Simone Ashley on Stepping Into Miranda Priestly’s World in “The Devil Wears Prada 2”
Twenty years after The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly has a new assistant: the very talented (and very chic) Amari [Simone Ashley].
From her breakout role in Sex Education to portraying the Viscountess Bridgerton in season 2 of the hit Netflix show, Ashley is now starring alongside Hollywood greats Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci in the sequel to the iconic comedy-drama.
Ashley plays Amari, Priestley’s new first assistant in The Devil Wears Prada 2. “Every single day, I learned something just working with them and observing them, and how they hold themselves at work,” she says fondly of her co-stars. “And just how kind and generous they were.”
Ashley says landing the role and joining a seasoned cast at their 20-year reunion was more exciting than intimidating.
“I was really excited,” she says. “As soon as I found out they were making a sequel, I was thrilled to meet for the role.”
Ashley says she worked with director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna to ensure her character felt distinct from Emily Blunt’s snooty, anxious Emily Charlton, and Anne Hathaway’s hardworking, honest Andy Sachs in the first film.
“They [David and Aline] really encouraged me not to watch the first movie too much because they didn’t want it to be a remix, and they wanted the character, the new first assistant, to be something fresh and different,” she explains. “Emily’s character — her comedy comes from this ball of anxiety, and for Amari, it’s kind of that black cat energy.”
The first film famously featured numerous montages of Hathaway running through the streets of New York City — dressed in gradually nicer and nicer clothes — running errands for her high-powered, demanding boss. With an already established fan base, Ashley says filming in New York for the sequel meant she was almost always performing for a crowd.
“It was crazy,” she says. “Because there were just thousands of people that would come to watch, that would hear that we were filming somewhere in the city.”
In a movie that centers on fashion, Simone says one of the best parts was getting to help design her character’s look alongside costume designer Molly Rogers, who worked on the first film and is also known for her work on Sex and the City.
“That was, like, one of the most fun parts and a really big factor into developing the character,” she says. “The hair and makeup fittings did that. And then I would go in for fittings with the costume department, and for hours and hours we would just blast music, have loads of fun, and try on everything. And I worked very closely with Jake [Poser] on Molly’s team, and we just had a really, really great working relationship.”
Ashley says the emphasis on costuming and fashion in this film helped her feel more confident in her own style.
“It gave me a sense of confidence,” she says. “It was a big pivot in my life. I had just moved to New York, and we were filming in the summer, and it was definitely a new chapter for me. And I think working with the caliber of cast—it really encouraged me to just try and be more confident, more open to having fun.”
But no matter where she is in the world, Simone says she likes to think her style still reflects who she is as a person.
“I’d like to think I’m my own person wherever I go,” she says. “I definitely get influenced by different things. I think New York has amazing vintage and amazing independent brands that you only find in New York City.”
But when she’s not working, she says, “I’m always in my sneakers.”
Featured image: Simone Ashley as Amari in 20th Century Studios’ THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2. Photo by Macall Polay. © 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
