Although head Vogue-ette Anna Wintour has previously made light of her ex-assistant Lauren Weisberger’s best-selling roman a clef, we hear the Devil may care after all. Sources say Wintour has been doing everything in her power to ensure the film version of The Devil Wears Prada fizzles—even threatening to blacklist some of the fashion world’s biggest names if they agree to do cameos.
When Wintour got wind that producers had been recruiting major designers for walk-on roles, sources close to the film say she unleashed a flurry of phone calls intimating to the aspiring thespians that they’d be persona non grata in the pages of her high-end glossy if they participated.
Most of the designers bowed out, we hear, with the notable exception of Valentino—who made good on his promised cameo despite having born the brunt of Wintour’s discontent. (A rep for Valentino said she was unable to comment on his partcipation in the film or the drama we hear it caused at his offices.)
Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Wintour has used her perch to punish Hollywood for depicting her world in a less-than-flattering light. When esteemed director Robert Altman was filming his 1994 fashion-world satire Pret-a-Porter, Wintour teamed up with Fairchild Publications founder John Fairchild to wage war on the production, intimidating would-be walk-ons and banning their respective publications from the movie.
Asked about Wintour’s latest round of speed-dialing, Vogue spokesman Patrick O’Connell said, “That’s rubbish. No such phone calls were made. We presume that people will participate, and that’s their business. There will be no retribution if anyone does.” As for Wintour’s personal feelings about the film, in which Meryl Streep plays her as a vampire in $900 pumps, O’Connell said, “Anna’s happy about anything that supports fashion.”
A Fox Films spokesperson confirmed that Valentino appeared in the
film—“He just filmed another [scene] the other day”—but was unable to comment further by press time.