I had a lot of hopes and a few expectations going into The Devil Wears Prada 2, but when it came to new additions to the cast, I was mostly just curious as to how they'd fit in. Turns out, there was one character in the 2026 movie that totally caught me off guard -- mostly in a good way. While the 2026 sequel brought many of the main characters from the original film back, there were some notable cast additions this time around, including Simone Ashley, Caleb Hearon, Lucy Liu, Rachel Bloom, and Kenneth Branagh, all of whom were fantastic. However, it was Justin Theroux's goofy billionaire Benji Barnes who threw me for a loop.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 spoilers ahead!
"I can't believe there's someone named Candle." - Benji
Despite being massively successful financially, billionaire Benji really doesn't come off as the brightest guy, though he has no shortage of thoughts and opinions to share. He's clearly a fish-out-of-water on Emily's arm (more on that situation in a minute), standing out in his attempts to mingle with the glamorous fashion people, but I'm not going to fault him for that. As someone who would also struggle socially at formal galas and glitzy fashion shows, no judgment from me there. It's the stuff that comes out of Benji's mouth -- and Theroux's bold delivery of those lines -- that had me laughing out loud.
Like when he thought they were talking about someone named "Candle" when the name Kendall (presumably Jenner) came up in conversation. Or how he explained that he was running on an "aqua deficit" by abstaining from drinking water. And then there was the opinion he confidently shared about why they should be sending people to explore the sun instead of Mars. To the sun. On a ship called Icarus. When Emily attempted to explain the moral of the mythological Greek character's disastrous attempt to reach the sun, he promptly shut her down.
"I just like him like a bar of soap." - Emily
Theroux's character is revealed to be dating Emily, which is one of the ways he fits into the story. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part, having adored Emily by the end of the first movie, but some part of me hoped she and Benji would turn out to be couple goals, and that her relationship with the recently divorced billionaire was evidence that she was doing pretty ok for herself.
They seemed smitten with each other from the moment we learned they were together, but with each scene that followed, it became increasingly clear that the foundation of this romance was pretty superficial. While he showed Emily his affection with his wallet, purchasing lavish jewelry and trying to purchase Runway during their trip to Italy, Emily's form of affection seemed to focus on her insistent contributions toward his ongoing physical transformation. If ever anyone were to admire Benji's lack of ear hair (or body hair), they'd apparently have Emily to thank.
"The future just comes rushing at us like... well, like the lava of Pompeii." - Benji
Though Benji appeared to exist in the movie predominantly as comic relief, he turned out to be a major obstacle after we learned Emily and Andy were scheming to get him to buy Runway. It seemed like a good idea from Andy's point of view until she found out Emily and Miranda had unresolved conflict over Miranda's role in Emily's departure from Runway. As it turns out, the former assistant's part in this whole scheme wasn't to help Miranda, but to defeat her. Once that info came to light, it was clear that Benji owning Runway was going to be a total disaster, not just for Miranda, who would be ousted, but also for the magazine's future.
Fortunately, the rug got pulled out from under Benji and Emily before that could happen, but this close-call was a startling reminder of how someone with a lot of money and no shortage of terrible ideas can really throw a wrench in things. Fortunately, Andy and Miranda managed to encourage Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu) to buy Elias Clarke, a purchase that included Runway. Benji's Runway purchase fell apart, as did his relationship with Emily, which was just as well. Emily clearly still has room to grow, but she seems to realize that, so I think she's better off without him.
In the meantime, claps for Justin Theroux for bringing so much goofiness to his character. His nonsensical, often out-of-place comments were one of the things I loved most about The Devil Wears Prada 2. Of course, when I wasn't laughing, I was feeling especially emotional over that heartbreaking scene involving Miranda and Nigel, and I'm with Riley in reeling over that savage callback to the first movie with one line from Miranda.
With the movie only recently coming to theaters, it'll probably be a little bit before we can see it available on the list of new movies streaming, but I can't wait to watch it again when it is!
