When The Devil Wears Prada first hit theaters back in 2006, few could have predicted the cultural phenomenon it would become—or the way it would forever intertwine the legacy of Vogue’s Anna Wintour with Meryl Streep’s icy portrayal of Miranda Priestly. Now, as the film marks its twentieth anniversary and a highly anticipated sequel prepares to sashay onto the big screen, Wintour herself is finally breaking her silence about the movie that so many assumed was her own cinematic doppelgänger.
Appearing on The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast in September 2025, Wintour, who recently announced her departure as Vogue’s editor-in-chief after nearly four decades, offered a candid and surprisingly warm reflection on the film that has shadowed her career. “I went to the premiere, wearing Prada, completely having no idea what the film was going to be about,” Wintour recalled with a hint of amusement, according to Deadline and Rolling Stone US. That image alone—fashion’s most powerful figure, dressed in the titular designer, walking blindly into a movie that would define her public persona for a generation—feels almost scripted for Hollywood.
Wintour’s initial reaction? Delight. “First of all, it was Meryl Streep, which, fantastic,” she told podcast host David Remnick, as reported by Parade. “And then I went to see the film, and I found it highly enjoyable. It was very funny.” She went on to praise the film’s ensemble cast, especially Streep and Emily Blunt, who played the razor-sharp assistant Emily Charlton. “They were all amazing. In the end, I thought it was a fair shot.”
For years, Wintour’s opinion of the film was the subject of speculation. After all, The Devil Wears Prada was adapted from a novel by Lauren Weisberger, Wintour’s former assistant at Vogue, and the parallels between Miranda Priestly and Wintour were impossible to ignore. The fashion world, it turns out, was just as anxious about the movie’s potential fallout. “The fashion industry were very sweetly concerned for me about the film, that it was going to paint me in some kind of difficult light,” Wintour admitted. Remnick pressed her further, asking if she worried about being portrayed as “cartoonish” or a “caricature.” Wintour, ever the pragmatist, acknowledged the concern but shrugged it off. “Yes, a caricature,” she agreed, but her laughter suggested she’d long since made peace with the comparison.
“Listen, it had a lot of humor to it. It had a lot of wit. It had Meryl Streep. I mean, it was Emily Blunt. I mean, they were all amazing. In the end, I thought it was a fair shot,” she reiterated, as cited by Rolling Stone US. Wintour even joked about her conversations with designer Miuccia Prada, saying, “Miuccia and I talk about it a lot, and I say to her, ‘Well, it was really good for you.’ And you can imagine what she says back.”
The original film, directed by David Frankel, starred Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, a recent college graduate who lands a coveted but grueling job as Miranda Priestly’s assistant at the fictional fashion magazine Runway. The movie’s sharp dialogue, memorable performances, and behind-the-scenes look at the high-stakes world of fashion quickly made it a classic. Alongside Streep, Hathaway, and Blunt, Stanley Tucci’s portrayal of the loyal and witty Nigel became an audience favorite.
In the years since the movie’s release, Wintour has mostly sidestepped direct comparisons to Miranda Priestly, once telling the BBC that it’s “for the audience and for the people I work with to decide if there are any similarities between me and Miranda Priestly.” But as the sequel’s production ramps up in New York City, she seems more at ease with the film’s legacy. Perhaps it helps that the original’s wit and style have aged gracefully—and that the fashion world has largely embraced the movie as a loving, if exaggerated, tribute.
The sequel, written by original screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and produced by Wendy Finerman, began filming in New York in the summer of 2025. David Frankel has returned to direct, and the buzz is palpable. Not only are Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci reprising their iconic roles, but the cast is expanding to include new faces like Kenneth Branagh, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Lucy Liu, Pauline Chalamet, and Simone Ashley, according to Parade. With production officially underway as of June 30, 2025, fans can expect to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 in theaters in May 2026.
The story’s roots, of course, stretch back to Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel, itself inspired by her stint as Wintour’s assistant in 1999. The book’s sharp observations of the fashion world’s excesses and eccentricities—filtered through the eyes of a young outsider—struck a chord with readers and moviegoers alike. The film adaptation amplified those themes, turning Miranda Priestly into a symbol of both the allure and the brutality of the industry. And while Wintour’s real-life persona remains more enigmatic, her recent comments suggest she’s happy to let the audience draw their own conclusions.
As for Wintour’s future, her June 2025 announcement that she would step down as Vogue’s editor-in-chief after nearly 40 years sent ripples through the fashion world. But she isn’t leaving entirely—she’ll remain as chief content officer for Conde Nast and global editorial director at Vogue, continuing to shape the industry from behind the scenes.
For many, the enduring appeal of The Devil Wears Prada lies in its blend of sharp satire and genuine affection for fashion’s quirks. It’s a world of impossible standards and dazzling creativity, of ambition and sacrifice—and, yes, of the occasional withering remark delivered over a pair of sunglasses. As the franchise enters a new chapter, with old favorites and fresh faces alike, it seems the story still has plenty of runway left.
Wintour’s final verdict on the film that shadowed her career? “In the end, I thought it was a fair shot.” Coming from the woman who inspired it all, that’s as close to a blessing as Hollywood is likely to get.
