It might be hard to image anyone other than Anne Hathaway in the role of Andy Sachs in “The Devil Wears Prada” and, of course, its sequel, “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” However, there was a time that she had to put in quite a bit of work to nab the gig, and it turns out she did so with the help of entertainment industry legend Audrey Hepburn.
Yes, Hepburn passed away in on January 20, 1993, at the age of 63 at her home in Switzerland; however, her enduring legacy may have had an influence in Hathaway landing one of the biggest jobs of her career.
Audrey & a Zen Garden Were Involved in Anne’s Auditions
“You really wanted the role and fought for it. There’s a story of you going into someone’s office at the studio and writing ‘Hire me’ in their desk zen garden,” Vogue Australia noted during a new interview with Hathaway for the magazine’s May 2026 feature. The star was then asked, “Did you really do that?”
“Yep, I really did,” Hathaway admitted. She then added what else she had to do to get the role, saying, “I got brought back [to audition] so many times.”
Hathaway also revealed how Hepburn helped get her the role as Andy, recalling, “I met Tom Rothman [founder of Searchlight], who had greenlit the movie, and somebody was like, ‘He loves Audrey Hepburn, can you go in looking like Audrey Hepburn?’”
Hathaway was totally up for it. She says, “I ran to Nordstrom and bought the most Audrey Hepburn-looking outfit I could find.”
Still, she had to tackle the lengthy audition process — which is where the zen garden comes in — with the star telling Vogue Australia, “I just kept coming back again and again and again. And so [executive Carla Hacken] got a call and I looked down and I saw [the zen garden]. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I did. And it worked!”
Plenty of Stars Have Been Influenced by Audrey Hepburn’s Style
GettyIf you’ve ever found yourself influenced in one way or another by Hepburn’s seemingly timeless style, then you’re certainly not alone. In fact, plenty of stars throughout the years have found inspiration in the icon’s fashionable ways.
“Though Hepburn eventually eschewed the limelight for motherhood and a lifelong commitment to unicef, her legacy would be incomplete without a mention of her unequivocal (and often imitated) style,” according to Vanity Fair.
Beyond that, Vanity Fair explained, “A testament to her sartorial influence: adopting la mode de Hepburn has become almost a celebrity rite of passage, with ingénues like Rooney Mara channeling Hepburn’s gamine glamour, bon vivant Rihanna offering her take on Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Hollywood icons (we see you, Gwyneth) flashing Hepburn-inspired casual cool.”
Other stars on the list of celebs who have slayed a touch of Hepburn’s style, per Women.com, include “Emily in Paris” star Lily Collins (who will be playing the icon in a new movie, according to Deadline), as well as Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Kim Kardashian.
