Exclusive: Leslie Fremar on Being the Real Emily In 'The Devil Wears Prada'

9:33The Run-Through with Vogue:And did you know what that meant? No. Okay.

9:37Leslie Fremar:I was just, you know, I'm from Canada, and I was really just, I don't want to say desperate, but I needed to work. And I wanted a job in fashion and no better place than to learn from her. And obviously Vogue for me was the dream. I didn't feel I didn't necessarily think it was going to be my first job. Yeah. But it ended up being my first job.

10:01The Run-Through with Vogue:And so what was your first interview with Anna like or your only interview with Anna?

10:05Leslie Fremar:I remember clearly. I remember what I wore. I wore Jill Stewart. OK. And then Jill Stewart, what? Describe. Set the scene. I was wearing a navy blue button-up shirt tucked into kind of an A-line black skirt. And then the girls at Harper's lent me a pair of Jimmy Choo pumps from the closet. And I wore those. Wow. And they had a little bow on them. I didn't necessarily feel like myself, but I felt like I was dressing for the job. Yeah.

10:36The Run-Through with Vogue:And what was the interview process like? I met with Bucky.

10:40Leslie Fremar:Then I met with Jill Demling, who was the first assistant at the time. Then I met with Anna.

10:47The Run-Through with Vogue:And what were your first impressions of Anna and also the whole ecosystem at Vogue? I was petrified, to be honest.

10:56Leslie Fremar:I was so nervous. I think I blacked out. I don't even remember. I think she asked me what book I was reading and where I was from and why I wanted to work there. And I think she was desperate for an assistant, and that's why I got the job.

11:11The Run-Through with Vogue:So Devil Wears Prada became such a phenomenon that anyone who took a job in Anna's office or really at Vogue after that, there was that base level of awareness of what a version of working at Vogue was like. But when you started, there was nothing like that. What was the onboarding process like?

11:33Leslie Fremar:I mean, I did not know anything. I remember she asked me for tickets to, for that ferry that goes around Manhattan. I think it's called Circle Line. And I didn't even know what Circle Line was. Why was she going on the Circle Line? She was, like, taking her kids on Circle Line. I swear. I remember that. But I didn't even know what it was. And it wasn't like I was, it's not like you're savvy like you are now, or you're, like, just looking everything up on the internet. And it's, like, right there. Like, I was, like, asking. I was, like, what is Circle Line? Everyone's, like, rolling their eyes.

12:05Leslie Fremar:They're like, it's the fairy. And I was like, ugh. And I remember like—

12:09The Run-Through with Vogue:And you can't ask Anna for clarification. No, you can't. So there is really—it almost becomes a parlor game of sorts around the office sometimes to either decipher her handwriting or figure out what she means by something. With the handwriting.

12:24Leslie Fremar:Oh, my God. That's actually comedy. I was like, you know what? My dad has kind of this scribble, so— Prescription scribble. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

12:35The Run-Through with Vogue:So I was kind of used to it, but... There are certain people in the office who are known for being good at it, and they take great pride in deciphering. But there's a moment in the book, which we'll get to in a minute, but I'm jumping ahead, where there's a long sequence about how the Andy Sachs character is trying to figure out what Miranda meant by a restaurant review in The Post about a new Asian fusion restaurant, and she cannot figure it out. and it turns out it's not the New York Post. It was the Washington Post. And it's this big aha moment. Did you have any great quest for understanding like that?

13:13Leslie Fremar:Oh, my God. Like, she had all these friends that I had to learn and I didn't know who they were.

13:19The Run-Through with Vogue:Can you spell Gamana?

13:21Leslie Fremar:I know. I was like, that I can do. But there were other things like Lord Rothschild and, like, just how to, like, kind of address people. And, you know, she had friends that their calls would always roll through and others that I would have to, you know, take a message and just like learning.

13:42The Run-Through with Vogue:Who taught you that, those nuances? Definitely Jill. Yeah. Yeah. This is Jill Demling, who then went on to be the longtime entertainment editor at Vogue. Jill was very type A.

13:54Leslie Fremar:She was the senior assistant, like really strict.

13:59The Run-Through with Vogue:And she ran a tight ship in Anasov.

14:02Leslie Fremar:Absolutely. Maybe I was more afraid of Jill, who ended up, you know, we became friends, but I definitely learned a lot from her.

14:12The Run-Through with Vogue:Was there like a booklet of the rules? Because some of the more recent assistants really rely on this like 20-page document that is continually updated with each outgoing class.

14:27Leslie Fremar:Oh, really? Oh, no. I wonder who wrote the original. I know.

14:31The Run-Through with Vogue:It's a good question, actually. I did not have that. So you just had Jill. Yes. What was some of the most challenging learning curves for the first few months?

