'The Devil Wears Prada': Book/Film Differences Quiz

Answer: Alex, a teacher

In the book, Andy's boyfriend is a teacher called Alex Fineman. He works with disadvantaged children in a rough inner city school, and also does tutoring on the side.

Answer: PhD student in Russian Literature

Lily plays a much bigger role in the book than she does in the film. In the book, she's an old childhood friend of Andy's, who was raised by hippy parents. As a result, she is something of a free spirit. She and Andy move in together while she does her Russian Literature PhD.

Answer: It isn't given

Emily is never given a surname in the book; in fact, none of the 'Runway' staff are except Miranda and a couple of other writers. However, in the sequel, 'Revenge Wears Prada', and 'When Life Gives You Lululemons', where she is the protagonist, her surname is given as Charlton, presumably inspired by the film.

Answer: English

Miranda was American in the film, and Emily was English, because neither Meryl Streep nor Emily Blunt wanted to do foreign accents. However, in the book, she is revealed to be from the East End of London, and speaks with an RP accent. In fact, when a posh English woman called Mimi phones the office, Andy initially thinks it's Miranda.

Answer: Miriam Princhek

Miranda's backstory is given in the book, and reveals that she originally came from an Orthodox Jewish family. She left school to work as an assistant to a British designer, took night classes in French, and moved to Paris to work for 'Chic', a French fashion magazine, before moving to the French 'Runway'.

She also changed her name from Miriam Princhek to the more English-sounding 'Miranda Priestley'. (Weisberger does make a couple of cultural mistakes here - British paper money is referred to as 'notes', not 'bills', and a working-class girl of Miranda's background would not have 'graduated' high school at seventeen - sixteen would have been the maximum age.)

Answer: Yes

Nigel is a very different character in the book, and has far less of a role than the film version, who is more of a composite of Emily and Jeffy, who is in charge of the Closet. (The Closet is a room which contains all clothes and accessories which may be needed for shoots, and Andy also gets clothes from there.) He is the creative director and a tall, eccentric gay black man whose speech is written in capitals.

He is also friendlier to Andy than the film Nigel. He is thought to have been based on the fashion journalist André Leon Talley, a former 'Vogue' editor at large.

Answer: Homeless people

Andy, much to Emily's annoyance, spends her coffee runs smoking, chatting to Lily and Alex on her phone, and buying extra coffees for homeless people to get back at Miranda and 'Runway'. She buys a Mocha Frappuccino for a man who sleeps outside a bank, a Caramel Macchiato with whipped cream for an old woman, and a large Amaretto Cappuccino for a Nigerian man who sells CDs. Andy is also allowed to skip the queue as the manager of the branch is a huge fan of Miranda.

Answer: Christian Collinsworth

Christian's surname is Thompson in the film, but in the book, his name is Christian Collinsworth. Andy meets him at a party held by Marshall, a celebrity colourist. Later in the book, he runs into her and Lily while they're at Benihana celebrating Lily's birthday.

Answer: She gets angry with Andy for talking to Christian.

On the contrary, Lily isn't at all bothered that Christian blatantly fancies Andy and even encourages her to flirt back, believing that Andy needs to loosen up a little. Throughout the book, Lily's drinking habits get more and more out of control, with her getting through bottles of vodka and bringing home dodgy men from nights out (including said sleazy Aussie).

She also almost gets Andy into trouble at work when she phones Andy about their new house, and Andy has to hang up because of Miranda being there.

Answer: She has mononucleosis.

The charity event in which Andy saves Miranda from humiliation does not happen in the book, and Miranda has always intended to take Emily to Paris - Emily mentions trying on outfits for the trip earlier in the book - but Emily comes down with mononucleosis and is in quarantine.

Her doctor has to speak to Miranda to confirm that Emily is genuinely ill. Miranda takes Andy as, according to Emily, she thinks the assistants in Paris are useless, and even Andy would be better! Alex is furious with Andy as he had been planning to go to a homecoming weekend with her at the time of the Paris trip, and had to make several arrangements. Andy tries to explain that she has to go because of her job, but Alex isn't interested.

Answer: Lily is seriously injured in a car crash.

While Andy is at a party held by friends of Miranda's - who turn out to be Christian's parents - both her mum and Alex call her and leave messages on her phone asking her to call them back. Andy senses something is wrong, and phones her mum, who reveals that Lily is in hospital.

She is in a coma as the result of a car crash - she drove directly into a taxi - and the doctors say it's a miracle that she is still alive. Alex also reveals that Lily had got back with an old boyfriend and was driving his car as he was too stoned to drive. Andy is devastated, especially as Alex wants her to come home.

Answer: No

Jacqueline Follet is a movie-only character, and the plot line about her replacing Miranda is not in the book. While Andy is in Paris with Miranda, she attends an award ceremony in the hotel, for which she is expecting to write a speech (which luckily passes muster with Miranda), a party and a fashion show.

Answer: She wants Andy to renew her daughters' passports so they can attend a party the following night.

While Miranda and Andy are at a fashion show, Miranda rages at Andy because Annabelle, the twins' nanny, has called her to inform her that the twins' passports have expired. Miranda wants them to be at the party, and expects Andy to somehow renew the passports in time for the girls to arrive at the party. Andy realises that this is impossible, and snaps.

Answer: She swears at Miranda.

Funtrivia being a family site, I can't print what Andy says, but it is very rude! She leaves the party and gets a taxi back to the hotel, and during the journey, Emily calls her to tell her that she's been fired. Christian then phones Andy and asks her for details, but she blows him off. She catches the next plane home, and temporarily moves in with her parents, along with Lily.

Answer: No

Alex is upset because he thinks Andy has changed, and not in a good way, and that she kept prioritising her job over her friends and family. Andy wants to stay friends with Alex, but Alex isn't so sure as they weren't friends before they got together.