'The Devil Wears Prada 2' brings new faces to long-awaited sequel

[0:00] Fashion trends come and go, but the new cast members joining the iconic Devil Wears Prada [0:04] franchise are making a permanent mark. Simone Ashley, Caleb Heron, and Helen Shen are helping [0:10] take runway into the next generation in The Devil Wears Prada 2. We got a chance to sit down with [0:15] the trio ahead of the movie's release to talk about being part of the long-awaited sequel. [0:21] You all are now in your late 20s, early 30s. You were kids when the first movie came out, [0:27] babies even. Do you remember seeing Devil Wears Prada for the first time? [0:32] I don't remember it coming out, but I remember it existing. So I just feel like it was always in [0:37] the cultural zeitgeist growing up. I don't remember the very first time, but I remember distinctly [0:42] watching it when I was like 11 and being like, which is I think the year it came out, and being [0:45] like, whoa, this is the music and the shots and the movement and the way that I just was like [0:50] obsessed with it. The montages. Yeah. And seeing what a cultural phenomenon it was as children [0:57] what's it like to then become a part of this iconic movie? [1:01] I feel like there was an energy on set. All of us and everyone that were in the conference [1:05] rooms and stuff, we were all just like, this is crazy, right? [1:07] This is crazy. [1:08] This is crazy. [1:09] No one was pretending this was cool. [1:11] Yeah. [1:11] It was like, you're freaking out. [1:13] Yeah. [1:14] It's such an intentional sequel, I feel like, because they waited so long to do another one [1:19] that each piece of the puzzle feels intentional, and therefore, you know, you kind of have to bypass [1:24] your own imposter syndrome about your own role in it. [1:28] There were so many one-liners from the first one. Any that you all remember that have stuck [1:32] with you? [1:33] I feel like mine has got to be a million girls would kill for this job. [1:36] Yes. [1:36] That was the like. [1:37] Which you, I don't want to spoil too much, but. [1:40] A million girls would kill for this job. [1:42] Heard that. [1:43] That might come up in the next, in the sequel. [1:46] Who knows what happens, but that was definitely my favorite. That was my favorite line of the first [1:49] one, because I just, I felt like it, even before really understanding like how to write a movie [1:53] and what movies are at that age, I just felt like, oh, that's the whole point. That's why [1:56] we're here. It's like a million girls would kill for this job. It's what creates all the tension. [2:00] It's the vehicle. It's the engine. Like, it just made so much sense to me. I thought [2:03] it was brilliant writing. [2:04] What was it like on the first day on set when you see Meryl Streep come out as Miranda Priestly? [2:12] You can't really describe it, because you want to be professional, obviously, but then [2:16] you're just so excited at the same time. So you're just battling, not being weird. [2:23] It might be a weird challenge. [2:25] Right. [2:25] Be cool. Be cool. [2:26] People like part the seas when she walks through, but then she's just Meryl. [2:32] Yeah. [2:32] She's walking in. [2:33] It's funny the Miranda of it all, though, because I was, I don't know about y'all, but [2:35] I was like remembering Miranda from the original. Every time she walked into a room, I was like, [2:39] oh, that's how Miranda dresses now. And that's like how Miranda, like, I just kept thinking [2:42] like, oh my God, that's what people are going to see of like present day Miranda. [2:45] That's so crazy. And then, of course, there's the Meryl Streep of it all. And you're like, [2:48] that's Meryl Streep. [2:49] Yeah, literally Meryl Streep. [2:51] Hey, girl, that's crazy. [2:53] And of course, you've already been part of two major franchises with Sex Education and [2:58] Bridgerton. How would you say that those roles helped prepare you for the magnitude of this set? [3:04] It's experience, right? Like the more you work the muscle and work on these big sets, [3:09] it just keeps, you know, you get work experience and you get to know yourself more and [3:13] develop a confidence. I say all this, I was so nervous on this job. [3:18] It didn't show at all. [3:19] Yeah. [3:19] No, of course. [3:20] It didn't show. [3:21] Because that's our job. [3:22] Right. [3:22] But like. [3:23] And Amari is cool, collected. [3:24] Exactly. [3:25] So, yeah, I think we all had to just like have confidence in ourselves to do something [3:32] like this and have fun with it. [3:34] And Helen, give us a sense of how it's different to act on stage versus on screen with a maybe [3:42] happy ending, which congratulations on the best musical of 2025 from the Tony Awards. [3:48] But is it a stark difference? [3:51] There's parts of it that are super similar and the storytelling is all the nuts and bolts [3:56] of it are the same, but it's much more of a endurance battle and kind of a marathon for [4:04] theater. [4:05] Well, I kind of got an interesting experience doing the movie and then walking to my dressing [4:11] room at the end of the night to do my Broadway show at the end of the day. [4:15] Yeah. [4:16] I remember. [4:17] Sometimes. [4:18] You were filming one day and you were like, oh yeah, I'm on double duty. [4:19] And you were like, I rap and then I go on stage today and I was like, oh my God, you're [4:26] so cool. [4:27] Sorry to go do Broadway. [4:28] I love you. [4:29] It was so much fun. [4:30] And I feel like actually the theater of it all really helped me. [4:35] I think that we can see the parallels in real life that people talk about your generation [4:40] as being different, right, as wanting work life balance and and valuing kindness more [4:48] than power. [4:50] How would you say that that is articulated in this movie? [4:53] I think there's a much more representative shift. [4:55] There's like things about body are talked about a lot more in this film and like noticed [4:58] and not like a big preachy way, but I think you'll definitely feel in the film that like [5:04] the reason they did another one now is because there were things to talk about and with whether [5:08] it was with the industry or with other stuff as well, like I think it's felt. [5:11] And I think what was so great about these characters is that they had, they all have a voice [5:16] and they all have obviously strong personalities, but they have opinions in this workspace, which [5:21] in the first one was kind of like, you just don't do that. [5:24] Oh, was it worth it? [5:26] No. [5:27] So we have to talk about the fashion and the outfits, the wardrobe changes. [5:33] Is this the most chic you all have ever been on a set before? [5:37] Yes. [5:38] Yeah, for sure. [5:39] For sure. [5:40] I just was so nervous that I was like, I hope we have appropriate things for this [5:47] character because I had such a vision of Charlie being fashionable and not being left out in [5:51] the cold. [5:52] But I also was like, a lot of these things don't exist. [5:54] They would take old designer pieces, like you're talking about Prada or Versace, and [5:58] they would like customize them into like new pieces for Charlie, which makes a lot of [6:03] sense because Charlie, a guy his size in a space like this would have to get very creative [6:07] like that. [6:08] Yes. [6:09] But yeah, they did such a good job. [6:10] It was so cute. [6:12] The Prada doesn't end there. [6:14] Join us tomorrow night as we sit down with the original creative team behind The Devil [6:17] Wears Prada, who are back for the sequel. [6:19] The director and screenwriter share how they brought our favorite fashionistas into 2026. [6:25] That's during Prime at 7 p.m. Eastern. [6:27] And on Friday at 8 Eastern, catch our latest All Access featuring the stars of The Devil Wears [6:31] Prada 2, Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. [6:35] And of course, don't forget to see the highly anticipated sequel in theaters The Devil Wears [6:39] Prada 2 hits the big screen this Friday.