![\"Emily](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/846c080cad100226de1b5edd8c39c5d063-leslie-fremar-emily-blunt.rsquare.w400.jpg\")
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\n Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Everett Collection, Shutterstock\n <\/p>\n
For years now, we\u2019ve known the real-life inspirations for a few of the biggest characters in The Devil Wears Prada<\/a>: Miranda Priestly, of course, is based on former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour<\/a>, while Andy was based on the novel\u2019s author, Lauren Weisberger, who worked as Wintour\u2019s assistant in 1999. But who, pray tell, can we thank for the inspiration for Emily, Priestly\u2019s first assistant, played by Emily Blunt? It sounds like we finally have an answer: On Tuesday, celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar said the character was based on her, and she\u2019s not very happy about how she was portrayed. \u201cI am Emily,\u201d Fremar said on an episode of Vogue\u2019s podcast, The Run-Through<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fremar got her start as Wintour\u2019s assistant in the late \u201990s and has since become a celebrity\u00a0stylist (her clients have included Charlize Theron, Nicola Peltz Beckham, and Kamala Harris<\/a>). On the podcast, Fremar said she found out about Weisberger\u2019s The Devil Wears Prada book from Wintour herself after she\u2019d left her job in Wintour\u2019s office and started working for the magazine\u2019s fashion department. \u201cI got a call from Anna\u2019s office saying that she wanted to see me, and my heart sunk,\u201d Fremar recalled. \u201cI went into her office, and she said, \u2018Who\u2019s Lauren Weisberger?\u2019\u201d Fremar said she told Wintour that Weisberger had been her junior assistant \u201cfor a short period of time,\u201d and \u201cshe was like, \u2018Well, she wrote a book about us, and you\u2019re worse than me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Wintour had apparently received a galley of the book, which she let Fremar read. \u201cIt was actually quite mean, the galley,\u201d Fremar said, suggesting the version she saw was much harsher than the book that eventually came out. \u201cI think, obviously, an editor came in and really softened it.\u201d Apparently, you can thank Fremar for one of Emily\u2019s most iconic lines. \u201cI definitely told her \u2018a million girls would kill for the job,\u2019\u201d Fremar said. \u201cThat was definitely my line, because I actually really believed that, and I knew that she didn\u2019t necessarily want to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s been over 20 years since the book came out, and Fremar says she hasn\u2019t seen Weisberger since she left Vogue. It doesn\u2019t sound like she\u2019s dying to be reunited \u2014 she described the book as a \u201cbetrayal\u201d and said she imagines seeing Weisberger again would be \u201cvery awkward.\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to be said,\u201d Fremar added, explaining that their working relationship was less than friendly. \u201cI probably was not very nice, and I probably was high-strung because I felt like I was having to do her job as well,\u201d Fremar said. \u201cSo for me, that was really frustrating \u2014 I think she was probably just sitting there writing a book and not necessarily taking the job as seriously as I did.\u201d Whether or not Weisberger ever actually walked in wearing Chanel boots remains a mystery.<\/p>\n Prior to Tuesday\u2019s confirmation, Fremar had been speculated to be the inspiration for the character \u2014 back in 2006, Gawker<\/a> used readers\u2019 intel to identify Fremar as the subject of a \u201cPage Six\u201d blind item about who inspired Emily. Apparently, Fremar\u2019s own styling client Julianne Moore believed it was her too \u2014 in 2013, Moore told The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> that Fremar was \u201crumored to be Lauren Weisberger\u2019s inspiration for the No. 1 assistant in The Devil Wears Prada.\u201d<\/p>\n One person who definitely knew the truth: Emily Blunt, to whom Fremar apparently once revealed her secret identity at a dinner party. \u201c\u200b\u200bI was like, \u2018I just need to let you know, I\u2019m Emily,\u2019\u201d Fremar recalled. \u201cShe was not that interested, to be honest. I thought I was gonna get this, like, huge reaction \u2014 like, no. It was like, \u2018Oh, okay.\u2019 So that was that.\u201d What other secrets do you think Emily Blunt might know?<\/p>\n Stay in touch.<\/p>\n The latest in style, self, culture, and power in your inbox.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n