Miranda Priestly is meant to be the villain of The Devil Wears Prada, but one character has always seemed so much worse—and he has only become more of a villain in the 18 years since the movie hit theaters. Based on the 2003 book by Lauren Weisberger, 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada sees a young woman become the personal assistant to one of the most powerful forces in the fashion industry. Miranda is undoubtedly the “devil” that the title describes, and Andy’s morals are tested due to the woman’s example. Still, Miranda wasn’t the worst character in the movie.
Miranda was a demanding boss, but the performance from actor Meryl Streep made her a beloved character nonetheless. The Devil Wears Prada made its primary villain someone that audiences would love to hate, and this is a significant part of why this film remains iconic even after all these years. However, while the Devil Wears Prada book saw protagonist Andy (played by Anne Hathaway in the movie) neglect her patient and caring friends, the film made these side characters seem downright horrible. Still, the very worst was Andy’s boyfriend, Nate.
The Devil Wears Prada Ending Explained
In The Devil Wear’s Prada, Andy (Anne Hathaway) gets a job as assistant to high-powered, demanding fashion editor, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).
Andy’s Boyfriend Seems Even Worse After Watching The Devil Wears Prada 18 Years Later
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In The Devil Wears Prada, it’s supposed to seem like Andy is forgetting all about her friends and boyfriend, thanks to her horrible job. This was how it was in the book, where Andy’s boyfriend and best friend sat sadly on the sidelines while they watched her fall apart. However, these characters—especially Nate—have always rubbed audiences the wrong way in the movie. The supposed supportive boyfriend has gone down in infamy as the true villain of The Devil Wears Prada, and this is more true than ever nearly two decades later.
Andy started the film as what would be called a “pick me girl” today. This is essentially what Streep’s Miranda said during her iconic monologue—that Andy took herself far too seriously to care about what she wore and, therefore, looked down on the women in the fashion industry who cared about all that “stuff.” As Andy began to understand and gain respect for the industry and the people who worked within it, Nate cruelly withdrew his support. He had preferred that his girlfriend remain “not like other girls,” and all these years later, this borders on misogyny.
Miranda Isn’t Blameless In The Devil Wears Prada, But She Isn’t The Worst Character
Though Nate is often considered the true villain of The Devil Wears Prada, this isn’t to say that Miranda was blameless. She was a despicable character, and her selfless actions and entitlement meant that Andy’s ultimate decision to walk away from Runway was for the best. However, Miranda wasn’t so definitively evil that she had no good qualities. She deeply respected and understood the work that went into the fashion industry, and her decision to give Andy a positive reference after their falling out proves she wasn’t all bad.
The Devil Wears Prada Cast: Where They Are Now
Besides being one of the defining comedies of the 2000s, The Devil Wears Prada featured an illustrious cast of big names and soon-to-be stars.
So, while The Devil Wears Prada showed the light and dark of Miranda’s character, Nate was never given any redeeming qualities. It would be understandable for him to have gotten frustrated with his girlfriend’s job getting in the way of their relationship, but he was critical of any attention that Andy gave to her job. Even worse, he was unkind about Andy’s changing appearance despite her being happy with her evolving sense of style and respect for the fashion industry. In all, while Miranda’s ambition was excessive, Nate’s misogyny is unforgivable when watching The Devil Wears Prada today.
The Devil Wears Prada
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Based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel, The Devil Wears Prada stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, an aspiring journalist who, after landing a job with top New York fashion designer Miranda Priestly, gets drawn deeper and deeper into the cutthroat world of the fashion industry. Meryl Streep stars alongside Hathaway as Miranda Priestly, with a further cast that includes Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, and Simon Baker.
- Director
- David Frankel
- Release Date
- June 30, 2006
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
- Writers
- Lauren Weisberger , Meryl Streep , Anne Hathaway
- Cast
- Anne Hathaway , Stanley Tucci , Meryl Streep
- Runtime
- 109minutes
- Budget
- $35 million