14:39Leslie Fremar:Well, I mean, answering the phones and taking messages and making sure that she knows, you know, who she wanted to speak to, whose call would roll.

14:49The Run-Through with Vogue:Is this email?

14:51Leslie Fremar:This, no. This was on a physical.

14:55The Run-Through with Vogue:But like, is there any email at this point?

14:57Leslie Fremar:I would fax her, her newspapers when she was in Paris, and we would type out this. Yeah, there was email. Okay. But she wasn't on it. Right. So we had this.

15:08The Run-Through with Vogue:But a lot is going through the phone.

15:09Leslie Fremar:Oh, everything. Which now, you know, it's a really different ballgame. Right. No, she did not have email.

15:14The Run-Through with Vogue:Yeah.

15:15Leslie Fremar:We would print out if someone emailed her and give it to her physically. Or we would write her messages on what we called the board. Right. And it would get updated. It would say the time, the message, the phone number of who she needs to call back.

15:29The Run-Through with Vogue:That was described in great detail in the book. Yes. Which I think was very accurate. Oh, yes. And then it's presented to her.

15:36Leslie Fremar:Oh, it is? Yeah. Oh, that's amazing. Wow. Good for her. Well, it would go on top of the desk and she would grab it. Yeah. And then she would return her calls. She returned everything. And then we would just check it off when it was done.

15:53The Run-Through with Vogue:Impressive. Yeah. And you declined to become the first assistant when you were first offered the promotion. Correct. Tell me more.

16:02Leslie Fremar:Well, I was just like learning the job and Jill had been there for a while and she was ready to move on.

16:10The Run-Through with Vogue:How long are you in the office at this point?

16:13Leslie Fremar:I want to say six months.

16:15The Run-Through with Vogue:Okay, so not even a year. No. Because a typical tenure for second assistant and first assistant is one to two years. Yes.

16:23Leslie Fremar:I'd say I was there for six months, maybe eight. Okay. But Jill was really ready to move on, and she kept convincing me that I was ready, and I was like, I am not ready. You know, because there was, like, very distinct roles. The first assistant would do, like, all of her scheduling and maybe more, like, business-related stuff, and then the second assistant at the time would do more of the personal stuff. Right. That type of scheduling, getting her coffee, her lunch, you know, making sure her car was there. Much simpler or what seemed to me as simpler tasks at the time. So when she offered me the promotion, I said, no, thank you.

17:06The Run-Through with Vogue:And what made you come around?

17:08Leslie Fremar:I think Anna called Jill in the office and was like, Jill, you need to convince her. Oh, that's nice. So then I was like, I knew I couldn't say no.

17:21The Run-Through with Vogue:What are your core memories of that first year working for Anna Wichel?

17:27Leslie Fremar:Yeah. I mean, it felt to me like grad school. This is the best grad school. I just got into Harvard grad school. To me, that's what it felt like. And I was like, Anna had no boundaries where we could listen in on her calls. Her doors are open for meetings. Like, if you really were to pay attention, so much to learn. And I actually did feel that and appreciated that. Even though I was, like, young and green and just didn't really know. It was all moving really fast, it felt like to me. But I was there. I was in the heart of it. And the people that you're networking with, you know, invaluable. Everything just felt real.

18:09Leslie Fremar:I felt really lucky, to be honest.

18:12The Run-Through with Vogue:Did your friends and family understand?

18:16Leslie Fremar:No. And I actually, I'm the type of person that doesn't gloat or like just overshare. I was just like, this is my job. Like, please stop asking me questions. But everyone always had questions. And I just, I'm kind of like that. Yeah. Yeah. I'm reserved. And I was like, you know, it's work. And I would just shut it down.

18:36The Run-Through with Vogue:But was it like, I mean, I was shocked even knowing what the intensity of Anna's office, that in the book, Andy can't answer a personal phone call and say a one word yes. Correct. Was that?

18:49Leslie Fremar:I don't know if that's true, but that is how. But like your parents wouldn't call you at work. Oh, absolutely not. And they knew that.

18:56The Run-Through with Vogue:Yes. I mean, that's pretty rare. Yes. It's like the military. Yes.

19:00Leslie Fremar:There was nothing personal. Nothing personal happened in there. Right. And I didn't ask his personal questions. I didn't ask the junior personal questions. It was like business was moving. You were getting in at what time? Well, as the junior, I would have to be at the desk at 730. Okay. And she would call.

19:17The Run-Through with Vogue:Okay. And then in the evening, you were leaving with the book sometimes until— Whatever time it was finished. 9, 10. Yeah. And so then you moved to Sullivan Street so you could be closer to the book drop-off. Yes. That's real commitment. Well, at first—

19:34Leslie Fremar:It's weird. It's good for your sleep. HR told me that I had to be at work at 7.30, and I panicked because coming out of college, I don't even think I'd woken up before 9 ever. So that made me nervous. And then realizing that I had to wait until this book was done, you know, before I got to go home also made me nervous.

