The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 film based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger. It came to prominence again, as it is trending on Netflix.
Let’s find out more about the movie!
- This is the third film starring Anne Hathaway which features a best friend named Lily. The first two were Princess Diary (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004).
- On the first day of filming, Meryl Streep told Anne Hathaway, “I think you’re perfect for the role. I’m so happy we’re going to be working together.” Then she paused and followed it up with, “That’s the last nice thing I’ll say to you.” And it was.
- Despite multiple fashion designer loans, Patricia Field spent more than $1 million on costuming, making it the most expensively-costumed film in history. Field received her sole Oscar nomination for her work on this film.
- Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue (and the inspiration for Miranda Priestly), was not invited to the premiere.
- She did, however, attend an advance screening for the press along with her daughter, dressed head-to-toe in Prada. Wintour’s daughter could be heard nudging her through the screening: “They got that right!” Although never commenting on it publicly, she reportedly really liked the film despite initial skepticism.
- All costumes were sold off at an auction for research of breast cancer. Anne Hathaway bought the green dress her character gets to wear. The one item Meryl Streep kept was her sunglasses, which she used again as Donna during the famous “Money Money Money” scene in 2008’s Mamma Mia!.
- The only contact production had with Vogue was Jess Gonchor, the production designer, who snuck into their offices to get a look at Anna Wintour’s office. He was able to re-create it so authentically that it is said that Anna redecorated hers immediately after the movie came out.
- Only two days of the production took place in Paris. It was too expensive to fly Meryl Streep to Europe, so her scenes were shot in the US.
- A fear of legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour cast a shadow over preproduction, and the studio went out to multiple designers – all who refused to appear in the film.
- Only Valentino Garavani, who had designed the black gown Meryl Streep wears in the museum benefit scene, chose to make an appearance, and one prominent supermodel, Gisele Bündchen, signed on for a small role.
- Emily Blunt revealed in 2016 that every week at least one stranger quotes a line from the film to her. Her own husband, John Krasinski jokes to have seen the film 75 times.
- Author of the original novel, Lauren Weisberger, reportedly based the character Emily upon Plum Sykes, writer and former assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Sykes worked at Vogue at the same time as Weisberger.
- Costume designer Patricia Field initially had a hard time getting clothes out of a lot of the designers. Some of them showed their showrooms or gave notes on the authenticity of the script, though they didn’t want to participate.
- It was Prada who helped break the ice saying that Anna wasn’t going to be upset. However, Vogue and other major women’s and fashion magazines have avoided reviewing, or even mentioning the book.
- Anne Hathaway prepared for the part by volunteering for a week as an assistant at an auction house.
- In one of the original drafts, Miranda explains how she started out as an assistant and worked her way up. It is also revealed where she grew up: Pearl River, New York. The scene then continues on to the scene of Miranda confessing her divorce to Andy. This, however, is not true to the book, as Miranda was born Miriam Princhek, to orthodox Jews, in the East End of London, and started off as an assistant to an English designer. She became well-known in London fashion, and started learning French at night to soon become Junior Editor of Chic magazine in Paris. At age 24, she changed her name to Miranda Priestly and replaced her rough, London accent with a sophisticated one, before spending ten years at French Runway, to be later transferred to New York City.
- A “Runway” issue is displayed behind Emily’s desk, next to the fax machine. It features a cover with three models. It is based on the real cover of the VOGUE August 2004 issue, featuring Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, and Riley Keough.
- For the photo of Andrea with her parents, Anne Hathaway posed with her own mother Kate McCauley Hathaway and David Marshall Grant.
- Emily Blunt was discovered in a parking lot.
- She had been auditioning for Eragon (2006), also a production by 20th Century Fox, but was turned down after multiple callbacks, when a producer from “Devil” decided to put her on an audition tape.
- More than 100 actresses were considered for the part and Blunt had returned to England to recover when the Fox executives offered her another audition, this time they asked her to dress more like her character. In her tape she wore jeans and flip flops.
- Meryl Streep based her character’s icily calm, quiet voice on Clint Eastwood’s way of running a set.
- As for Miranda’s appearance, Streep thought of the famous 85-year-old model Carmen Dell’Orefice, known for her trademark white bouffant. “I wanted a cross between her and the unassailable elegance and authority of Christine Lagarde.” The producers weren’t initially keen on it, but changed their minds the first time Meryl channeled Miranda in a meeting.
- The book that Miranda asks Andy to retrieve for her twin daughters is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. One of the prop books used in the movie, sold in an online auction for $586, and proceeds went to Dress for Success, a non-profit organization that assists more than 45,000 disadvantaged women each year as they transition into the workforce.
