Who Inspired Emily Blunt’s Character in The Devil Wears Prada? The Real Story

The second installment of The Devil Wears Prada revived the nostalgia of the beloved film among its fans. The iconic movie is based on the book authored by Lauren Weisberger (real-life Andy Sachs played by Anne Hathaway). While the film’s popularity can rightly be attributed to legendary Meryl Streep‘s portrayal of Miranda Priestly, who was the real-life Emily, a passionate and driven assistant to the commanding editor-in-chief, played by Emily Blunt.

Celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar, for the first time, revealed that she was actually the inspiration behind the film. While speaking on Vogue’s The Run-Through podcast hosted by Chloe Malle, Fremar said, “No, I know I am. I am Emily.” For the unversed, Weisberger worked as a junior assistant to Condé Nast’s former editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, who reportedly inspired Meryl Streep’s iconic character, Miranda Priestly, in the movie.

Weisberger served as her junior assistant and drew on her experience working with Wintour and others in the Vogue world in her book. Fremar (played by Emily Blunt)  brought Weisberger on board, and the two worked together for eight months, exactly as shown in the film.

She quoted the iconic dialogue of the film as she remembered, “I definitely told her a million girls would kill for the job,” further adding, “That was definitely my line because I actually really believed that, and I knew that she didn’t necessarily wanna be there.”

Fremar learned about the book, The Devil Wears Prada, while she was no longer working with Wintour or Vogue. She recalled being “petrified” after getting a call from Wintour’s office. She remembered the fashion mogul asking her about Weisberger. “And I said, ‘She was your junior assistant.’ And she’s like, ‘Well, she wrote a book about us, and you’re worse than me,’” she recalled.

Fremar stated that she wanted to “ask more questions” to Wintour, while acknowledging that one couldn’t “ask her that many questions.” In addition, the real-life Emily revealed that she had received an early copy of the novel, which she found “really mean,” and claimed that the final draft was “softened.”

She mentioned that the book felt like an “exposure.” Even though it was presented as fiction on someone’s advice, she said it closely reflected many real-life experiences from both their lives.

The celebrity stylist also discussed her professional experience with Weisberger, whom she claimed didn’t “really socialize” with anyone. She admitted that she may not have come across as pleasant at times and was often “high-strung,” explaining that she was taking on responsibilities beyond her own role while working with her.

She added, “So for me, that was really frustrating. I think she was probably just sitting there writing a book and not necessarily taking the job as seriously as I did.”

While Fremar admitted that Weisberger wasn’t her “friend,” the book “felt like a betrayal,” and she added, “We never talked again after she left.” She also believes that if the duo meets today, the conversation would be “very awkward.” Nevertheless, she interacted with Emily Blunt, who played her on-screen, and got an unexpected muted response when she introduced herself.