19:55The Run-Through with Vogue:Let's give people what we mean by the book.

19:56Leslie Fremar:We don't mean the Devil Wears Prada. No, no. We mean it was a mock-up of the magazine where basically they would paste in the stories from the front of the book, you know, center of the book, all the fashion stories. In like a spiral ring. Yes. And it would mimic the magazine. And Anna was able to remove pages and make changes or she would put post-its. Yes, lots of post-it notes. Like, I don't like this, kill this. See me. Yeah, move this. Oh, my God, so many see-me's. So then I'd have to get the book. She would hand me the book when she came in the morning, go through all the see-me's. Then I'd have to call and be like, Anna wants to see you.

20:39Leslie Fremar:And everyone would be like, roll their eyes behind the scenes like, oh, there's so many Post-its today. And by the end of the month, the Post-its kind of got smaller. It's true.

20:49The Run-Through with Vogue:You hope they winnow down.

20:52Leslie Fremar:And they do. Yeah.

20:53The Run-Through with Vogue:Yeah. The run-through will be back in a moment.

21:25Leslie Fremar:life's messy moments, nothing's off limits. I'm Molly Sims, founder, actress, model, producer, and now your text or audio BFF. And I'm Emma Shagormley. We're in this together, ladies. Join us every week for Lipstick on the Rim.

21:46The Run-Through with Vogue:We are obviously here because I reached out because I'd heard over the years, oh, you know, the real Emily was maybe Leslie, maybe Jill. Kate Young was in Anna's office around that time. But we'd never met and I never talked to you directly. So we're doing an event for our book club on Monday and we're having a conversation afterward. And I was like, it'd be fun to have anyone who is a suggestion of who Emily might be. And Plum Sykes is like, her daughters think she's the Emily. She's definitely not, which she's debunked. But then we spoke on the phone and you very sort of frankly said, well, it's not really up for discussion.

22:26The Run-Through with Vogue:I hired Lauren and we sat across from each other for eight months. Can you – have you ever talked about this before? No, I haven't. Are you – do you feel confidently that you are the real Emily? No, I know I am. Yes, correct.

22:43Leslie Fremar:I am Emily.

22:47The Run-Through with Vogue:I have to say, this has been obviously in different ways, but I'm fascinated by memoirs and how your own story is always someone else's story, too. And that's something I've struggled with. I've done nonfiction writing, and I just have never felt comfortable publishing it because you're worried about other people in your life. And so I do think that most memoir writers and fiction writers, because most fiction is based on something, it's a difficult needle to thread. And I wonder, when was the first time you heard about this book?

23:23Leslie Fremar:So I was actually working for Tawny Goodman at the time I had left Anna's office.

23:28The Run-Through with Vogue:Who was Vogue's fashion director at the time. Yes.

23:31Leslie Fremar:So I had expressed interest to Anna that I wanted to work in the fashion department and that I really wanted to work on set. And she told me that she couldn't give me the job, but she would allow me to interview for it. So I interviewed with Tani and ended up moving into the fashion department. Cut to I'm in Tani's office that we shared at the time, and I get a call from Anna's office saying that she wanted to see me. and my heart sunk. I was like, she never would call in an assistant into her office. So I was very taken back by that. So then I went into her office and she said, who's Lauren Weisberger?

24:15Leslie Fremar:And I said, she was your junior assistant. You know, she was only here for a short period of time, maybe eight months. And she's like, well, she wrote a book about us and you're worse than me. And I was like, I wanted to ask more questions, but you can't really ask her that many questions. And I was like, okay. And she's like, well, I received The Galley, which is like a book before it's published. And she let me read it. It was actually quite mean, The Galley. And I think obviously an editor came in and really softened it and made it. In what ways? Do you remember? I don't remember exactly, but everyone just wasn't—there wasn't this, like, lightness to it.

25:05Leslie Fremar:It felt quite dark, I remember thinking, and I found that quite hurtful. I think what got put into the world is a much lighter, nicer version of what she actually wrote. So I think that's what kind of lives in my mind because that's what ended up being put out there. But I remember feeling like it was a betrayal at the time. You know, people weren't, like, very public about their jobs and everything was not secretive. But, like, you just didn't talk about it. And it was like, it just felt like this exposure. Even though someone obviously advised her to make it fiction, it was really based off of a lot of things that, you know, I lived, she lived.

25:52The Run-Through with Vogue:Did you recognize things you had said?

25:54Leslie Fremar:Definitely. Yeah. I definitely told her a million girls would kill for the job. That was your line? That was definitely my line because I actually really believed that. And I knew that she didn't necessarily want to be there.

