Anna Wintour, 75, said she was not hurt by Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Miranda Priestly in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, calling the performance “highly enjoyable” and “very funny.” Wintour made the remarks on Tuesday’s episode of The Run-Through with Vogue, hosted by David Remnick, and described attending the film’s premiere wearing Prada without knowing how the story would depict a magazine editor.
“First of all, it was Meryl Streep — which — fantastic. And then I went to see the film, and I found it highly enjoyable and very funny,” Wintour told Remnick. Asked about lines in the film that appear to caricature the fashion world, Wintour said she thought the movie offered “humor” and “wit” and that, in the end, it was “a fair shot.” When Remnick quoted Miranda’s line about assistants moving “at a glacial pace,” Wintour responded, “Nobody at Vogue moves at a glacial pace, least of all my assistants.”
Directed by David Frankel and based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel, The Devil Wears Prada stars Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs and features Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci. The film was widely seen as loosely inspired by Weisberger’s experience as an assistant at Vogue; Wintour has rarely commented publicly about the connections and has dismissed suggestions of personal offense in recent remarks.
A 2022 biography by Amy Odell said Wintour could not remember who Weisberger was when the book was first sold and recalled an alleged private screening in 2006 in which Wintour’s daughter, Bee Shaffer, told her mother the movie “really got” the character right. Wintour told the podcast she had been wearing Prada to the premiere and acknowledged the industry’s concern about how she would be depicted but emphasized her appreciation for the cast and the film’s tone.
The subject has regained attention as a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada is in production in New York with Hathaway, Streep, Blunt and Tucci returning to their roles. Wintour’s comments arrive amid changes at Vogue: she served as editor in chief from 1988 until recently naming Chloe Malle as the new head of editorial content at Vogue U.S. last week. Wintour will continue to serve as global editorial director at Vogue and as global chief content officer at Condé Nast.
Wintour’s remarks underscore her typically measured public stance toward portrayals of the fashion world. The original film struck a chord beyond fashion circles, earning praise for performances and its balance of satire and character drama. The sequel’s production has renewed interest in the original film’s depiction of magazine life and its relationship to real-world figures associated with Vogue.
Wintour has long been a defining figure in fashion journalism, and her comments on the podcast reaffirm her view of the film as entertainment rather than a personal indictment. She praised the performances — particularly Streep’s — and framed the movie as a witty take on an industry known for its high pressure and exacting standards.