In a revealing and expansive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, B.J. Novak opened up about his unexpected entry into the high-fashion cinematic universe of The Devil Wears Prada 2. For Novak—best known as the cynical Ryan Howard on The Office and the auteur behind the darkly comedic Vengeance—joining a sequel to one of the most beloved studio comedies of the 2000s wasn’t just a career move; it was an exercise in overcoming his own reverence for a modern classic.
The sequel, which picks up nearly two decades after the original, finds the media landscape irrevocably changed. While the first film focused on the grueling climb of Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) under the terrifying tutelage of Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the follow-up explores a world where print media is gasping for air. Novak enters this ecosystem as Jay, the tech-savvy, corporate-minded grandson of Runway chairman Irv Ravitz. His character represents the “new guard”—the “nepo-business-owners” who view legacy institutions not as bastions of excellence, but as assets to be streamlined, or as Novak describes it, “smaller, cheaper, and less valuable facsimiles” of themselves.
An Unlikely Fan of Excellence
During the interview, Novak admitted to being a longtime admirer of the original 2006 film, but for reasons that might surprise some. “To me, the first movie is about excellence,” Novak explained. “It’s about Miranda Priestly, a person who might be rude and unpopular, but is standing up for something exceptional. I think that’s why even people who aren’t ‘fashion people’—like myself—love that movie. It’s a tribute to having a standard.”
This personal respect for the material made his role as Jay particularly challenging. In the film, Jay is perhaps the only person in the Prada universe who is completely unimpressed by Miranda Priestly. He doesn’t need her, he doesn’t fear her, and he views her exacting standards as an inefficient relic of the past. “I had to literally turn off the part of my brain that was reverential toward Meryl Streep,” Novak joked. “In the scenes, I had to treat this legend like she was just a difficult, aging employee who didn’t ‘get’ the modern world. It was a massive acting challenge to wrap that level of disrespect around someone who is essentially the GOAT.”
Navigating the “Enshittification” of Media
The interview also touched on the sequel’s weightier themes. Novak discussed how the script, penned by original writer Aline Brosh McKenna, tackles the “enshittification” of digital platforms and the decline of traditional journalism. While the first film was a “smart, fluffy bit of studio counterprogramming,” the sequel has a sharper, more melancholic edge.
Novak’s character serves as the catalyst for Andy Sachs’ return to the fold. As an independent reporter whose own news team was recently gutted by corporate interests, Andy is brought back into the Runway orbit by Jay and Irv to help save the magazine’s face following a public relations scandal. This setup allows the film to transition from a simple “fish out of water” story into a more complex narrative about the survival of the free press and the dignity of professional craft in a world of algorithms.
A New Dynamic on Set
Working alongside the original “core four”—Streep, Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci—was a surreal experience for Novak. He noted that while the characters have evolved, the chemistry remains electric. He specifically praised Emily Blunt’s return as Emily Charlton, now a powerful mogul and a client of Runway rather than a subordinate.
“The power dynamics have shifted,” Novak noted. “Miranda is being ‘declawed’ by the times; she can’t berate people the way she used to without HR getting involved. My character is part of that shift—the cold, corporate reality that even Miranda Priestly has to answer to someone.”
Despite the heavier themes, Novak insists the film maintains the “fantasy of fashion” that fans crave. He spoke fondly of the lavish Milan-set finale and the sharp, aspirational costume design that remains a hallmark of the franchise. For Novak, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a rare sequel that justifies its existence by showing how much—and how little—the world has changed since Andy Sachs first threw her cell phone into a Parisian fountain.
For more insights into the production and Novak’s experience filming with the cast, you can watch his full interview here: BJ Novak talks ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’
In this video, B.J. Novak discusses his role in the sequel and shares behind-the-scenes stories about working with Meryl Streep and the rest of the original cast.
