Why Emily Blunt’s Brother-in-Law Stanley Tucci Calls Her “Shameless”

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Truth is, no one can do what Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci do.

Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt have a special connection because Emily is married to Anne’s sister-in-law, Felicity Blunt. Emily actually introduced them after they worked together on the first Devil Wears Prada movie back in 2006.

Emily shared that her actual brother-in-law playfully teased her while they were filming the movie’s sequel, which comes out on May 1st.

During filming, whenever a take was cut, the director, Stan, would jokingly tell the actress she was ‘shameless,’ according to an exclusive interview with TopMob News Creator Cam host Erin Lim Rhodes at the film’s New York City premiere.

The actress, 43, explained the teasing was about her being overly dramatic. She’s disappointed they didn’t have more scenes together in the finished film because of it.

Emily joked that she and Stan were frustrated they didn’t get to work closely together. “If we do another project,” she said, “they need to make sure we’re constantly collaborating.”

She continued, “I love him.”

Despite being nominated for an Oscar, Emily had a blast filming the movie, especially with returning favorites Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. She often couldn’t help but laugh and break character during scenes with Justin Theroux, who plays her character’s boyfriend.

She joked that they were given complete freedom to ad-lib, which likely wasn’t the best idea, as they went through countless tapes. Many of the scenes couldn’t be used because everyone was laughing so hard. She described working with him as a wonderful experience.

Her husband, John Krasinski, was just as happy to see her return as Emily Charlton, the former assistant from Runway Magazine.

Emily shared that he’s very excited, and her daughters, Hazel, 11, and Violet, 9, are equally happy. Even their friends are thrilled with the news!

She added of the movie, “It’s it brings people together. It’s like a big old nostalgia bomb.”

For more behind-the-scenes secrets about The Devil Wears Prada, read on…

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 was based on author Lauren Weisberger’s experiences as an assistant to Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Carla Hacken, a former Fox executive, told Variety in 2016 that she was the first at the studio to read it. She was immediately captivated by the character of Miranda Priestly, considering her one of the best villains ever created, and quickly secured the rights for a film adaptation.

Even before the book became a New York Times bestseller in 2003, efforts were underway to adapt it for the screen. After four writers tried to create a straightforward adaptation, Aline Brosh McKenna was brought in to write a new version. Her focus shifted to the compromises women often make to advance their careers at fashion magazines. “I wrote a first draft fairly quickly—in about a month,” McKenna explained. “Then I revised it based on everyone’s feedback.”

Creating the backstory for the film presented challenges during production. According to author McKenna, people in the fashion industry were hesitant to speak with her, fearing repercussions from Anna Wintour and Vogue. She told Entertainment Weekly that one anonymous source reviewed her work and pointed out the characters seemed too kind, arguing that people in that world are often too busy and competitive 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 when finding filming locations. The Met Ball meant the Metropolitan Museum wasn’t willing to work with them, and Bryant Park—then the usual 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 production designer, Jess Gonchor, secretly visited Anna Wintour’s office at Vogue to study it. He recreated it so accurately in the film that, according to Frankel, Wintour immediately redecorated her real office after the movie’s release.

The costumes were a real hurdle, honestly. Apparently, getting designers to loan clothes for the movie was surprisingly difficult. As I understand it from an interview with Frankel, no one wanted to risk upsetting Anna Wintour! They were all afraid of facing her disapproval, which is totally understandable if you know who she is.

The film’s incredible wardrobe was crafted by renowned costume designer Patricia Field, who gathered around 150 items from designers like Donna Karan, Zac Posen, Rick Owens, and even Prada. She meticulously ensured Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Miranda Priestly had a distinct style from Anna Wintour herself. As Streep joked, “Everything was borrowed, so we had to be careful not to spill anything—especially spaghetti—because we couldn’t return stained clothes!”

Anna Wintour seems to have a good sense of humor about the situation. Meryl Streep 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 portray, 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. 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 hadn’t even thought 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, excitedly celebrating privately in her office.

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 to get what she wanted – something Streep’s friend, Carrie Fisher, used to describe as being overly accommodating. Streep noted that this character, Miranda, simply didn’t engage in that kind of behavior.

Before agreeing to the role, Meryl Streep did something very similar to the demanding character she would later play. Although she had already won two Oscars and received eleven other nominations, she wasn’t used to negotiating 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 what she deserved given her contributions to the project. After she prepared to leave, they increased the offer. 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 scene about Andy’s blue sweater, and a more vulnerable side – the intimate hotel room scene where she lets her guard down.

Meryl Streep actually came up with the idea for Miranda’s white hair. She showed up at 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 executives simply looked into her eyes and didn’t even need to discuss the hair.

Anne Hathaway revealed she wasn’t the first choice for her role in The Devil Wears Prada. While appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race, she joked that she was actually the ninth actress considered for the part – meaning she had to work really hard to convince the filmmakers 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 still had to work hard to get the part. This included playfully 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 shouting, “I got The Devil Wears Prada! I got The Devil Wears Prada!”

