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Meryl Streep's The Devil Wears Prada: Is the film based on a true story or a book?

The Devil Wears Prada has remained relevant as one of the most significant comedies of the 2000s, and now that the sequel has been announced, it has returned to the spotlight. Here, check out what the movie is based on.

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada.
© IMDbMeryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada.

The Devil Wears Prada” premiered 18 years ago but remains a classic film and has become a cult movie over the years. It was critically acclaimed and even nominated for two Oscars in 2007.

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway gained widespread popularity after starring in the first installment, which has had a lasting impact on popular culture, especially in the way the fashion world and fashion journalism are perceived.

The comedy of 2006 was a box office success, grossing over $300 million worldwide. In 2024, the long-awaited arrival of a sequel was confirmed, with two of its leading actresses returning.

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Is ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ based on a true story?

Not really, The Devil Wears Prada is not based on a true story. However, it is deeply inspired by Lauren Weisberger‘s real-life experiences in the fashion world and her time working with Anna Wintour.

After its release in 2006, many fans and critics strongly emphasized that Miranda Priestly, the character played by Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia! and Death Becomes Her), is a great reference to the Vogue editor.

The comedy offers a dramatized and often satirical portrayal of the real world of fashion and fashion journalism, highlighting several key aspects such as the high level of demand, personal sacrifices and power dynamics.

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Is ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ based on a book?

Yes! The Devil Wears Prada is based on the novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, published in 2003. Despite being fiction, the writer drew on her experiences working as an assistant to Wintour.

The movie stays quite faithful to the book in terms of the main plot and central characters, but there are some notable differences between the two, such as the ending and the development of certain roles, like Emily Charlton’s.

In the book, Emily is more hostile and competitive with Andy. The movie, although it maintains this antagonism, presents her with a touch of humor and vulnerability, especially through Emily Blunt‘s portrayal.

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Also, the film places a greater emphasis on the glamour and aesthetics of fashion, with elaborate fashion sequences and costumes. This visual focus is not as present in the book, which centers more on Andy’s experiences.

On the other hand, there were also some omissions. Certain secondary characters and subplots from the novel were removed or simplified for the movie, which helped maintain a more manageable pace and duration.

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It often happens that in productions, some liberties are taken to adapt to the film format, giving more prominence to certain characters and softening some of the darker and more critical elements of the book.

Ariadna, a Journalism graduate from Tea and Deportea in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is fluent in both English and Spanish. She has been a key member of the Spoiler US team since its inception in 2023, where she covers a wide range of topics including entertainment, cinema, interviews, television programs, lifestyle, celebrity news, influencers, streaming platforms, pop culture, and reality shows. Before her role at Spoiler US, Ariadna joined Bolavip US in 2022, contributing to a diverse array of content areas. Her career began in 2021 at Indie Emergente, a digital music magazine, and she has also written about various cultural events for Spoiler Latinoamerica in 2023. With over three years of experience in journalism across various media outlets, Ariadna continues to broaden her expertise and impact in the field.

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