. According to Frankel, the studio really wanted her, but she was set on not taking the role.

Kate Hudson turned down a highly sought-after role, something many actresses would have loved to play. She explained on Capital FM’s Capital Breakfast in February 2025 that it just wasn’t the right time for her. She regretted not making it work, admitting she immediately felt disappointed when she first read the script.

As someone who keeps a close eye on rising talent, I remember when Anne Hathaway was first being considered for ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’ It was actually Meryl Streep who really championed her! She’d seen Anne’s work in ‘Brokeback Mountain’ – a really powerful performance, honestly – and was incredibly impressed. She told me she specifically brought it up to Tom Rothman, then at Fox, and gave Anne a huge vote of confidence, saying they’d have fantastic chemistry on screen. It was a pivotal moment, and Meryl’s support definitely helped make it happen.

Finding the right actress for Emily proved particularly challenging. Frankel auditioned over 100 women for the role of Miranda’s tough assistant – including Tracie Thoms, who later auditioned for the part of Andy’s friend Lily – but it was Emily Blunt, dressed down and relaxed, who really stood out to him.

Emily Blunt was already auditioning for the movie Eragon at the Fox studio when a casting director asked her to read for The Devil Wears Prada. She recalled on The Late Late Show in May 2021 that she was in a hurry to catch a flight and felt flustered during the audition. She even admitted she was wearing sweatpants and didn’t look the part at all.

A few days after losing out on the role in Eragon, Emily Blunt received a call from casting director David Frankel. She told Variety that she was at a club in London and had to take the call from the bathroom. Frankel explained that while he liked her audition, the studio wanted to see her again, this time dressed more like the character.

Oh my gosh, it was fate! Even before they really started filming, Emily sounded PERFECT. Apparently, the character was originally supposed to be American, but when Kate McKinnon—I mean, McKenna—heard Kate Blunt deliver those amazing, sarcastic lines with her British accent, she knew! She told EW they immediately went to a coffee shop and started changing the script, adding all these brilliant British phrases to fit her. It was like the character was always meant to be British, thanks to Kate! I just knew she’d be perfect, and this proves it!

Emily Blunt shared that she often draws inspiration from real life, even ‘stealing’ moments from people she encounters. She described an instance on The Howard Stern Show where she overheard a frustrated mother in a supermarket scolding her child. The mother emphatically said, ‘Yeah, I’m hearing this, and I want to hear this,’ while making a specific hand gesture. Blunt found the line so authentic that she incorporated it into one of her films.

Stanley Tucci played a key role in creating some of the most memorable lines in the film. After a long search for the perfect actor to play Nigel, the art director, Tucci took the role just in time, as he told Entertainment Weekly. He then perfectly captured Nigel’s witty and sarcastic personality, even coming up with many of the character’s most famous lines on the spot.

Stanley Tucci recalled fondly a scene where Miranda first arrives at the office, causing a comical panic among the staff. He shared with Buzzfeed that the cast kept bursting into laughter during filming, and director David Frankel would playfully suggest new lines for him to deliver. Ultimately, ‘Gird your loins’ made the final cut, but other options were considered, including one Tucci himself invented: ‘Tits in!’ – a line that always got a laugh from everyone.

Honestly, it’s so sweet how he always talks about his family being his most treasured souvenir from making the movie! He and Emily Blunt are still close – he even got invited to her wedding to John Krasinski back in 2010! And that’s where he met Felicity, who’s now his wife! They got married in 2012 and now have two adorable kids, Matteo and Emilia. It’s just… the cutest story ever, seriously!

As Joe Tucci told People magazine, he first met his current wife at the premiere of a film in 2006. He was still married to his late wife, Kate, who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. He explained that he made the film, Kate began treatment, and then they attended the premiere. Kate lived for four more years after that. Interestingly, Felicity—Emily’s sister and now Joe’s wife—actually spoke with Kate at the premiere that night, and he has a photo of them together.

Rosario Dawson, similar to Anne Hathaway, vividly remembers getting the call about landing the role of Lily – it happened on her 30th birthday in August 2005. She felt good about her audition, thinking she naturally fit the ‘best friend’ type of character she’d been playing, but was still overjoyed when she found out she’d been cast.

She told TopMob News she was at Dartmouth leading a workshop for a new play by Alan Ball when she found out she’d been cast in The Devil Wears Prada. She remembers someone telling her the news casually over lunch in the cafeteria, saying, ‘You booked The Devil Wears Prada! Happy birthday!’ She added that it was a memorable birthday.

Thoms recalls seeing Adrian Grenier, who was very popular at the time thanks to the show Entourage, surrounded by fans. Instead of signing autographs, Grenier cleverly gave each fan a CD by his band, The Honey Brothers.

Thoms observed that Josh Grenier, playing Andy’s boyfriend Nate, used the attention to highlight his bandmates, since he wasn’t the lead singer. Thoms admired how Grenier thoughtfully acknowledged everyone’s support and actively returned the favor, boosting his colleagues in turn.

Thoms had a wonderful time filming, describing it as feeling like they were working on “Sex and the City” – though she admits that wasn’t quite accurate. She particularly enjoyed the show’s New York vibe and the feeling of everyone trying to navigate adulthood. However, she does have one thing she wishes had gone differently.

She had a specific idea for how to use the Marc Jacobs bag that both Lily and Thoms clearly wanted during a particular scene. She explained that she asked the props team to keep the bag hidden until filming began, so her reaction would be real. “The shocked expressions, the reaching, and begging for it – that all happened because the bag was truly stunning.”

She confessed to TopMob News that the purse was so beautiful she actually planned how to keep it! She even had a scene written where she’d accidentally leave with it, but the scene was ultimately removed. Sadly, that meant she never got the chance to take the purse home with her from work.

Meryl Streep didn’t travel to Paris for the film. Originally, no one was scheduled to film in Paris for the scenes depicting Miranda and Andy’s trip to Paris Fashion Week. Producer Wendy Frankel was shocked by this, but she created a compelling preview that convinced the studio to move the film’s release to the summer and increase its budget.

Meryl Hathaway and Simon Baker (playing Christian, her other love interest) traveled to France to film scenes for two days. However, Meryl Streep filmed all of her scenes in New York, as the studio said it would be too expensive to fly her to France.

Meryl Streep actually ended up feeling quite isolated during filming. She later told Entertainment Weekly that fully committing to her stern Miranda character and avoiding social interaction with the cast was a difficult experience. She could hear everyone having fun and felt depressed, but justified it by saying, ‘It’s the price you pay for playing the boss!’ She added that it was the last time she’d ever try such an intense acting approach.

Before Meryl Streep playfully turned distant, she quickly encouraged Anne Hathaway, telling her, “I think you’re going to be great, and I’m really happy to be working with you… but that’s all the kindness you’re getting from me!” as Hathaway recalled in an interview with People magazine.

That’s all. 

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2026-04-21 22:53