Justin Theroux Shares Insight into His Devil Wears Prada 2 Character

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Justin Theroux is quite a vision in The Devil Wears Prada 2. That’s all.

Oh my gosh, Justin Theroux was talking about the new movie! He was giving little hints about his part, and get this – he’s working with Emily Blunt again! They were so amazing together in The Girl on the Train, and I’m seriously losing it knowing they’re reuniting on screen. I need this movie in my life now!

Justin described his character as someone who is overly confident, wealthy, and not very bright, telling Variety in a November 25th interview that it was a lot of fun to play the role.

Alongside Emily, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep are both back for the new film, reprising their famous roles as Andy Sachs and Miranda Priestley. Production finished in September.

Having grown up watching Meryl Streep, the Mulholland Drive actor said it’s a real pleasure and honor to finally be acting alongside her.

The interview with Justin came out two weeks after the first trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 was released. Along with Justin, new actors joining the movie include Lucy Liu, Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, BJ Novak, Pauline Chalamet, Sydney Sweeney, and Lady Gaga.

Filming the new movie was a joyful reunion for the actors who first appeared in the 2006 film.

Emily shared with TopMob News at ELLE’s 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration on November 17th that she and Meryl Streep have a long-standing relationship. She described feeling like Meryl was a mentor who helped launch her career, and expressed her joy at seeing everyone again at the event.

A lot of fans were surprised to see the cast of The Devil Wears Prada filming a sequel this past summer.

At the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Emily jokingly told TopMob News that being part of the cast felt a bit like being on display for the public, but she added that they were happy with the enthusiastic response.

The sequel to The Devil Wears Prada is scheduled to come out on May 1, 2026. While we wait for its release, here’s a look behind the scenes of the first The Devil Wears Prada movie.

Lots of fans were surprised and excited to see the cast of The Devil Wears Prada filming a sequel this past summer.

At the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Emily jokingly told TopMob News that being constantly watched felt a bit like being in a zoo. However, she added that they understood it came with the territory, as people were enthusiastic about seeing them.

The sequel to The Devil Wears Prada is scheduled to come out on May 1, 2026. While we wait for that release, here are some behind-the-scenes details about the first The Devil Wears Prada movie.

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 summary, which were enough to convince them to buy the rights. As Carla Hacken, a former Fox executive, explained to Variety in 2016, she was the first person at the studio to read it and immediately recognized Miranda Priestly as a compelling villain. She recalled that the studio quickly moved to secure the rights to the story, which was loosely based on Lauren Weisberger’s time as an assistant to Vogue‘s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.

Even before the book became a New York Times bestseller in 2003, people were trying to adapt it for the screen. After four different writers attempted to create a straightforward story, Aline Brosh McKenna was brought in to write a new version. Her focus was on the compromises women make to advance their careers at 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 information. According to author McKenna, people feared retribution from Anna Wintour and Vogue and were hesitant to speak. One anonymous source even told her the characters were portrayed as too kind, noting that the real world of high fashion doesn’t operate that way. McKenna then revised the story to make the characters more driven and less accommodating.

Oh my god, trying to film scenes was a NIGHTMARE because of Anna Wintour! David Frankel, the director, actually told Entertainment Weekly that the Met Ball completely blocked us from even thinking about filming at the Metropolitan Museum. Can you believe it?! And it wasn’t just that – Bryant Park, where Fashion Week was always held, was a no-go too! Everything revolved around her world, it was insane! It made everything so much harder, honestly. I was so stressed just hearing about it!

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 production designer, Jess Gonchor, was the only connection they had to 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. At first, designer Frankel explained to Entertainment Weekly, they struggled to borrow clothing from well-known designers, who were hesitant to risk 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 styled Meryl Streep’s character, Miranda Priestly, to be distinct from Anna Wintour. As Streep joked, “Everything was borrowed, so we had to be careful not to spill anything – especially spaghetti – because we couldn’t return damaged items!”

Anna Wintour seems to have a good sense of humor about everything. Meryl Streep spoke with the editor-in-chief of Vogue for the magazine’s 125th anniversary issue, discussing her role as Katherine Graham in the 2017 film The Post. When asked about the most difficult character she’d ever played, Streep began to answer, but Wintour quickly interrupted with a laugh, saying, “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. She later explained to 60 Minutes that while she found it entertaining, 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 she simply hoped Streep would accept the part. When Streep’s agent called to say she’d read the script and was willing to meet with the director, Hacken was overjoyed – she even briefly put the agent on hold so she could celebrate privately. “I was shouting in my office,” she recalled.

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 particularly that she didn’t try to be likable to get what she wanted – something Streep’s friend, Carrie Fisher, playfully called ‘the squeezy and tilty.’ Streep noted that the character simply didn’t engage in that kind of behavior.

Before agreeing to the role, Meryl Streep did something very characteristic of the character she would play – she negotiated for a higher salary. Although she’d already won two Oscars and received eleven other nominations, asking for more money hadn’t come naturally to her. However, this time, she confidently requested it.

She told Variety that the initial offer felt a little low – not necessarily insulting, but not quite what she deserved given her contributions to the project. After she was prepared to leave, they increased the offer significantly. She was 55 years old and had recently learned 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 moment she explains the significance of Andy’s cerulean sweater – and a more vulnerable side, revealed in a private hotel room scene where she lets her guard down.

