The creative team behind The Devil Wears Prada 2 briefly considered revisiting one of the original film’s most divisive characters — but time ultimately got in the way.
Director David Frankel revealed that he had explored the idea of including a surprise cameo from Adrian Grenier, who famously portrayed Nate Cooper, Andy Sachs’ chef boyfriend, in the 2006 hit.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Frankel said he had hoped to “sneak” Grenier into the sequel but conceded that the production timeline made it impossible.
“It was simply too late in the schedule to make it happen,” Frankel explained, declining to elaborate on how the cameo might have been executed.
While Nate will not appear in the follow-up, Frankel expressed admiration for Grenier’s recent self-referential Starbucks commercial, which poked fun at lingering fan criticism of the character.
“I loved how self-effacing it was,” Frankel said. “There’s a real humility and sense of humor there that I appreciate.”
Grenier himself addressed his absence earlier this year, telling Page Six that while he was disappointed not to receive the call, he understood why the character remains controversial.
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“There’s been backlash toward Nate over the years,” Grenier said. “That might have played a role. But honestly, I think it just leaves room for a spinoff.”
Since the release of the original The Devil Wears Prada, audiences have increasingly criticized Nate’s behavior, arguing that he undermined Andy’s ambitions and showed little support for her demanding career in fashion. The couple’s relationship was left unresolved at the end of the first film, fueling years of debate across social media.
Set to premiere in theaters on May 1, the sequel reunites Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci in their iconic roles.
The story revisits Andy Sachs two decades after she famously walked away from Miranda Priestly in Paris. With Runway magazine struggling to survive in a rapidly changing media landscape, Andy and Miranda are forced into an uneasy reunion as they attempt to secure crucial advertising support from former assistant Emily Charlton — now a powerful executive at a luxury fashion brand.
Though Nate won’t be making an appearance this time, the sequel promises to explore unfinished business, shifting power dynamics, and the evolving cost of ambition in the fashion world.
