It’s no secret that my favorite movie is “The Devil Wears Prada.” I watch maybe once a month. Maybe more if you count when I put it on for background noise. Different websites have done articles about why Andy’s friends suck (they do), the fact that Andy’s boyfriend is the worst (he is), how irritating Andy can be (oh she can) and even how amazing Miranda is (duh) but my favorite character seems to get overshadowed. I’m of course talking about Emily Charlton, assistant extraordinaire, portrayed by the spectacular Emily Blunt.
Along with loving the movie, I also adore the books by Lauren Weisberger, so when she announced she would be writing a third book where Emily was one of the main characters, I was ecstatic. We got a chance to look a little more into Emily’s personality and learned more about who she is. It also solidified the fact that she is absolutely my favorite character in “The Devil Wears Prada” universe and I truly think we could all stand to learn a lesson or two from her.
She’s dedicated. Like, really dedicated
One of the first tasks Andy takes on at “Runway” in the book (sorry to reference the book and not the movie here!!) is that her and Emily have to wrap Christmas presents for Miranda. While Andy (unsurprisingly) finds this ridiculous, Emily accepts it as part of her job and understands it as part of paying her dues. She is seen as a brat sometimes in the movie, but if you truly cared about your job and had to work with someone who really didn’t, how would you not come off completely and utterly frustrated? She’s not bratty–she cares. A lot.
She’s career-driven
In “The Devil Wears Prada” we see Emily working as an assistant to the most powerful woman in fashion. Before the movie, it’s understood that she was originally doing Andy’s job, which was centered around running errands and grabbing coffee. She was able to get past how dull that would be because she knows the end goal: getting a job that she really wants. In the third book “When Life Gives You Lululemons” she’s a famous publicist who answers to no one. That changes throughout the course of the book, but career remains a priority for her. She knows what she wants and she goes for it.
She speaks her mind
One of my all time favorite exchanges in “The Devil Wears Prada” is when Andy has to try to get the “Harry Potter” manuscripts and she’s talking to Emily right before she leaves.
Andy: Wish me luck!
Emily: No. Shan’t.
Emily knew Andy was only in that dire of a situation because she hadn’t listened to the instructions that Emily had given her, so she wasn’t afraid to let it be known she didn’t care if Andy succeeded or not. While Emily sometimes is downright mean while talking about Andy’s clothing choices in the beginning, there’s never a point where she has a filter. She’s unapologetically herself, and I know that’s something I’m working harder at.
Let’s be real: She’s fabulous
She’s also just absolutely fabulous. Maybe it’s because she’s portrayed by Emily Blunt so that’s the image I’ll forever have in my head. Maybe it’s because she’s a character that works in fashion and characters that work in fashion seem to have glamour that surrounds them. Maybe it’s because she’s just such an underrated character and I love her that much. Who knows. But she’s fabulous.
So while I don’t think I’m going to magically become a movie character anytime soon, publishing this is letting out the secret that Emily Charlton is one of my inspirations for how to be. Whether you take that as a good thing or a bad thing, I think it’s fairly spectacular.
From the Vanity Desk 