The Devil Wears Prada’s True Villain Addresses Being Left Out Of The Sequel

In the past two decades since The Devil Wears Prada premiered in 2005, the Internet has collectively realized that Anne Hathaway’s onscreen boyfriend Nate was the movie’s true villain, so much so that star Adrian Grenier isn’t part of the upcoming sequel.

However, it seems like there’s no bad blood on his end. The actor addressed his absence in a new Starbucks ad, created in partnership with the film, which hits theaters on May 1.

In the commercial, Grenier speaks to fans directly — or so it seems. “You might have seen the headlines. I wasn’t asked to be part of a certain sequel,” he tells the camera. “But I’m good. Really. It’s all good energy.” The camera then pans to a wide shot of a Starbucks, revealing that he’s talking to a very confused barista, who hands him one of the chain’s new Energy Refresher drinks.

In true Nate fashion, he makes things even weirder by addressing the entire coffee shop. “So a toast to Nate!” he declares. “He made a mean sandwich. He loved his girlfriend — to a point.”

At that moment, Grenier had to concede that Nate is better off left in the past. “Okay, he wasn’t perfect,” he clarified. “So let’s leave Nate in 2006, and keep this good energy going.” However, after the sequel’s logo flashed onscreen, he had a change of heart. “I mean, if they call, I’m free,” he says as the commercial ends.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 follows Hathaway’s Andy Sachs as she returns to Runway and reunites with her old boss, Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly, who’s trying to save the magazine by seeking funding from her former assistant and Andy’s old colleague, Emily Blunt’s iconic Emily, now the head of a major fashion label. Andy’s even moved on with a new beau, played by Patrick Brammell, meaning there was simply no room for Nate.

Grenier previously spoke out about not being written into the sequel, telling People that he had recently spoken to director David Frankel and was “disappointed” by the decision.

However, he admitted that he “can understand the sentiment” of Nate being a villain, which is precisely why he wants to explore him further. “I have to stand [up] for my character,” he said. “If Nate is actually the devil in The Devil Wears Prada, I'd like to see what his character does beyond, as a spinoff movie.”

He has an ally in Hathaway, who disagreed with the internet’s opinion. “He did behave like a brat, but I also behaved like a brat in my 20s and I hopefully grew out of it,” she said on Watch What Happens Live in 2022. “I think that that's what we all do. And I wouldn't want to be defined by my worst moment in my 20s, certainly, so I don't hold Nate as a villain, actually.”