26:11The Run-Through with Vogue:I'm just curious, when Anna gave you the galley, did you, like, take it immediately into the hallway and, like, start reading? I think that's probably what I would do. Did you wait until you got home?

26:21Leslie Fremar:Yeah, I waited until I got home. I think we were, like, really busy. Like, Tani was probably packing up for a big photo shoot, and I was like, oh, my God, like, what is this thing going to say?

26:31The Run-Through with Vogue:But immediately you knew that it was going to be about your time with Lauren. Can you describe your process of hiring Lauren or how you knew that you were the Emily character she describes in the book?

26:44Leslie Fremar:I mean, to be honest, Lauren didn't really socialize with anyone else. So I think her experience at Vogue was really with me and with Anna. You know, you're quite busy in the office, so you don't really have much time to—you have to make an effort to make friends outside the office, which I did. But you're just really busy. And I think she also had a learning curve because she just graduated from college. And I had to teach her all of these things, and she didn't really know who anyone was either. And I could relate to that. And I remember, I mean, we had a nice conversation when I interviewed her, and she is very smart.

27:23Leslie Fremar:And she, I just felt like she would be able to get it quickly.

27:29The Run-Through with Vogue:Was it true that she was open that she wanted to work at The New Yorker?

27:34Leslie Fremar:Yes, she didn't tell me that, but she told the managing editor at the time that she really wanted to be a writer. And I recall her taking a writing test and, you know, things didn't necessarily go her way. And they suggested that she take this class. And I think the story that I was told was that this teacher or, you know, this course kind of said, write what you know. And I think, you know, as the story goes, that's where it started. at her and I never talked about it and we never talked again after she left.

28:12The Run-Through with Vogue:You've never seen her? No. In 20 years? No. Wow. Mm-mm. What do you think it would be like if you guys were reunited? I think it would be very awkward.

28:27Leslie Fremar:I think. I mean, I don't hold a grudge towards her, but it's just, it became something that I don't think she knew, that I knew. And so I think it would just, there's nothing to be said.

28:41The Run-Through with Vogue:What is similar to the book in the, and obviously now we associate so much the Andy Sachs character with the movie, but was she a fish out of water in as extreme a way as she presents it?

28:56Leslie Fremar:Yes, I do think she was. I believe, I recall, she had just graduated from Cornell. She took pride in that and felt like maybe getting coffee and, you know, hamburgers and mashed potatoes was like, just felt like she had just invested all this time in her education. I came from Canada. I couldn't really relate to that IV mentality. But I think she just felt like the tasks at hand were below her. Did Anna eat hamburgers and mashed potatoes? Yes. Wow. From the Royalton, I think, was the hotel. That sounds right.

29:37The Run-Through with Vogue:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

29:37Leslie Fremar:Either a steak or a hamburger, really rare. Baked potato, mashed potatoes. Yeah, that was like the diet at the time. Wow. Yeah. What do you remember being the hardest learning curve for her? For me, the driving force, and I can only speak for myself, was that I really loved fashion and wanted my career long term to be in fashion. I love the photo shoots. I love photography. I love clothes. I love the art of it. And I think for her, the end game was different. I think she wanted to be a writer. Not that she couldn't get things out of that experience that would help a writing career. Obviously, she did.

30:18Leslie Fremar:But I think the fashion part of it just did not interest her. Right.

30:23The Run-Through with Vogue:I want to do a little fact versus fiction because a lot of us at Vogue, when we were talking about picking this book as our next book club, realized that no one had read the book. Oh. Just in the movie. Okay. And reading it, it's sort of fascinating to hear about what it was like working at Vogue in the early aughts, but also wondering what was actually true and what she sort of largely fictionalized. Okay. So I do think it's amazing that one of the most infamous lines in the movie, not everyone was saying it, just you were saying it.

30:55Leslie Fremar:I think I definitely said it. Something I would say.

30:59The Run-Through with Vogue:Which is, a million women would kill for this job. Girls. Yes. And earlier this month when I interviewed some of Anna's more recent assistants, we were talking about how the gird your loins moment really was quite similar. Can you describe what it was like when Anna would arrive? Oh, my God. It was such panic.

31:22Leslie Fremar:Well, but you had to hide it. Yeah. And I think over time it went away. Like, I wasn't afraid of her by the end. But at the beginning I definitely was. And I'm sure Lauren felt, you know, I can't speak for her, but I'm sure she felt nervous when she would arrive. So she would arrive, all the newspapers, you know, The Times, Washington Post, the New York Post, the Daily Mail. Every newspaper had to be kind of laid out in a fan. And when would she actually read those? Oh, she would. She would sit there and go through all of them. I don't know, you know, front to back, but she would definitely read the front pages, the interesting stories.

