How The Devil Wears Prada Differs From The Book

In the film adaptation, Andy Sachs tends to be quiet, polite, and very hard working. However, the book frames Andy as more of a strong-willed, somewhat snarky young woman who smokes cigarettes and swears often. While movie Andy would tackle any project put in front of her, novel Andy seems to think she is above it all, and some readers claimed she exhibited the same snobbery she despises in others. In the novel, Andy comes to Runway fresh from traveling around the globe, gaining life experience to apply to her career. In contrast, the film shows Andy joining Runway right out of college, indicating that she has a great deal less life and cultural experiences to pull from.

Readers also pointed out that the novel's Emily shows more empathy and kindness to Andy when she first arrives at Runway. While many loved Emily Blunt's interpretation of the snooty senior assistant, it would have been great to see more of this friendship in the film. Fans have since tracked down the former senior assistant who Emily was loosely based on. 

Stylist Leslie Fremar once acted as Anna Wintour's assistant at Vogue. "It took a lot of figuring it out and some sink-or-swim moments, but it was amazing," she told Into the Gloss. She credited her time with Wintour as an experience that changed who she is (via Coveteur), stating, "I honestly believe that if I didn't work for her I wouldn't be as successful or hard working as I am." Fremar has also been outspoken about her on-screen character, claiming that, although bits of the film were amplified, some of it was true to life.