Actress Anne Hathaway responded to a fan theory the boyfriend of the character she played in The Devil Wears Prada was the real villain of the film, saying she disagrees with it because it was clear "they were both young and figuring things out."
The film—which was an awards darling in 2006 and starred Hathaway as Andy Sachs, Adrien Grenier as her boyfriend Nate, and Meryl Streep in an Academy Award-nominated performance as devilish fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly—has for years sparked discussion among fans who believe Nate held Andy back from pursuing her career.
Of course, that theory is a depature from the glaring evidence Priestly was "the boss from hell" who ruined any chance of Andy achieving something resembling a healthy work-life balance.
Hathaway is a lot more forgiving toward both characters and summed her thoughts up rather succinctly during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live.
You can hear what Hathaway said in the video below.
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 and I hopefully grew out of it and I think that that’s what we all do."
“I wouldn’t want to be defined by my worst moment in my 20s, certainly, so I don’t hold Nate as a villain actually.”
In 2016, a Buzzfeed piece that examined The Devil Wears Prada ten years after its initial release accused Nate of being an unsupportive boyfriend who forces Andy to choose between her relationship and her career aspirations.
Nate's detractors often cite a moment within the film when Nate is disappointed that Andy missed his birthday celebration because of the demands of being Priestly's assistant.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Clip - "Happy Birthday" (2006)www.youtube.com
Actor Grenier has called the character "selfish" and "immature," even telling Entertainment Weekly in an interview last year that he feels Nate "wasn’t extending himself to support Andy in her career" and that he "personally couldn’t see [Nate's] shortcomings" at the time he played him.
Hathaway and Grenier are clearly on opposite sides of the fence and Nate's behavior is still a polarizing subject for the film's fans.
Regardless of whether Andy and Nate were meant to be together or if she should have dropped him and their friends immediately, it's evident that the years have been kind to both Hathaway and Grenier since the film debuted sixteen years ago.
After The Devil Wears Prada, Hathaway received her first Academy Award for her performance in Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married. She later won the Best Supporting Actress award for playing Fantine in Tom Hooper's Les Miserables, receiving perhaps the best reviews of her career.
Grenier—best known for playing movie star Vincent Chase on Entourage—was most recently seen in the Netflix thriller series Clickbait and has had roles in films like Marauders and Stage Mother.
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