Let me tell you, Meryl Streep completely transformed into Miranda Priestly even before cameras started rolling for ‘The Devil Wears Prada’! She actually showed up to a meeting with the studio head sporting the icy white hairstyle – the one we all know so well. Director David Frankel told Entertainment Weekly that Meryl embodied Miranda so fully in that meeting, there wasn’t even a discussion about the hair. The studio executives just looked into her eyes and were completely captivated – they didn’t need to say a word. It was a brilliant, immersive performance right from the start!

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 jokingly said she was actually the ninth actress considered for the part – meaning she had to work extra hard to convince them she was right for 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 had to be very persistent. She even went as far as writing “hire me” in the sand of the director’s zen garden! When she finally received the news she’d landed the role, she was at home getting dressed. “I had friends over,” she explained, “and I remember running into the living room, half-dressed, and yelling, ‘I got The Devil Wears Prada! I got The Devil Wears Prada!'”

Anne Hathaway landed the role after the studio’s first choice, Rachel McAdams, repeatedly turned it down. Director Frankel told Entertainment Weekly that they offered the part to McAdams three times, while she was filming The Family Stone. After starring in hits like Mean Girls and The Notebook, McAdams wasn’t interested in doing another big, mainstream movie. According to Frankel, the studio really wanted her, but she was determined to pass on the project.

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 regrets 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 casting Hathaway in The Princess Diaries. Director Garry Marshall remembered Streep telling him about the scene, then contacting Fox executive Tom Rothman to say she believed Hathaway was talented and they would collaborate 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, so she didn’t make a very polished impression.

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 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 from people she encounters. She recounted an instance on The Howard Stern Show where she overheard a stressed 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 compelling 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 lengthy search for the perfect actor to play art director Nigel, Tucci took on the role just in time, as he told Entertainment Weekly. He then brilliantly captured Nigel’s witty and sarcastic personality, even coming up with some of the character’s most famous lines on the spot.

Stanley Tucci recalled fondly a scene from the movie where Miranda first arrives at the office, causing a bit of a panic. He explained to Buzzfeed that the cast kept bursting into laughter during filming, and director David Frankel would improvise lines for Tucci to deliver. Ultimately, ‘Gird your loins’ made the final cut, but another one of Tucci’s suggestions – ‘Tits in!’ – didn’t. He told Entertainment Weekly that this line always got a big laugh from everyone on set.

What I find truly heartwarming is how much his family means to him. He’s stayed close with Emily Blunt, even getting 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 are parents to their two wonderful children, Matteo and Emilia. It’s just a beautiful story, really.

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 film, Kate began treatment, and then they attended the premiere. She 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 Dawson, 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 previously, she thought Lily would be a natural fit – she was still overjoyed when she got the news.

She told TopMob News she was at Dartmouth workshopping a new play by Alan Ball when she found out she’d been cast in The Devil Wears Prada. Someone told her the news over lunch in the cafeteria, saying, ‘Hey, so you booked The Devil Wears Prada. Happy birthday!’ She described it as a great birthday memory.

Thoms recalls seeing Adrian Grenier, who was very popular at the time due to his role in Entourage, surrounded by enthusiastic 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 role as a chance to highlight his bandmates. Since he wasn’t the lead singer, Thoms admired how Grenier intentionally acknowledged and valued the support he received, and then actively returned that support to his fellow band members.

Thoms described having a wonderful time, comparing the experience to being on the show Sex and the City—though she admitted it wasn’t quite the same. Despite the overall positive experience, she does have one regret.

As a stylist, I always think about how to create authentic moments on screen, and there was a specific plan for that incredible Marc Jacobs bag you saw Lily and Thom obsess over! I actually asked the prop department to keep it hidden until we were filming. I wanted their reaction – that gasp, the reaching, the ‘I need it!’ – to be completely real, and honestly, it was! That bag was just stunning, and their desire was totally genuine.

She confessed to TopMob News that the purse was so beautiful she’d actually planned a way to keep it. She even imagined a scene where she’d accidentally leave it in her trailer, but that part of the story was removed. Because of that, she never had the chance to retrieve the purse, which she found disappointing.

Meryl Streep didn’t travel to Paris for the movie. 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 that convinced the studio to move the film’s release to the summer and increase its budget.

Okay, so Anne Hathaway and Simon Baker – swoon – they went to France together for filming! Just two days, but still! It was so romantic, even if it was just for the movie. But get this – Meryl Streep, the QUEEN, filmed all her scenes here in New York. Apparently, the studio didn’t want to spend the money to fly her over there! Can you believe it? Like, Meryl Streep! They should have just paid whatever it took!

Meryl Streep actually ended up missing out on a lot of the enjoyable moments on set. She explained to Entertainment Weekly that her decision to fully embody her strict Miranda character and distance herself from casual conversation was deeply unpleasant. She could hear everyone having fun and felt really down. She jokingly told herself it was the cost of playing the boss, and vowed never to use that intense acting approach again.

Before Meryl Streep adopted a more distant demeanor, 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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2025-11-26 21:51