The real-life inspiration behind Emily Blunt's character in The Devil Wears Prada has come forward for the first time. Celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar confirmed on Vogue's The Run-Through podcast that she was the model for the sarcastic senior assistant to Miranda Priestly in the 2006 film and its upcoming sequel.
Fremar, a former assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, told new Vogue editor Chloe Malle: 'I know I am. I am Emily.' She recalled telling Lauren Weisberger, the author of the novel on which the film is based, that 'a million girls would kill for this job' – a line delivered by Blunt's character in the movie.
Since leaving Vogue, Fremar has built a high-profile career styling clients including Julianne Moore, Charlize Theron and Demi Moore. In 2022, she worked as Nicola Peltz's bridal stylist for her wedding to Brooklyn Beckham, helping secure a custom Valentino gown that sparked widespread debate.
Fremar described Weisberger as uninterested in fashion and admitted she 'probably was not very nice' because she felt she was doing Weisberger's job. She said the book 'felt like a betrayal' when it was published and that she has not spoken to Weisberger since leaving Vogue.
Weisberger, in a Vogue article published Tuesday, wrote that her novel was 'not an attempt to take anyone down' but rather 'something that felt true to my experience as an assistant.' She has not commented on Fremar's remarks.
