‘He was gaslighting’: Devil Wears Prada fans give scathing verdict on film’s true villain

One of 2026’s most anticipated films is an eagerly awaited sequel reuniting Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway as feared Runway magazine editor Miranda Priestly and her former assistant Andy Sachs.

The Devil Wears Prada was an iconic comedy-drama of the noughties, all about ambition, frenemies, and workplace culture, set against the backdrop of the cut-throat fashion industry.

A touchstone movie for many a millennial woman, it was based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel of the same name, written after her real-life experience of working for Anna Wintour at Vogue, and co-starred Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci in hilarious and juicy supporting roles.

All four are coming back for The Devil Wears Prada 2, released next month, allowing fans to catch up on where their character’s careers have taken them in the intervening two decades while navigating a fast-changing media landscape.

But one person who won’t be returning is Adrian Grenier, who played Andy’s former boyfriend, chef Nate.

He breaks up with Andy in the first film after feeling that she has become too much like the shallow and self-absorbed women in the industry she once scoffed at.

Nate has always been given a bit of a rough ride from fans for his behaviour towards Andy, but some agree he has a point, and Grenier himself recently defended his character again.

But what do people think of Nate and his actions 20 years later?

Metro readers have their say

With The Devil Wears Prada 2’s release just weeks away and Entourage actor Grenier’s fresh defence of Nate, we asked Metro readers for their thoughts on Nate.

And it’s safe to say there was a unanimous answer to the question of whether Nate was The Devil Wears Prada’s true villain.

‘Yes, next question,’ dismissed Jimmyly Fernandes, with Subarno Raquib agreeing: ‘Definitely, he was the real villain.’
‘Yes!

Her friends too!’ pointed out Christopher White, referencing Andy’s other pals becoming frustrated with her as well when she focuses her energy on succeeding at work.

Other readers were more specific in their feedback, with Cassie Crawford arguing that Nate’s behaviour towards his then-girlfriend was ‘gaslighting’.

Nate was also accused of being ‘selfish’ towards Andy, with reader Feathers McGraw (we know a Wallace and Gromit fan when we see one!) adding, in a point that many often make, it was because he ‘didn’t provide the emotional support required’ to help his partner ‘when she was dealing with Miranda’s shenanigans’.

Reader Adamah Matau took it a step further in framing Nate as the villain, saying he ‘tried to keep Andy down’.

Nate was and always will be the villain

‘As she was growing within herself, instead of sticking to the old rules, Nate began to pout, belittled what she did, and instead of being happy for her in her advancement at work, he questioned it.

‘Sorry, Nate was and will always be the villain.’

Adrian Grenier’s defence of Nate

While the 49-year-old actor can ‘understand the sentiment’ against Nate, he recently told People Magazine that he has ‘to stand for my character’.

‘I’ve re-watched that film a bunch of times, and it feels like they were both just working really hard to make it in their careers,’ he pointed out.

While Nate and Andy break up after her success at Runway starts to transform her life and priorities, with her partner calling into question her ‘integrity’, Grenier argued that whether his reaction was warranted comes down to ‘if you care about birthdays’ – as Andy missed Nate’s.

‘I don’t look to a birthday as a big, meaningful thing, but agreements, I do.

If someone makes a commitment, I do take it seriously that the commitment gets upheld.

So, it’s not so much about the birthday per se.

‘One thing that I will say is I did think that his reaction felt a little bit meek and weak, which was not attractive,’ he added, suggesting that Nate ‘had some growing up to do… and manning up’.

However, he conceded that Nate needed to act more with ‘clarity and strength and standing up for himself as opposed to feeling sorry for himself’.

The star also poked fun at Nate’s controversial status – and not being asked back for the DWP sequel – in a recent Starbucks advert.

‘Nate deserves a second chance,’ fan Mau wrote in the video’s comments section, while Eva insisted: ‘He wasn’t the villain, he was right all along.’
This comment drew plenty of support, with fellow fans only asking for Tucci’s flamboyant art director character, Nigel, to be the exception.

So is Nate the true villain of the film?

POLL

Do you think Nate is the villain of The Devil Wears Prada?

• Yes

• No

This 20-year debate rages on, and Grenier has a point about birthdays because Andy’s behaviour does change a lot, too.

Let’s also not forget that Nate has some serious villain rivalry in the forms of both Miranda, the devil of the title, and also the rather smarmy journalist Christian, who lures Andy to bed with him in Paris.

The general consensus appears to be (sorry, Adrian) that Nate is the villain, but nobody in the film is an angel either.

It’s looking like we won’t get the chance to see any further character development from Nate either, given Grenier has said he wasn’t invited back for the second film – although he is open to revisiting the character.

So let’s just say we can agree that, as a couple, it wasn’t meant to be for Andy and Nate; we can imagine he’s happy as a clam in Boston making grilled cheeses while Andy is still living her best life without him in New York City.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is released in cinemas on Friday, May 2.

The Devil Wears Prada is streaming now on Disney Plus.
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