‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ Controversy Stirs in Asia

While millions of fans in the U.S. have been anticipating Friday’s release of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” the film’s rollout in Asia has led to calls for a boycott by some in China, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

The pushback is over the representation of an Asian character, “Jin Chao,” who acts an assistant to Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs character at the fictitious “Runway” magazine. In a 38-second promotional clip, the unfashionably dressed “Jin Chao,” who is played by Helen J. Shen, nervously rattles off her overachieving academic credentials to Hathaway’s character. While some have taken issue with what they consider to be erroneous stereotypes, others have suggested that the name “Jin Chao” sounds similar to “Ching Chong,” a derogatory anti-Asian term that dates back to the 19th century.

Wendy Finerman, the producer of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” deferred a media request to a spokesperson for Disney, which owns 20th Century Studios. The Disney spokesperson declined to comment about the response in Asia. A representative for Shen acknowledged a media request, but did not respond. A DM to Shen was unreturned, as were media requests to the film’s costume designer Molly Rogers.

It’s been 20 years since moviegoers turned the original flick, which was based on former Vogue-er Lauren Weisberger’s page-turner, “The Devil Wears Prada.” The original grossed $326.7 million at the box office globally. In addition to Hathaway, the sequel  welcomes back other leading cast members like Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt.

After the original film’s release, Blunt’s role as an overworked assistant to Streep’s Anna Wintour-inspired character sparked memes of her repeating “I love my job.” But when asked recently on “Betches” for advice to girls who hate their jobs, Blunt, whose net worth is reportedly $80 million, said, “Quit, no. Look, I think, just find something that you deeply love.” That fanned some flames on social media. But Blunt looked cool in a white translucent dress and Mikimoto jewelry on Thursday, when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday along with her co-star Tucci in Los Angeles. 

Movie fans will be able to buy into the sequel through a bevy of product tie-ins with Diet Coke, Starbucks, Dior, Tiffany & Co., L’Oréal Paris and more. And consumers are expected to help the film rack up $180 million at the box office this weekend, according to Variety.