- Six years after Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt worked together on this movie, Tucci married Blunt’s sister, Felicity. Emily was a bridesmaid.
- Anne Hathaway really did go from a size 6 to a size 4 throughout filming.
- Gisele Bündchen agreed to be in the movie only if she did not play a model.
- Stanley Tucci was one of the last actors cast.
- Daniel Sunjata had originally read for Tucci’s part, rather unenthusiastically since he had just finished playing a similar character, but then read the Holt part and asked if he could audition for it.
- Simon Baker auditioned by sending a video of himself, wearing the same self-designed green jacket he has on when he and Andrea meet for the first time.
- Writer Aline Brosh McKenna couldn’t find anyone in the fashion world who’d talk to her as people were afraid to be blackballed by Anna Wintour and Vogue. She stated there was one person who spoke to her who read the script and said the characters were too nice: “No one in that world is too nice. They don’t have to be, and they don’t have time to be.” After that, she did a pass to make everyone a bit busier and meaner.
- Stanley Tucci joined the cast the weekend before his first scene on a Monday morning, after 150 other actors were considered to play Miranda’s loyal, quick-witted art director. Irish talk-show host Graham Norton auditioned for the part and was the runner up. Other names considered were Javier Cámara and Thomas Lennon who turned it down because of scheduling conflicts with Reno 911! (2003).
- The recurrent need for Hermès scarves comes from the novel, as in the novel, it is Miranda’s trademark that she always has a white Hermès scarf somewhere on her person.
- Filmed in 57 days. The final cut was finished in three weeks.
- Production went for weeks being unable to secure locations due to people’s loyalties to Anna Wintour who felt they were doing something that was detrimental or insulting to her. They worked around the fact that Meryl Streep, an admired and respected actress, wanted to do the movie. However, they couldn’t secure Met Ball scenes as the Metropolitan Museum wanted nothing to do with them nor Bryant Park because of Fashion Week and co-op boards refused to let the production in on apartment buildings that were possibilities for Miranda’s apartment.
- Anne Hathaway was the ninth choice for the role of Andy, as the studio wanted an established dramatic actress over her and her then teen-oriented filmography. Hathaway persisted campaigning hard for the role all the way, going into Fox executive’s offices pleading to be hired – explaining why she wanted to do it, why she had to play the role, and giving script notes. It wasn’t until Meryl Streep saw her performance in Brokeback Mountain (2005) that she called the studio to advocate for Hathaway’s casting in the film.
- Meryl Streep almost left production during early stages, due to dissatisfaction with her salary.
- Originally a spring release, until 20th Century Fox decided to launch it as counter-programming against Superman: Returns (2006). In the end, “Devil” actually outdid “Superman” at the international box office.
- The novel sold over a million copies, spent ten weeks at number one, and spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list. The film was also a box-office smash hit. The novel has since been published in forty languages.
- Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt later reunited on Lip Sync Battle (2015) for a “Devil Wears Prada reunion battle.” Hathaway and Blunt are best friends in real-life, unlike their relationship in the film.
- The original screenplay was developed before the novel was published, had four credited writers, and read as a spoof of the fashion industry similar to Zoolander (2001).
- When the novel became a bestseller and director David Frankel got on board, the script was changed to deal with striving for excellence and personal sacrifices for a career.
- (at around 5 mins) The first bag we see Miranda carry into the office is, appropriately, a Prada bag.
- Daytime scenes in Paris, with Miranda and Andy in the back of a car. The S-class Mercedes was physically cut in half, in order to get the camera angles. It was a pre-production model that the makers could never have sold, and would have been disposed of anyway.
- The Elias-Clarke Publishing building was actually the McGraw-Hill Publishing offices at 49th and 6th in midtown Manhattan.
- The scene where Andy missed Nate’s birthday and comes in with a cupcake was originally going to be that they were all going to a concert and she shows up late, but it was too expensive and the studio needed cuts. It’s estimated there were around $10 million worth of scenes nixed from script for a $35 million budget, including an alternative ending for the couple and the “Florals? For spring?” bit that was saved.
- Meryl Streep’s daughter, Mamie Gummer, played a Starbucks clerk, but her scene was cut for pacing.
- Over 100 sets of twins auditioned the role of Caroline and Cassidy (Miranda’s daughters).
- In the book, author Lauren Weisberger mentions Gisele Bündchen as someone who had given Miranda a Christmas gift. Bündchen appears in the film adaptation as one of Emily’s friends.
- In the book, Andy’s boyfriend is Alex the teacher. In the movie, he is Nate the cheful•119
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