It is just a day before The Devil Wears Prada 2 hits the big screen, and anticipation for the sequel is at an all-time high. The David Frankel directorial brings back its key characters, while introducing new faces, including Simone Ashley.
The Bridgerton actress plays Amari, Miranda Priestly’s new assistant. Sharp, no-nonsense, and fiercely focused, Amari is all business. Speaking about the role, Ashley said that she worked closely with Aline Brosh McKenna, the screenplay writer, to shape the character, brainstorming what her life in Manhattan would look like.
“Amari is all business. Aline and I would brainstorm about the kind of life in Manhattan she would have outside of Runway. She has a deep passion and education for the world she works in, but also a confidence and a very strong sense of self when it comes to assisting and protecting Miranda. I love how Aline introduces her—she’s the voice for the younger, newer audience that perhaps didn’t grow up with the original,” said the actress.
Meanwhile, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt are reprising their roles as Miranda Priestly, Andrea Sachs, Nigel Kipling and Emily Charlton, respectively. Joining them are Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, BJ Novak and Patrick Brammall, among others.
The sequel focuses on how the print medium struggles to survive in the digital age. It follows Andy Sachs as she returns to Runway to help Miranda Priestly sail through a crisis. The latter finds herself grappling with a shifting media landscape and the magazine’s uncertain place within it. They cross paths again with Miranda’s former assistant Emily, now leading a luxury brand whose financial backing could prove crucial to Runway’s survival.
It will be released in theatres on May 1.
Also Read: From Legally Blonde to The Devil Wears Prada: Films That Fashionably Craft The Narrative