Two decades years since The Devil Wears Prada revolutionised the fashion film genre, the real-life muse behind one of the film’s most memorable characters is ready to step out of the shadows. With the release of its highly anticipated sequel set for 2026, celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar has confirmed she was the inspiration for Emily Blunt’s sardonic character, Emily Charlton.
In an interview on a recent podcast, Leslie confessed she was the ‘real’ Emily. Siding as Anna Wintour’s first assistant in the early 2000s, she actually recruited the novel’s author, Lauren Weisberger, as her junior. Leslie even confirmed she coined the now-famous quote, “A million girls would kill for the job.” Although the character representation was not always favourable, Leslie conceded that working under pressure probably caused her to seem “high strung” around her co-workers back then.
The stylist has expressed feeling betrayed when the book came out because, initially, the drafts were “quite dark” but later toned down for the public. Regardless of the popularity of the character, Leslie and Lauren have never been in touch again after the author quit the magazine.
With the sequel ready to debut in May 1, the fans should expect to see the original powerhouse cast again. The iconic Miranda Priestly will once again be portrayed by Meryl Streep, while Anne Hathaway will step back into her role as the young journalist Andy Sachs and Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton.
Nevertheless, one member of the original cast won't make an appearance at the reunion. Adrian Grenier revealed he had not received a call regarding appearing in the sequel as the boyfriend Nate. Recognising the fact that Nate has always been hated by fans because of being a ‘villain’ of the movie who never supported Andy, Adrian stated his sadness about not getting a call but jokingly pointed out the possibility of having his own spinoff.
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