For years we have debated who the true villain of The Devil Wears Prada is. Some say it’s Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the career-driven egomaniac hell-bent on running a tight ship, while others argue it’s Nate Cooper (Adrian Grenier), for being the shittiest boyfriend on the planet. Finally, Anne Hathway herself has given us her thoughts on the notion that Nate is the real villain of the movie.
Hathaway, who plays Andy Sachs in the film, appeared on Watch What Happens Live alongside Victoria Beckham when she was asked the question by some fans.
So, does she believe that Nate is the real monster of the movie for making Andy feel bad for committing herself to an important job?
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t,” Hathaway said.
“I think that they were both very young and figuring things out. And he did behave like a brat, but I also behaved like a brat in my 20s.
“I hopefully grew out of it, and I think that’s what we all do. I wouldn’t want to be defined by the worst moment in my 20s certainly. So I don’t hold Nate as a villain actually.”
I would argue that Anne Hathaway is wrong, but her answer is so well thought out that I cannot bear to say it. And you know what, she actually has a point. These characters are all in their 20s and still figuring shit out. People do and say dumb shit at this age.
Oscar winner Anne Hathaway reacts to Nate being deemed the real villain of The Devil Wears Prada. #WWHL pic.twitter.com/zcS8bJrwkn
— WWHL (@BravoWWHL) October 25, 2022
Her answer is actually quite similar to what Adrian Grenier himself said when asked the same question: is Nate a douche nozzle supreme?
“I didn’t see some of the subtleties and the nuance of this character and what it represented in the film until the wisdom of the masses came online and started to push against the character,” he told Entertainment Weekly last year.
“All those memes that came out were shocking to me.
“He was a fragile, wounded boy. There’s a selfishness in that.
“We’ve all been brats at different points. We all just need to live, let live and do better!”
There must have been something in the water on the set of this movie. Everyone’s takes around Nate are way more informed than mine which is simply: Nate bad.
