Why Miranda Doesn't Remember Andy In The Devil Wears Prada 2

Judging by The Devil Wears Prada 2’s trailer, Miranda doesn’t seem to know who Andy is, but it is hard to work out why this is the case in The Devil Wears Prada’s long-awaited sequel. The arrival of The Devil Wears Prada 2’s trailer is big news for fans of the original cult classic.

Released in 2005, The Devil Wears Prada saw Anne Hathaway’s ambitious, self-serious journalism graduate Andy struggle through her internship at the cutthroat fashion magazine Runway. Although Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestley was initially a hellish boss, Andy gradually gained unexpected confidence from her interactions with the toxic editor-in-chief.

In The Devil Wears Prada 2’s trailer, the tables have well and truly turned between the duo. As print media wanes, it is now Andy who is returning to Runway as the magazine’s Features editor, to the horror of her former co-worker and rival, Emily Blunt’s Emily.

Miranda Doesn't Seem To Remember What Happened In The Devil Wears Prada

Judging by The Devil Wears Prada 2’s trailer, Streep’s first theatrical movie in seven years sees the screen legend bring back the same cold, aloof edge that made Miranda such an iconic anti-villain in the first movie. In fact, when Andy and Miranda are reintroduced, Runway’s editor-in-chief doesn’t even recognize her former underling.

It is Stanley Tucci’s right-hand man, Nigel, who explains to Miranda that Andy was “One of the Emilys,” implying she was just one of many interchangeable assistants who worked under Miranda years earlier. This dismissive comment could come as something of a surprise to fans of the original movie, since Andy seemingly earned Miranda’s begrudging respect in its ending.

However, this comment could be a throwaway dig at Andy, or even the start of a new power struggle between the duo twenty years after they first crossed paths. After all, Andy is returning to Runway in a position of newfound power, and Miranda would not allow her former assistant to overshadow her.

Of course, Miranda’s job is also infamously difficult, stressful, and high-intensity. As such, she may genuinely not remember any of her former assistants and authentically see Emily and Andy as interchangeable, despite the differences between the two characters in terms of personality, outlook, and aptitude. This is part of why The Devil Wears Prada 2’s story is so hard to get right.

Miranda Pretending She Doesn't Care About Andy Makes Total Sense

It makes sense for Miranda not to care about Andy in this sequel. If she is anything like she was in The Devil Wears Prada, i.e., a cold, calculating boss with a clear-eyed vision and no compunctions about pitting her workers against each other to achieve it, then she truly wouldn’t remember Andy and wouldn’t care about this.

However, part of the appeal of The Devil Wears Prada 2 was the sequel’s opportunity to illustrate a new side of both the franchise’s heroines and to see how they reshaped each other’s lives and outlooks since the first film. Much as Miranda taught Andy that fashion was as important as geopolitics, Andy seemingly showed Miranda the value of a lighter touch.

As such, if Hathaway’s heroine had any impact at all on her former boss, it would have been to make her at least marginally more understanding and humane toward her underlings. This is the central issue with The Devil Wears Prada 2’s story, since Miranda wouldn’t be as outrageously entertaining if she were kinder, but she also can’t be the exact same.

Would Miranda Really Not Remember Andy After 20 Years?

If Miranda was left utterly unchanged by her encounter with Andy years earlier, then this takes some of the poignancy out of her character’s arc in the original movie. Andy learns to stand up for herself by working for Miranda, but she also seemingly taught Miranda to value her staffers as more than mere minions to do her bidding.

If Miranda really doesn’t remember Andy in The Devil Wears Prada 2’s story, then this means Hathaway’s character didn’t have that meaningful an impact on her former boss. Andy could have been just a small chapter in Miranda's busy life, and she may have forgotten everything Andy taught her about management.

Is Miranda Sick In Devil Wears Prada 2?

However, it would make a lot more sense if Miranda just didn’t want to give Andy the satisfaction of recognizing her, especially after Andy’s professional achievements have almost put her and her former boss on a professional par with each other. Miranda remains Runway’s editor-in-chief, but the magazine’s Features editor has a lot of sway and authority.

Acting as if she doesn’t even know who Andy is allows Miranda to subtly put her former assistant back in her place. Devaluing all of Andy’s achievements in the intervening years makes it clear that Miranda doesn’t view them as any closer to equals than they were 20 years ago.

Thus, although a lot of people on social media theorized that Miranda might be losing her memory due to a degenerative illness in The Devil Wears Prada 2, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of that twist yet. In The Devil Wears Prada 2’s trailer, she is most likely simply returning to The Devil Wears Prada’s power plays.