32:04Leslie Fremar:She was definitely, you know, kept up on current affairs.

32:08The Run-Through with Vogue:And when she was arriving, would you switch shoes?

32:12Leslie Fremar:Would you change? What was that? I always had Birkenstocks under my desk. I would put on heels when she arrived. She definitely caught me a few times. She would call me from the elevator bank and be like, I forgot. Can you bring it? And I'd already changed my shoes. And I would run out with her whatever she forgot. And she would not even look at me and be looking at my feet. You know, so she I think she knew that I would do that. So that is true. You can't you actually I don't know if I would survive all day in heels. It's so hard. Yeah. So I couldn't and there's a lot of running around. And, you know, if she's not there, like I just wanted to be comfortable.

32:56Leslie Fremar:Yeah. So I definitely. Oh, I have a million pairs of Birkenstocks. I have every color.

33:02The Run-Through with Vogue:Wow. Yeah. Okay. So that's been a consistent wardrobe staple. Yes.

33:07Leslie Fremar:I've even been in Birkenstock ads. Wow. I have a long relationship with Birkenstock. I love—I'm very passionate about Birkenstock.

33:14The Run-Through with Vogue:I mean, many people are. Yeah. I want to know, did you ever go to Paris with Anna?

33:22Leslie Fremar:No. Anna did not travel with her assistants. That is fiction. Vogue has, or I don't know if they still do, had a Paris office. And there was a woman in the Paris office that would assist Anna when she was there. Her name was Fiona.

33:39The Run-Through with Vogue:Fiona's still there.

33:40Leslie Fremar:Oh, really? So, yes. Fiona would help on the Europe side.

33:48The Run-Through with Vogue:One of the big plot points in the book and the movie is that Andy gets to go to Paris instead of Emily. And it's this great betrayal of Emily. Was there ever a situation like that where? No. Okay. Yeah.

34:03Leslie Fremar:I think the fiction part of the book is that this character turns into this superstar, and I did not witness that. And I think this idea that the Emily character is not very pleasant or nice or seems high strung is because I probably was not very nice and I probably was high strung because I felt like I was having to do her job as well. So for me, that was really frustrating. I think she was probably just sitting there writing a book and not necessarily taking the job as seriously as I did or, you know, 100 million girls would. So I think that that probably created some tension in the office where maybe I would snap at her or, you know, she just didn't want to play the game.

35:03Yeah.

35:04Leslie Fremar:Yeah. Were there rules you passed down to her and rules that Jill passed down to you?

35:11The Run-Through with Vogue:And were some of those rules not actually from Anna?

35:14Leslie Fremar:I don't think any of the rules are actually from Anna, to be honest. There were rules that were passed down to me that were like, I couldn't eat at my desk. You couldn't go to the bathroom unless one of the assistants had to be there at all times. So if you have to ask the senior assistant, like, if you could go use the restroom. Her checks were all typed out on a typewriter. Even at the time we had these messenger slips. I'm sure it's all digital now. But you'd have to fill them out. Like if I needed something sent to her house or picked up, we had to type them on a typewriter. Oh, wow.

35:51The Run-Through with Vogue:You couldn't write it.

35:52Leslie Fremar:We couldn't write it. So and everything that came out of her office had to, like, be very presentable. So Jill leaves, I go into the first seat, and I'm like, this is all a huge waste of time. Like, why am I sitting here on a typewriter typing this thing? I can write it in five minutes. So I just started writing them, and Anna never said anything. She didn't care. I don't think she noticed. Did you start eating at your desk? Yes, I think I started eating maybe not something that was very fragrant. But I definitely ate much more than drinking a smoothie behind my computer, which was what I was told was allowed.

36:36Leslie Fremar:You were never on a diet where when you felt faint, you'd eat a piece of cheese? No, I probably did when I was the junior because I was told that I wasn't allowed to eat at my desk and I had to sit there all day. I wasn't allowed to leave. But when I moved into the role, when the book was kind of came to life, I ate.

36:57The Run-Through with Vogue:That's so funny. I want to know, is the dry cleaning and laundry situation the same as the book?

37:06Leslie Fremar:No, it was just dry cleaning. Yeah. She would bring in her dry cleaning, and we would separate the dry cleaning. You know, couture would go to Madame Paulette, and the regular dry cleaning would go somewhere else. And the senior assistant at the time would also do the expenses. So that was all something that we had to keep track of. And, yeah, that is true.

37:32The Run-Through with Vogue:What about the Harry Potter manuscript?

37:37Leslie Fremar:I don't recall. I would have to fact check that. the timing of when Harry Potter came out. I definitely, there were definitely requests that were like that about getting things, you know, that weren't available.

