Adrian Grenier believes there’s a special reason why he “didn’t get a call” to appear in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
In an exclusive interview with Page Six, the actor theorized that “backlash” to his character Nate Cooper may have led to him being dropped from the next installment of the 2006 cult classic. The film will also see his on-screen girlfriend, Anne Hathaway, reprise her role as Andrea “Andy” Sachs.
Grenier, 49, said he “of course” wanted to be a part of the second film, which is scheduled to be released in theaters in May.
“We’re all fans of the movie, whether we’re in it or not. Of course we were disappointed that we weren’t asked to be in the sequel, but we also understand that there’s some backlash to the character of Nate, so maybe that has something to do with it,” he opined. “But I think it just leaves room for spinoffs.”
In the original film, Sachs is the editor-in-chief of the high-end fashion magazine Runway, and the more she prioritizes meeting the high demands of her intense boss Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the more her personal life suffers. (Streep will also appear in “DWP2.”)
Fans branded Cooper an unsupportive, immature and selfish boyfriend, which surprised the “Self Custody” star.
Grenier told Entertainment Weekly in June 2021: “When the wisdom of the masses came online and started pushing characters down and throwing them under the bus, I flipped out.
“All of the memes that came out were shocking to me. I didn’t think of it until I started thinking about it seriously. Maybe it’s because I was as immature as Nate at the time. And in a lot of ways, he was very selfish and self-centered and everything was his own problem. He didn’t put himself out there to support Andy’s career.”
But after “taking some time to reflect” and giving “a lot of thought” to Cooper’s “shortcomings,” Grenier acknowledged that it was “true from that perspective.”
Cooper and Sachs broke up during the film, but reunited at the end after she quit her job as Priestley’s assistant to refocus on her goal of becoming a journalist.
During the final meet and greet, Cooper revealed that he was moving to Chicago for a new chef job.
When we suggested to Grenier during our chat that he might not have been heard back because his character’s storyline simply ended, he wasn’t convinced.
“Either way, it’s disappointing,” he said. “Either way, it leaves room for a beautiful spinoff where Nate has his own movie.”
Asked if it was a serious proposal, Mr. Grenier replied, “Obviously!”
Meanwhile, the Texas farmer turned Hollywood star is concentrating on his new short film, Self Custody, about his struggling father (Garrett Patten) and his desperate attempts to recover millions worth of old Bitcoin bonuses.
A lost fortune draws him into a high-stakes world of encrypted wallets, forgotten passwords, and the dangers of the dark web.
Self Custody, also directed by Patten, is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
