Devil Wears Prada’s Real-Life Emily Breaks Silence on Book, Film

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The Devil Wears Prada’s real-life “Emily” can even talk about that.

For the first time in twenty years, Leslie Fremar is discussing how she served as the inspiration for Emily Charlton, the character played by Emily Blunt in the film adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s novel. The novel, and subsequently the film, were based on Fremar’s experiences as a junior assistant to Anna Wintour at Vogue.

“I know I am,” Leslie admitted on the April 28 episode of Vogue‘s The Run-Through. “I am Emily.”

The stylist used to work for Anna in the early 2000s and then brought Lauren on as a second assistant. They worked together for around eight months.

Leslie remembered Anna telling her about Lauren’s book. Anna, who many believe was the basis for Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly, shared the information after Leslie had left her job as the editor-in-chief’s assistant and was working in the fashion department at Vogue.

Leslie recalled receiving a call from Anna’s office asking her to come in. She was very anxious about the meeting. When she arrived, Anna immediately asked about Lauren Weisberger. Leslie explained that Lauren had been a temporary junior assistant, working there for about eight months. Anna then told her that Lauren had written a book based on their experiences and claimed Leslie was even more difficult than she was.

Anna got an advance copy of the book and passed it on to Leslie. Leslie initially thought the first draft was harsh, but the final published version was much more gentle.

Leslie recalled feeling upset by how much brighter and more positive the published version of the work was compared to the original. She remembered thinking it was quite dark initially, and she felt hurt by the changes. It felt like a betrayal, as the lighter version was what became public and stuck in her mind.

She explained it felt like a very personal reveal. Even though the story was presented as fiction, it clearly drew heavily from experiences we both shared – things we actually lived through.

Leslie, now a stylist for stars like Charlize Theron, strongly identified with the character of Emily, particularly with one of the most memorable lines from both the book and movie.

Leslie said she told the woman, ‘So many people would love to have this opportunity.’ She explained she said that because she genuinely felt it was true, and she sensed the woman wasn’t enthusiastic about the situation.

Regarding how Emily is presented in the book, Leslie acknowledged the character isn’t particularly likable, and that assessment was probably accurate.

She admitted she likely wasn’t very pleasant to be around and was stressed because she felt like she was doing Lauren’s work on top of her own. She found the situation very frustrating.

She likely wasn’t as focused on her career as I was, and many other women wouldn’t be either. This difference in approach probably caused friction at work. I think I might have gotten frustrated with her because she didn’t seem interested in following the usual rules or striving for success the same way I did.

Even though the book did well and Emily, Leslie, and Lauren were all popular, they stopped speaking after Lauren quit her job at Vogue. Leslie believes a reunion today would probably be uncomfortable.

It was a little strange when she finally met Emily Blunt and revealed that Blunt had inspired the character she played.

Leslie admitted she wasn’t very enthusiastic. She’d expected a big response, but instead, it was just a simple, ‘Oh, okay.’

For more behind-the-scenes secrets about The Devil Wears Prada, keep reading.

Even before the book The Devil Wears Prada was published, a movie adaptation was already being planned. Fox executives were impressed with the first 100 pages and a summary, which were enough to secure the rights to the story based on author Lauren Weisberger’s experiences as assistant to Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Carla Hacken, a former Fox executive, explained to Variety in 2016 that she was the first at the studio to read it and immediately recognized the character of Miranda Priestly as a fantastic villain, leading them to quickly acquire the rights.

Even before the book became a New York Times bestseller in 2003, people were trying to adapt it into a movie. However, after four different writers attempted to create a straightforward adaptation, Aline Brosh McKenna was brought in to write a new version. Her script focused on the compromises women often make to succeed in the competitive world of fashion magazines. McKenna explained that she wrote a first draft in about a month, and then revised it based on feedback from others.

Creating the story for the film presented challenges, particularly when it came to getting people in the fashion industry to share their experiences. According to author McKenna, many were hesitant to speak for fear of upsetting Anna Wintour and Vogue and facing repercussions. One anonymous source even told her the characters were portrayed too kindly, pointing out that the real fashion world is much more cutthroat and people simply don’t have time for niceties. McKenna then revised the story to make the characters more driven and less agreeable.

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—then the regular 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.

According to Betsy Frankel, the production designer, Jess Gonchor, was the only connection they had with Vogue. He secretly visited Anna Wintour’s office to study it, and then recreated it so accurately that, reportedly, Wintour redecorated her actual office after seeing the movie.