37:52The Run-Through with Vogue:So we already talked a little bit about when Anna called you in, you got the galley, you read it. What was the, how did that percolate around the office? And what was the vibe?

38:03Leslie Fremar:I don't remember if it was gossiped about. Like, I don't know if, I'm not the type of person that would, you know, run around and be like, oh, my God, there's a book coming out. I think I kind of kept it to myself. So I'm not really sure who was in the inner circles of knowing that that was happening.

38:20The Run-Through with Vogue:So you read The Galley and you thought, I obviously, I see myself in this because this was my role. But what did you recognize and what upset you as being not accurate? I think, I mean, I knew it was me.

38:37Leslie Fremar:You know, Lauren and I had spent these eight months together. It's a really intense relationship. You know, you're working together from 7.30 in the morning till 7.30 at night. And, you know, day in, day out, weekends. Obviously, you're not working on the weekends, but it's possible that you would have to. So I think that relationship is really intense and you rely on each other. you know, in day-to-day life. So would I have considered her a friend? No, like, I don't, we didn't necessarily socialize, but I think that that was also something that was taught to me. Like, Anna didn't really socialize with us.

39:19Leslie Fremar:She wasn't, like, asking us, like, how was your weekend? So I think in the office, that wasn't really a ritual for me to, like, talk to her. But I did meet her boyfriend, and I did know personal things about her and we definitely had a relationship. Obviously, I got frustrated with her. So I think that that's where that mean part in her perspective probably came from. But it definitely to me at the time felt like a betrayal. I was like, oh my God, I spent so much time with this person.

39:51The Run-Through with Vogue:And she didn't give you a heads up? No. What was it like? You never ran into her after, but you did run into her boyfriend. What was that interaction like? Oh, my God. He was like, are you okay?

40:05Leslie Fremar:Like, are you so pissed? And I was like, I came to terms with it, too, because the book wasn't as bad. So I was kind of just laughed it off. But it definitely stung. Of course.

40:20The Run-Through with Vogue:Yeah. A few years later, the movie comes out. Yeah. What, how are you feeling about it then?

40:26Leslie Fremar:I just can't believe it took like this life form that was going to like live on. And I just remember thinking like, oh, my God, I cannot believe now I have to deal with like a movie. You know, once the book.

40:39The Run-Through with Vogue:Did people know you were Emily and did you sort of not want to share that with people so that that wasn't your, you were Emily for the rest of your life?

40:46Leslie Fremar:Well, I didn't realize it was like that was going to happen. I think people that knew me at the time, you know, that were in, like, you know, even PR or working at brands, like, they all knew that it was me. But it was fictionalized. Right. So I was able mentally to, like, separate myself from it where I didn't feel like it was this, like, horrible portrayal of me per se. But it definitely, like, I went to see the movie and I enjoyed the movie. Right. So I was able to, like, separate myself enough to, like, enjoy it. Why do you think the movie was different than the book? Because I think there's this fantasy element added to it where, to me, this was my real life and I was, like, living it and I was stressed or I was, you know, tired or I was – I made a mistake or, you know, I value – I was – you know, I needed a paycheck, you know, whatever it was.

41:47Leslie Fremar:To me, it was real. But in the movie, it just felt more of a fantasy of what, like, this perception of the fashion industry is. So that allowed me to enjoy it. It's hard for me to kind of explain or distinguish. I don't know. To me, the movie is, there's a joy to it.

42:09The Run-Through with Vogue:It's optimistic. It feels relatable to anyone who's starting out in their career. Whereas the book felt very specifically about one experience.

42:20Leslie Fremar:Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I think the editors did a fantastic job in adding this element of Hollywood and masks and all of those things to get people to go and see it.

42:33The Run-Through with Vogue:Yeah.

42:34Leslie Fremar:Because at the time, I think people also would turn their noses to fashion or, you know, it wasn't this like thing that accepted everybody. It wasn't inclusive. So I think the movie made it a little bit more inclusive and romanticized it and all of these things that made it entertainment. But at the end of the day, it was still like my life. So it was hard to decipher.

43:00The Run-Through with Vogue:Was there ever a real-life version of the Cerulean Blue Sweater moment where either Lauren was sort of explained the magnitude of the fashion industry or you felt like you understood how big an ecosystem this was?

43:17Leslie Fremar:Yeah, I think I was always trying to remind her that this was something to take seriously or I took it seriously and she really didn't. So that really frustrated me. I was like, this is a huge international business. This is like an art form to lots of people. People get dressed every day as an expression of like who they are. And to me, that was like, I took that seriously, even though, you know, obviously I know I'm not curing anything. It was important to me. And not being important to her just really irked me.

