Adrian Grenier is sharing the reason why The Devil Wears Prada fans won’t see him in the upcoming sequel — and confirmed it wasn’t his choice!
Speaking to Us Weekly on Friday, March 13, Grenier, 49, said he never got the call to take part.
“I would be bitter if I wasn’t so absolutely thrilled for Anne [Hathaway] and the crew, and excited for the sequel myself. I’m a fan of the movie, and so I look forward to seeing the sequel as well,” he exclusively told Us. “So yeah, I mean, obviously, I was disappointed [to not return], but you know, I can’t be in everything, you know?”
He added, “I mean, Andy’s moving up, and, you know, I get it. Nate’s the devil, according to some people.”
Grenier joked that while he won’t appear on screen, “I hope they invite me to the premiere at least, come on!”
The Devil Wears Prada was released in 2006, with Grenier playing Nate Cooper — the boyfriend of Anne Hathaway’s lead character Andy Sachs.
Based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel of the same name, The Devil Wears Prada follows Andy as she’s hired by high-powered editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Miranda forces Andy and assistant Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) to be on call 24-7.
Years after the film’s release, fans examined the character of Nate more closely and criticized him for not being supportive of Andy’s career as she worked hard to make her ambitions a reality.
Adrian Grenier. Photo by Scott Rudd/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Grenier addressed the backlash in June 2021 during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“When that whole thing [about Nate being the ‘real villain’ of the film] first came out, I couldn’t get my head around it. I didn’t understand it. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t mature as a man, just as Nate probably could’ve used a little growing up,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “I was just as immature as him at the time, so I couldn’t see his shortcomings, but, after taking time to reflect and much deliberation online, I can realize the truth in that perspective. Nate hadn’t grown up, but Andy had … she needed more out of life, and she was achieving it.”
While Nate does provide some necessary grounding for Andy — who ultimately wants to be a journalist — fans turned against the character quickly for being upset with his girlfriend for working so hard for Miranda.
“He couldn’t support her like she needed because he was a fragile, wounded boy,” Grenier said. “On behalf of all the Nates out there: Come on! Step it up!”
Hathaway, Streep and Blunt are all set to return for the latest iteration, which is due for release in May 2026, while Entertainment Weekly reported in June 2025 that Grenier would not be back.
Australian actor Patrick Brammall was previously spotted filming scenes alongside Hathaway for The Devil Wears Prada 2 and is reportedly playing a love interest for Andy.