The costumes for the movie also proved difficult to source. According to Frankel, well-known designers were hesitant to contribute, fearing the disapproval of 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 styled Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, making sure the character’s look was distinct from Anna Wintour. As Streep joked, “Everything was borrowed, so we had to be careful not to spill anything at lunch – those clothes had to be returned!”

Anna Wintour seems to have a good sense of humor about the situation. Meryl Streep spoke with Wintour for Vogue’s 125th anniversary issue, discussing her role as Katherine Graham in the 2017 film, The Post. When asked about her most difficult role, Streep began to answer, but Wintour playfully interrupted, saying with a laugh, “No, no! Let’s not talk about that, Meryl.”

Anna Wintour actually did see the movie—the same screening as her former assistant, Andrew Weisberger. Later, in an interview with 60 Minutes, Wintour described the film as entertainment, but insisted it wasn’t an accurate portrayal of life at the magazine.

Meryl Streep was the only actress the studio considered for the role of Miranda, according to studio VP Hacken, who told Variety they didn’t even think about anyone else. Hacken admitted, “I just kept praying it would be Meryl.” She was so excited when Streep’s agent called to say the actress had read the script and wanted to meet with the director that she briefly put the agent on hold to celebrate. “I was shouting in my office,” she said.

I’ve always admired Miranda’s strength and refusal to dim her light for anyone. What really struck me, as Meryl Streep explained, was how unapologetically herself she was. She didn’t shy away from her flaws or try to be ‘nice’ to get what she wanted. My friend Carrie Fisher used to call that whole performance of being agreeable ‘the squeezy and tilty,’ and Miranda just didn’t do any of that. It was so refreshing to see a female character who didn’t feel the need to smooth things over or be someone she wasn’t.

Before agreeing to the role, Meryl Streep did something very similar to the character she would play – she confidently asked for a higher salary. Although she had already won two Oscars and received eleven other nominations, she hadn’t always felt comfortable negotiating her pay, but this time she did.

She told Variety that the initial offer felt a little low – not necessarily insulting, but not quite a fair reflection of how much she contributed to the project. After she was prepared to walk away, they doubled it. She was 55 years old and realized, quite 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 also a more vulnerable side, like the private moment in the hotel room where she lets her guard down.

Meryl Streep came up with the idea for Miranda’s white hair, even debuting the look during a meeting with studio executives. Director David Frankel told EW that Streep fully embodied the character during that meeting—the executives simply looked into her eyes and didn’t feel the need to comment on the hair at all.

Anne Hathaway revealed she wasn’t the first choice for her role in The Devil Wears Prada. During an appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race, she joked that she was actually the ninth actress considered for the part – implying she had to really prove herself to get the role, perhaps even more than her character, Andy, worked for Miranda.

Anne Hathaway revealed to Variety that while she didn’t need to audition, she still had to work hard to get the part. This included a creative effort where she even wrote “hire me” in the sand of the director’s zen garden! When she finally received the good news, she was at home getting dressed with friends. She recalled running into her living room, still half-dressed, and excitedly shouting, “I got The Devil Wears Prada! I got The Devil Wears Prada!”

Luckily for Anne Hathaway, the studio’s first choice for the role turned it down several times. Director Frankel told Entertainment Weekly that they offered the part to Rachel McAdams three times, but she was busy filming “The Family Stone” and didn’t want to star in another popular movie after appearing in hits like “Mean Girls” and “The Notebook.” According to Frankel, the studio really wanted McAdams, 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, and she regretted not making it work. She admitted that when she first read the script, she had a negative reaction.

Meryl Streep, impressed by Anne Hathaway’s performance in the 2005 Oscar-winning film Brokeback Mountain, played a key role in getting Hathaway cast in The Princess Diaries. Director Garry Marshall remembered that Streep saw a scene from Brokeback Mountain, then spoke with Hathaway and called Fox executive Tom Rothman to say she believed Hathaway was talented and they would work well together.

Finding the right actress for Emily proved even harder. Frankel reviewed over 100 auditions for the role of Miranda’s tough assistant (including Tracie Thoms, who later auditioned for the part of Andy’s friend Lily). Ultimately, it was Emily Blunt, who showed up dressed casually, that really stood out to him.

Emily Blunt was already at the Fox studio auditioning for the movie Eragon 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 her flight and felt flustered. She did the reading while wearing sweatpants and didn’t feel she looked the part.

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.

Emily was originally conceived as an American character, but Emily Blunt’s performance changed that. When Blunt delivered the character’s sharp lines with her British accent, screenwriter McKenna decided to rewrite the script to reflect that. As McKenna explained to Entertainment Weekly, they met for coffee and added British expressions throughout the dialogue.