43:54The Run-Through with Vogue:We found an old gawker piece that referenced a July 2006, page six article that's the title is Leslie Fremar haunts Lauren Weisberger's dreams. Oh, my God. OK. And it speculates that you're the real Emily. And people in the comments said that they found your Friendster account, that you seem nice, and they wondered if you were British like Emily Blunt. Did you ever see this?

44:21Leslie Fremar:I think someone showed me at the post. The post at the time would do blind items, I guess. Yeah. So I felt embarrassed, but also like it could go away. Yeah. You know, at that time, too, today's news was, you know, yesterday's trash, you know, it didn't live on quite. Like it felt like it does today. Fish rap. Yeah. So it could like, you know, I could move on quicker.

44:47The Run-Through with Vogue:It's true, actually. If that makes sense. It's not on the internet forever.

44:51Leslie Fremar:Right, right.

44:51The Run-Through with Vogue:It's a different thing.

44:52Leslie Fremar:Yeah, it felt like it could be thrown out and like people aren't looking at yesterday's paper. They're only looking at it today. Yeah. So living in the moment felt more true then. It didn't like follow me as much as it would today, probably.

45:06The Run-Through with Vogue:Had you ever wanted to, I mean, you've been so discreet about this for two decades, which I think is a testament to your respect for this role and for Anna and Vogue. But have you had complicated feelings when people say that they are the real Emily or talk about it? I know Plum Sykes wrote a very funny article about how her daughters are convinced she's the real Emily and she sort of debunked that, but circuitously. What has that experience been like for you?

45:34Leslie Fremar:Well, I think obviously Anna's had many assistants and I'm not the only one. So I think all of those people have a shared experience working for her and have their own experiences. But this very specific time in history and this happening happened to me. Like when we spoke, I was like, I'm happy to come on your panel, but it will be quite clear very quickly that it was me. So I don't want to make Kate uncomfortable. I don't want to make Plum uncomfortable. Like I can kind of go along with the, you know, the lightness of it. Yeah, but it will become very clear quickly that it was me and then I don't want us having a conversation with them.

46:15Leslie Fremar:You know, I felt sensitive to that. Of course. And it's weird, like, having a movie come out 20 years later, and then all of a sudden it's back. You know, obviously I've moved past it all, and I still work in the business, and I'm able to kind of laugh it off. But now it feels like yesterday somehow. Is that why talk about it now 20 years later? Yeah. I'm just like, you know what? There's all this speculation. Everyone really enjoyed the movie. Anna's clearly embracing it. Yeah. And so why not? Yeah. You know, just put it out there. And I'm not really worried about the repercussions. Like everyone has something to say.

46:57Leslie Fremar:That stuff doesn't really bother me. But it just felt like there was this curiosity. Yeah. And I was like, you know what? Here we go.

47:10The Run-Through with Vogue:Have you ever met Emily Blunt? I have met Emily Blunt.

47:16Leslie Fremar:I was really, I'm never excited to meet anyone, to be honest. And I was always like, if I meet Emily Blunt, what would I do? So one day I was getting a massage at the Greenwich Hotel, and she was actually at the spa herself. And I wanted to say something, and I didn't. So I let that moment pass me. And then a client of mine invited me over for dinner to her house. and there was like seven people there. And Emily was there. So I was like, this is so intimate and personal and we're at a mutual friend's house. And so I said to her, I was like, I just need to let you know, I'm Emily. She was not that interested, to be honest.

48:05Leslie Fremar:I was like, I thought I was going to get this like huge reaction. Like, no, I was like, oh, okay. So that was that.

48:16The Run-Through with Vogue:The run-through will be back in a moment.

48:32The Run-Through with Vogue:Was there anything, you know, I think people focus on, is Anna really like Miranda Priestly? But are there any stories of ways Anna would surprise people by things she did?

48:47Leslie Fremar:Oh, listen, I want to firstly say that Anna is my mentor through and through. I learned everything that I know from Anna. I would actually give her full credit for the way that my life turned out, and I'm very happy with how my life turned out. So I'm very grateful to Anna. I think a lot of that, like the way she ran her office without it feeling personal, I still do that to this day. I think that that's a really efficient way of working, and it's able to keep boundaries. And when the personal kind of invades the professional, it becomes a little bit messier, and I respected her process of that.

49:30The Run-Through with Vogue:There was a story that I thought was very touching about Anna finding you crying one day. Yes, yes. Can you tell me about that?

49:38Leslie Fremar:So I had just gotten a call from HR, and they had informed me that my work visa from Canada was coming up for renewal and that the company had a new policy that they were not going to sponsor international employees and that they were not going to extend my working contract. and I was hysterical. It was just like my life just like flashed before me. Like I have to move home. Like I have a life here. I have a job. Like I didn't understand. I was hysterical and I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't know that Anna was coming in because I was just kind of really emotional. And she walked in and I was crying and I didn't know that she was coming in.

