When the world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 lit up the red carpet on April 21, 2026, one name entered the pop culture conversation in a way few could have anticipated: Patrick Brammall. The 50-year-old Australian actor, best known in his home country for the critically acclaimed series Colin From Accounts, suddenly found himself at the center of one of the most eagerly awaited sequels in recent Hollywood memory — playing the man who wins Andy Sachs's heart. And the backstory of how he got there is almost as compelling as the film itself.
Who Is Patrick Brammall? The Actor Stealing Scenes From Meryl Streep's Shadow
Patrick Brammall is not a household name in the United States — yet. Born in Australia and built his career largely in Australian film and television, Brammall has spent decades cultivating a reputation as one of the more versatile and intelligent performers working in the Antipodean industry. At 50, he brings a lived-in quality to his roles, the kind of ease that takes years to develop and can't be faked on screen.
His most prominent recent work is Colin From Accounts, the sharp, warm, and genuinely funny romantic dramedy that streams on Paramount+. What makes the show particularly remarkable is that Brammall didn't just act in it — he co-created, co-wrote, and co-stars in the series alongside his real-life wife, Harriet Dyer. The show follows two strangers thrown together by a dog accident, and it has earned widespread critical praise for its naturalistic performances and smart writing. Working with your spouse on a creative project at that level of intimacy is either a recipe for disaster or a testament to genuine partnership — in the Brammall-Dyer case, it's clearly the latter.
Now, with The Devil Wears Prada 2 set to open in theaters on May 1, 2026, Brammall is about to find out what it feels like when the whole world knows your name at once. USA Today profiled him as Anne Hathaway's new love interest, and the press has taken notice.
The Role He Almost Didn't Take: Peter in 'The Devil Wears Prada 2'
Here's the detail that makes Brammall's casting story genuinely interesting: he originally turned down the audition. Speaking on the TODAY show on April 22, 2026 — the morning after the world premiere — Brammall confirmed to hosts Sheinelle Jones and Willie Geist that he initially passed on the opportunity before eventually coming around. The interview captures his characteristic self-deprecating charm as he explains the arc from reluctance to landing one of the most coveted roles in a major studio sequel.
It's not an uncommon story in Hollywood — actors pass on auditions for all kinds of reasons, from scheduling conflicts to uncertainty about the material. But turning down the chance to potentially star opposite Anne Hathaway in the follow-up to a beloved 2006 cultural touchstone takes either genuine conflict or a specific kind of confident ambivalence. Whatever the reason, he came back, read for the part, and landed it.
In the sequel, Brammall plays Peter, the new romantic interest for Hathaway's Andy Sachs, who has evolved from the ambitious young assistant of the original film into a features editor at Runway Magazine. Peter enters a world already defined by the towering presence of Miranda Priestly — and by extension, the gravitational pull of Meryl Streep. The fact that Brammall's character needs to feel like a credible romantic match for a woman navigating that universe says something about the kind of grounded, real-feeling presence the filmmakers were looking for.
First Day on Set: 300 Onlookers and Brooklyn, New York
Brammall's first day of filming was August 5, 2025, on location in Brooklyn, New York, shooting alongside Hathaway. By that point, word had clearly gotten out — approximately 300 onlookers gathered to watch. That's not a small crowd for a Tuesday in Brooklyn. It speaks to the cultural appetite for anything connected to this film, and it must have been a striking introduction to the scale of what Brammall was stepping into.
For an actor whose most recent major work was a beloved but relatively intimate Australian series, arriving on a film set surrounded by hundreds of fans on day one is a different kind of energy entirely. Brammall described the experience as "surreal," which is about the most honest word available for that situation.
What's notable is how he and Hathaway apparently found their footing quickly. Hathaway reportedly made Brammall feel comfortable on set — a significant contribution when you're the newer addition to a project with this much history and expectation attached to it. Brammall, for his part, called Hathaway "the best" and "unflappable," which tracks with her reputation as a consummate professional who shows up fully prepared.
The Full Sequel: Returning Cast, Original Creative Team
Part of what makes The Devil Wears Prada 2 such a significant cultural moment is just how much of the original team came back. This isn't a reboot or a soft continuation staffed by new creatives trying to approximate the feel of something beloved — it's the actual people who made the first film, returning to a story they know intimately.
Director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna, both central architects of the 2006 original, are back. That continuity matters enormously. The original Devil Wears Prada worked because of specific creative choices — tone, pacing, the way it balanced satire with genuine emotional stakes — and having the same people make those choices again is a very different proposition than handing the material to someone new.
The returning cast roster is equally reassuring for fans:
- Meryl Streep returns as Miranda Priestly, the dragon at the center of everything
- Emily Blunt is back as Emily Charlton
- Stanley Tucci returns as Nigel
- Tracie Thoms reprises her role
- Tibor Feldman also returns
Into this ensemble, Brammall steps as the one genuinely new major character. That's both an opportunity and a pressure — he needs to earn his place in a world audiences already know and love, while also giving them a reason to invest in this new relationship. Early coverage suggests he's more than up to the task.