Oh my gosh, can you believe it? Apparently, Anne Hathaway wasn’t even their first choice for the movie! I read that they actually asked Rachel McAdams to do it… three times! The director, Frankel, said she was filming ‘The Family Stone’ at the time, and after doing huge movies like ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘The Notebook,’ she just didn’t want to jump into another big, popular film. The studio was so set on Rachel, but she was totally determined not to do it! I mean, can you imagine if it hadn’t worked out and Anne hadn’t gotten the part? It’s amazing how things happen for a reason, because Anne was perfect!

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 simply 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.

Okay, so get this – Meryl Streep saw Anne Hathaway in Brokeback Mountain! Can you believe it? Apparently, that performance totally convinced her to work with Anne. Amy Frankel told me Meryl specifically watched that one scene, then she met with Anne and immediately called Tom Rothman over at Fox. She basically said, ‘This girl is amazing, let’s make The Princess Diaries happen!’ It was that moment, I swear, that launched Anne’s career. Meryl Streep, a total game-changer, honestly!

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 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. 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 after Kate Blunt performed the sharp, witty lines with her British accent, the writers changed the script. As screenwriter McKenna explained to Entertainment Weekly, they met for coffee and added British phrases and expressions throughout the dialogue.

Emily Blunt shared that she often draws inspiration from real life, even ‘stealing’ moments she observes from others. On The Howard Stern Show, she described how she incorporated a line from a stressed mother she saw in a supermarket while filming. The mother, while scolding her child, used a specific hand gesture and said, ‘Yeah, I’m hearing this, and I want to hear this.’ Blunt found the phrase so impactful that she included it in her movie, and it’s now a memorable line fans often point out.

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 art director Nigel, Tucci took the part 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 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, and director David Frankel would playfully suggest new lines for him to deliver. Ultimately, ‘Gird your loins’ made the final cut, though many others didn’t. Tucci told Entertainment Weekly that one of his rejected suggestions, ‘Tits in!’, always got a big laugh from everyone on set.

One of his most cherished memories from making the movie is the connection he made with his costars. He became close enough with Emily Blunt to be invited to her wedding to John Krasinski in 2010. It was there he reconnected with Felicity Blunt, who is now his wife. They married in 2012 and have two children, Matteo and Emilia.

It’s just… incredible to me. Stanley Tucci met Felicity, his future wife, at the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada back in 2006! Can you believe it? It was such a bittersweet time, though. He was still married to his beloved Kate, who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. He said he did the movie, Kate started treatment, then came the premiere, and she lived four more beautiful years. The most amazing part? Felicity and Kate actually talked at the premiere and he has a photo of them together! It’s just… so surreal and touching to think about. It feels like fate, honestly.

Rosario Dawson, similar to Anne Hathaway, vividly recalls the moment she found out she’d been cast as Lily – it was her 30th birthday in August 2005. While she felt good about her audition – having often played supportive 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.

I remember being at a workshop in Dartmouth, working on a new play by Alan Ball, when I found out about The Devil Wears Prada. It was totally unexpected! I was just having lunch in the cafeteria, and someone casually mentioned, ‘Oh, by the way, you got The Devil Wears Prada!’ as a birthday greeting. It was such a fun and memorable birthday – a really great story to tell!

Thoms recalls seeing Adrian Grenier, who was very popular at the time thanks to 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 opportunity to highlight his bandmates, since he wasn’t the lead singer. Thoms admired how Grenier thoughtfully acknowledged everyone’s support and actively returned that appreciation to his fellow band members.

Thoms had a wonderful time working on the project, describing it as feeling like a real New York experience where everyone was trying to navigate adulthood. However, she does wish one thing had gone differently.

She had a specific idea for how to handle the Marc Jacobs bag that Lily and Thoms clearly wanted during a crucial scene. She asked the props team to keep the bag hidden until filming began, hoping to capture a real, spontaneous reaction. “The shocked expressions, the reaching, and them 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’d even imagined a scene where she’d accidentally leave it in her trailer, but that scene was ultimately removed from the script. Sadly, that meant she never got the chance to ‘steal’ the purse and take it home with her.

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.

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

Meryl Streep actually ended up missing out on a lot of the enjoyable moments on set. She explained to Entertainment Weekly that fully committing to her stern Miranda character and distancing herself from the usual joking around was a difficult experience. She could hear everyone having fun, and it made her feel down. She jokingly told herself it was the cost of playing the boss, and that experience made her decide never to use that intensely immersive acting approach again.

Before Meryl Streep adopted a stern demeanor, she offered Anne Hathaway a quick word of encouragement, as Hathaway shared with People magazine. Streep told her, “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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2026-04-21 03:51