50:31Leslie Fremar:And she looked at me, and it made her uncomfortable, and she didn't say anything and walked into her office. And I was embarrassed and couldn't stop crying, though, because, like, I just—my life just basically blew up in my eyes. And then she waited a few minutes, and then she called me into the office, and she's like—it's horrible that I do her voice, but she's like, Leslie, why are you crying? And I was like, well, I just got this call from HR and, you know, they let me know that unfortunately they're not going to extend my working papers and there's a new policy through the company that you're just not sponsoring anymore.

51:11And she goes, just stop crying.

51:15Leslie Fremar:And I was like, okay. So I leave the office. And then she calls Cy Newhouse at the time and asked him to come to her office. and he walks in and he's like the cutest little old man and he just like is always wearing the same like sweatshirt. I just remember so clearly. And she's like, sigh. And the doors are open so I can hear everything. She's like, you need to make my assistant stop crying. HR just told her that she no longer has a job and you need to get her a visa. And he was like, okay, done. And she got me. And you're still here. And I am still here. She got me my papers.

51:57The Run-Through with Vogue:I love that.

51:58Leslie Fremar:Yeah. But there was no, like, I just, like, wanted to hug her and be like, thank you so much. But, like, I think she just knew how grateful I was. And there was no exchange of how grateful I was. She just, we didn't have that relationship. But I hope, and if she's listening, how grateful I was to her.

52:18The Run-Through with Vogue:You moved from Anna's office to working for Tawny as her styling assistant. How long did you work for Tawny? Three years. and then I went to work at Prada.

52:29Leslie Fremar:Oh, okay. So when the book came out, The Devil Wears Prada, I was actually at Prada.

52:35The Run-Through with Vogue:Oh my God. I didn't know that.

52:38Leslie Fremar:And Anna's like, I'm worse, you know, like it was the whole thing. You can't make it up. Yeah. So I did the VIP department at Prada for a really short time and I met Salma Hayek when I was there and she hired me freelance. So I left.

52:56The Run-Through with Vogue:Okay. So you started from there. Yes. When you came back to Vogue recently. Yes. For a very special shoot. Yes. Can you tell me about that?

53:07Leslie Fremar:So, oh my God, this is a crazy story. So I was literally in the middle of nowhere upstate with my kids and they were learning to ride dirt bikes with some man like in a field. Yeah. and my agent calls me and was like, Anna Wintour wants to speak to you. Can you take the call? And I was like, no. I'm like, my pajamas, like in the middle of nowhere, this man is like yelling at me. My kids are like falling off bikes. And I was like, I cannot, I can't right now just tell her like I have no service. Like I had that panic kind of come back that I couldn't take the call. I was almost caught too off guard.

53:48Leslie Fremar:And so then Virginia called me. It was like, Anna suggested you for this job to work with Kamala Harris, who was the vice. For the campaign. Yes, for the campaign. The presidential campaign. The presidential campaign. She was looking for someone. So I was like, wow. She's like, you know, just take the meeting with the vice president and take it from there, see what happens. So I was like, okay. So I took the meeting and the vice president and I, you know, had similar points of view on what needed to be done. And so I did that. And Anna got me that opportunity. And then she was shooting the cover of Vogue and Anna actually allowed me to style the cover, which was my first.

54:43Leslie Fremar:I've been doing this for a really long time, you know, 20 years. And I'd never, I'd styled many international Vogue covers before, but never an American Vogue cover. And she let me do the cover and that was my first American Vogue cover. And it was like, to me, really a full circle moment and, like, probably my proudest moment.

55:06The Run-Through with Vogue:It was the October 2024. Yeah. It was a digital cover and also in print, but it first came out online and it was right before the election. So it was a very powerful, important moment.

55:17Leslie Fremar:Yeah. And the vice president also knew how important it was to me because I had shared that story with her. So it was just, I just felt really proud of that moment. and that will like kind of go down as my, you know, real, something I'm really proud of in my career.

55:37The Run-Through with Vogue:Leslie, thank you so much. We are so grateful to you coming and I hope you enjoy the new movie. I know. Have you seen it? Yes. Oh, really? Are you coming on Monday? Yes, I'm coming. I'm dying to see it. Okay, good. Hi, listeners. I just wanted to mention that we, of course, reached out to Lauren Weisberger for comment on what we discussed with Leslie in this episode. She did not get back to us for comment. And that is it for the show this week. We will see you guys soon.

56:10The Run-Through with Vogue:The Run Through with Vogue is produced by Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma, and Alex John Burns with help from Emily Elias. The show is engineered by Pran Bandi and mixed by Mike Kuchman. Bye!

56:33The Run-Through with Vogue:From PRX.