Beyond Prada: 'Colin From Accounts' and What's Next
For viewers who want to understand what Brammall brings to the table before May 1, Colin From Accounts on Paramount+ is the clearest evidence. The show is a reminder that the best romantic storytelling on screen right now often comes from unexpected places — in this case, a small Australian production built around a real-life couple who clearly understand both the comedy and the gravity of falling for someone.
The series works because Brammall and Dyer don't perform chemistry; they have it, and the camera simply catches it. Writing a show about your own romantic partnership requires a specific kind of courage — and honesty. The show's success is a credit to both of them.
Looking further ahead, Brammall is also set to appear in The Dispatcher, an upcoming limited series on Apple TV+. Details remain relatively sparse, but the combination of a high-profile streaming limited series on Apple TV+ alongside a major studio theatrical release suggests Brammall's profile is about to shift in a fundamental way. This is the kind of career moment that doesn't repeat itself — a convergence of the right project, the right timing, and genuine talent that audiences can feel.
If you're looking for other breakout performances in prestige television worth tracking, the BEEF Season 2 cast featuring Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan offers another example of how limited series are reshaping which actors get noticed.
What Brammall's Casting Says About Hollywood's Appetite for Authenticity
There's a larger story embedded in the choice to cast Patrick Brammall as the romantic lead in one of 2026's biggest films. He's 50. He's Australian. He's not a conventional Hollywood leading man in the mold the industry spent decades privileging. He built his reputation by creating his own work, not by chasing blockbusters.
That's not an accident of casting — it's a deliberate choice that reflects something real about what audiences respond to right now. The success of shows like Colin From Accounts suggests a genuine appetite for romantic leads who feel like actual people rather than archetypes. Andy Sachs, in the original film and presumably in the sequel, is a character defined by her intelligence and ambition. The man she falls for needs to feel worthy of that, which means he needs to feel real.
Brammall's trajectory also reflects a broader pattern in entertainment where streaming has created a genuinely global talent pipeline. Twenty years ago, an Australian actor who had primarily worked in domestic productions would have had a far harder path to a role like this. The international visibility that comes from a Paramount+ series — even a relatively modest one — now opens doors that simply didn't exist before.
This is the same dynamic driving interest in international productions across streaming platforms, whether you're looking at limited series on Apple TV+ or the kind of international thrillers generating real buzz on Netflix.
Frequently Asked Questions About Patrick Brammall
Who plays Peter in 'The Devil Wears Prada 2'?
Patrick Brammall, a 50-year-old Australian actor, plays Peter — the new love interest for Anne Hathaway's character Andy Sachs, who works as a features editor at Runway Magazine in the sequel. Brammall is best known in Australia for co-creating and starring in the romantic dramedy series Colin From Accounts on Paramount+.
Did Patrick Brammall really turn down the role in 'Devil Wears Prada 2'?
Yes. Brammall confirmed in his April 22, 2026 appearance on the TODAY show that he initially turned down the audition before eventually deciding to pursue it. He ultimately got the part and described the overall experience of making the film as "surreal."
What is 'Colin From Accounts' and where can I watch it?
Colin From Accounts is an Australian romantic dramedy series that streams on Paramount+. Brammall co-created, co-writes, and co-stars in the show alongside his real-life wife Harriet Dyer. The series follows two strangers brought together by an injured dog and has earned strong critical praise for its naturalistic performances and smart, warm writing.
When does 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' come out in theaters?
The film opens in theaters on May 1, 2026. The world premiere took place on April 21, 2026. The sequel reunites most of the original cast including Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, with director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna also returning from the 2006 original.
What other projects does Patrick Brammall have coming up?
Beyond The Devil Wears Prada 2, Brammall is set to star in The Dispatcher, an upcoming limited series on Apple TV+. He also continues his work on Colin From Accounts with Harriet Dyer on Paramount+. The combination of a major theatrical film and a prestige streaming limited series suggests his international profile is growing significantly.
The Bottom Line: A Star Is (Finally) Born on a Global Stage
Patrick Brammall has been doing excellent work for years. What changes on May 1, 2026, is simply how many people know it. The world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 brought him onto red carpets and morning television chairs he hadn't occupied before, and the film's release will introduce him to an audience of millions who have no idea they've been missing him.
The story of how he got here — turning down an audition, coming back, landing the role, standing in Brooklyn surrounded by 300 strangers on his first day of filming — is the kind of Hollywood narrative that feels almost scripted. But it's real, and it reflects something genuine about the way careers build when you spend years making honest, quality work rather than chasing the biggest possible paycheck.
Whether The Devil Wears Prada 2 lives up to its predecessor is a question audiences will answer on May 1. What's already clear is that Brammall brings something the film needed: a grounded, believable, genuinely appealing presence who makes you believe that someone as capable and self-possessed as Andy Sachs might actually fall for him. In a sequel defined by the return of one of cinema's most iconic characters, that's no small thing.
For anyone wanting to get ahead of the curve, queue up Colin From Accounts on Paramount+ before the film opens. By the time the credits roll on Prada 2, everyone is going to be looking for more Patrick Brammall. You'll already know where to find it.
