Will the Real ‘Devil Wears Prada’ Emily Please Stand Up?
The Cut • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar has confirmed she was the real-life inspiration for Emily, Miranda Priestly’s first assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, a character played by Emily Blunt in the film.
- Fremar, who was Anna Wintour’s assistant in the late 1990s, expressed displeasure over her portrayal in Lauren Weisberger’s book, describing it as a "betrayal" and noting the original manuscript was harsher than the published version.
- Anna Wintour informed Fremar about Weisberger’s book, showing her an early galley copy, and Fremar revealed she contributed one of Emily’s iconic lines, emphasizing the competitiveness of the assistant role.
- Fremar and Weisberger had a strained working relationship, with Fremar feeling she took the job more seriously while Weisberger was focused on writing the book; Fremar has not seen Weisberger in over 20 years and expects any reunion to be awkward.
- Prior to Fremar’s confirmation, speculation about the character’s inspiration existed, including from actress Julianne Moore, and Fremar once disclosed her identity to Emily Blunt, who reacted with little surprise.
