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50 Things You Never Knew About the Filming of 'The Devil Wears Prada'
'Can you please spell Gabbana?'
It's been 11 years since the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada and fans are still finding opportunities to recite the iconic quotes any chance they get. ("Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.") But do you know what went into the iconic movie? Here, 50 things you never knew about the making of the film. That is all.
The Movie Is Based on a "True" Story
The movie is based on a book written by Lauren Weisberger, the former assistant to the editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour.
Studios Fought Over the Rights to the Book
Before the book even hit the shelves in 2003, many studios were fighting over the rights to turn it into a film. They only had 100 pages to go off of, but were confident in the book's premise. Fox's former president, Carla Hacken, told Variety, "I was the first person to read it at Fox 2000. I thought Miranda Priestly was one of the greatest villains ever. I remember we aggressively went in and scooped it up."
Fox Started Working on the Film Before the Book Was Completed
However, after the book was published, they started over in order incorporate key details they missed.
It Took Four Writers to Get the Screenplay Right
At first they tried to adapt the film straight from the book, going through four writers trying to do so. Then they realized they needed to manipulate the story for film. "If you study the book," said Carla Hacken, "There is not a strong narrative that propels the plot forward. That required quite a bit of invention and trial and error. And since there wasn't a strong third act in the book, we needed to invent that."
Director David Frankel Originally Said No to Directing the Film
"It seemed undirectable to me," said Frankel. "It was a satire rather than a love story."
Frankel Wasn't Satisfied with the Plot
"Miranda was a witch, and Andy's motivation was to get her revenge," said Frankel. "There was a lot of conflict that ended with Miranda being humiliated. I felt that wasn't satisfying. My view was that we should be grateful for excellence. Why do the excellent people have to be nice?"
As a Result, They Decided to Write a New Script
Rather than emulate the theme of the book, the writers decided that the film's theme would be about everything women needed to forfeit in order to achieve success at a fashion magazine.
Casting Miranda's Kids Was Extremely Difficult
The crew went through hundreds of twins before they found the right pair for the roles.
Gisele Bündchen Was Mentioned in the Book
She was mentioned in the book for giving Miranda a Christmas present.
Gisele Agreed to Act in the Film Under One Condition
Gisele would act in the film as long as her character was not a model.
Thomas Lennon Was Offered the Part of Nigel
Lennon had to turn down the role due to conflicts with filming Reno 911.
Stanley Tucci Accepted the Offer to Play Nigel 72 Hours before Stepping on Set
For months, the team struggled to find an actor fit to play Nigel. At the very last minute, they came across Tucci. He was on set playing Nigel only seventy-two hours after his audition.
Claire Danes Auditioned for the Role of Andy
The production team apparently felt she wasn't fit to play the part.
Juliette Lewis Also Auditioned for Andy
The crew decided that Lewis wasn't quite right for the role.
Emily's Character Is Reportedly Based on Plum Sykes
Sykes is now a writer and was a former assistant to Anna Wintour.
Frankel Auditioned 100 Girls Before He Found Emily
Emily was in Los Angeles auditioning for Eragon when Prada auditions were taking place. At the last minute, her agent put her on a tape for Prada. She flew home thinking all of her auditions were unsuccessful. But Frankel loved her, and called her house to offer her the part. Her mom picked up and said she was out at a bar (she was upset about the audition). "I was in some dive club in London," Blunt said. "I called him back from the bathroom. He said, 'Listen I would have cast you off the tape, but the studio wants to see you one more time. Can you do what you did but dress the part more?'"
The Writers and Director Didn't Have Anyone Else in Mind to Play Miranda
They dreamed of having Meryl Streep, but didn't think it would actually happen. "We had talked about Meryl a little bit, but I dare not allow myself to dream," said writer, Aline Brosh McKenna.
Meryl Refused to Play the Role Unless They Raised Her Salary
"The offer was to my mind slightly, if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project," said Streep. "There was my 'goodbye moment,' and then they doubled the offer. I was 55, and I had just learned, at a very late date, how to deal on my own behalf."
Before this Role, Anne Hathaway Had Only Starred in Children's Films
Prior to The Devil Wears Prada, Anne starred in Ella Enchanted and The Princess Diaries. This role helped to shift the direction of her career.
The Team Wanted Rachel McAdams to Play Andy
Following her major success in The Notebook and Mean Girls, the team pushed hard for McAdams. She turned them down, saying that she wanted to take a break from mainstream material.
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