Emily Blunt shared that she often draws inspiration from real life, even ‘stealing’ moments she observes. She recounted an instance on The Howard Stern Show where she overheard a frustrated mother in a supermarket scolding her child. The mother used a specific gesture – opening and closing her hand – while saying, ‘Yeah, I’m hearing this, and I want to hear this.’ Blunt found the line so impactful 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 part just in time, as he told Entertainment Weekly. He then perfectly captured Nigel’s witty and sarcastic personality, even coming up with some of the character’s funniest lines on the spot.

Stanley Tucci recalled fondly a scene where Miranda first arrives at the office, causing a comical panic among the characters. He explained to Buzzfeed that the cast kept bursting into laughter during filming, and director David Frank kept improvising lines for Tucci to deliver. Ultimately, ‘Gird your loins’ made the final cut, but another of Tucci’s suggestions – ‘Tits in!’ – didn’t. He told Entertainment Weekly that while that line was always a source of amusement, it didn’t quite make it into the movie.

What I find truly heartwarming about Stanley Tucci is how much his family means to him. It’s amazing that he’s stayed close with Emily Blunt – close enough to be invited to her wedding to John Krasinski back in 2010! That’s actually where he reconnected with Felicity Blunt, who is now his wife. They married in 2012 and have two wonderful children, Matteo and Emilia. It just shows you how life can come full circle, and I’m so happy for them all.

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 just been diagnosed with breast cancer at the time. He explained that he made the movie, Kate began treatment, and then they attended the premiere. Kate lived for four more years after that. Interestingly, Felicity—Emily’s sister and now his wife—actually spoke with Kate at the premiere, and he has a photo of the two of them together.

Rosario Thoms, similar to Anne Hathaway, vividly recalls the moment she found out she’d been cast as Lily. It happened on her 30th birthday in August 2005. While she felt good about her audition – having often played supporting, ‘best friend’ roles at that point in her career, she thought Lily would be a natural fit – she was still incredibly excited to get the news.

She remembered being at Dartmouth, workshopping a new play by Alan Ball. She found out she’d been cast in The Devil Wears Prada while having lunch in the cafeteria. “Someone just casually told me, ‘Oh, you got The Devil Wears Prada!’ and wished me a happy birthday,” she said. “It was a really nice birthday memory.”

Thoms recalls seeing Adrian Grenier, who was very popular during his time on 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, who played Nate, used his role to highlight his bandmates, since he wasn’t the lead singer. Thoms admired how Grenier thoughtfully acknowledged and appreciated the support he received, and then actively returned that support to his fellow band members.

Thoms had a wonderful time filming, describing the experience as feeling like they were working on Sex and the City – though it wasn’t quite like that. Despite the overall positive experience, she does have one regret.

Oh my god, you will NOT believe what she did! There was this Marc Jacobs bag – the one Lily and Thoms were practically drooling over in that scene? She actually made them keep it hidden from me until we were rolling! She wanted my reaction to be real, and honestly, it totally worked. When I saw it, I just…lost it. The gasping, the reaching, the ‘I NEED it!’ – it was all genuine because that bag was seriously breathtaking. I HAD to have it! It was perfect.

She confessed to TopMob News that she loved the purse so much she’d actually planned a way to keep it! She’d even imagined a scene where she’d accidentally leave it in her trailer, but that part of the story was removed. Sadly, that meant she never had a chance to take the purse with her when she finished filming.

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. Director David Frankel was shocked by this, but he created a compelling preview reel that convinced the studio to move the film’s release to the summer and increase its budget.

Okay, so here’s a little behind-the-scenes scoop from the set! Anne Hathaway and Simon Baker – he played Christian, her other love interest – actually headed to France for a quick two-day shoot. But Meryl Streep? She filmed all her scenes right here in New York. Apparently, the studio felt the cost of flying her back and forth would just be too high, so they decided to keep her stateside. It’s all about logistics, you know!

Meryl Streep actually ended up missing out on a lot of the enjoyable moments on set. She later told Entertainment Weekly that fully immersing herself in her stern Miranda character and distancing herself from the usual playful interactions was deeply unpleasant. She could hear everyone having fun and felt depressed, but justified it by thinking, ‘That’s what you get for playing the boss!’ She decided then and there that she would never again try such a serious, immersive acting technique.

Before Meryl Streep adopted a more distant attitude, she offered Anne Hathaway a quick word of encouragement, as Hathaway told People magazine. Streep said, “I want you to know I think you’re going to be great, and I’m so happy to work with you…and that’s the last nice thing I’m going to say to you.”

That’s all. 

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2026-04-30 00:20