Yes, Gisele Bündchen Was in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ — And She Almost Turned It Down

If you have ever rewatched ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and thought you spotted a familiar face leaning over Emily Blunt’s desk, you were not imagining things. Gisele Bündchen memorably appeared in the film as Serena, one of the stiletto-wearing “clackers” who work at the fictional Runway magazine. It is a small role, but it has taken on a life of its own in pop culture, and the story behind how she landed it is almost as entertaining as the film itself.

A Chance Encounter at 30,000 Feet

Gisele almost missed out on being in one of the most-quoted movies of all time. The opportunity did not come through the usual Hollywood channels. Gisele recalled, “I was flying from Los Angeles and the lady who was writing this movie [Aline Brosh McKenna] came to me. And she said, ‘I’m doing this movie, ‘Devil Wears Prada’, and it’s all about fashion and everything. And I’m getting some models to act on it.'”

Her first instinct was a flat-out no. Bündchen told British Vogue, “I’m like, ‘No, I’m not interested. I’m not gonna play a model, I do that every day.'” But McKenna came back with a different pitch, offering her the role of Serena, a behind-the-scenes staff member rather than a runway presence. That distinction mattered enough to change her mind.

Nerves on Set With Meryl, Anne, and Emily

Even after agreeing to the part, Gisele was clearly intimidated by the company she would be keeping. She explained, “I am not an actress, I never had an acting class. It was Meryl Streep, [who] I think is the best actress of all time. It was Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway, all of them incredible… So, I was like okay, ‘I hope I don’t screw this up.'”

She was also deliberate about disappearing into the character. Bündchen told Entertainment Weekly that she “really wanted to make sure she looked nothing like herself,” which is why she wore glasses — hoping moviegoers would “forget she was Gisele.”

That Iconic “You Look Good” Moment

Serena is friendly with Miranda’s assistant Emily and, alongside her, mocks Anne Hathaway’s Andy at the beginning of the film when she starts as the second assistant. The character’s most memorable beat, however, comes a little later, when Andy strides into the Runway offices fully transformed.

During a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bündchen stated that she actually improvised her character’s positive words about Andy’s new outfit while acting opposite Hathaway and Blunt. “We did it a few times and I literally had one sentence or two sentences, but I think I added one because Emily was being mean and I thought, ‘She looks good!'”

That tiny moment of warmth, delivered almost as an aside, became one of the more quoted lines from the supporting cast. Years later, the role found a new audience entirely, when Gisele’s daughter Vivian had a chance to watch it and said, “Mom, I saw you in a movie, you were wearing glasses. Was that you?” Gisele added, “It was cute to have my daughter recognizing me for the two seconds I was onscreen.”

Why Serena Is Absent From ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’

With ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ now in cinemas, fans had high hopes for a Serena comeback. The sequel sees the return of Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, alongside returning director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna. But Gisele is not among the familiar faces.

Entertainment Weekly reached out to ask if Bündchen was set to return as Serena, and when reached for comment, one of her agents reacted with just a sad, crying emoji. When pressed for clarification, the response was simply that they were not in a position to comment.

The reason, it turns out, had nothing to do with any falling-out. Director David Frankel confirmed he had attempted to get the model to make a reappearance, saying, “I think we reached out to Gisele, who had a really memorable part in the original film. When we were shooting last summer, she was having a baby and out of town, so it was hard to schedule it.” Gisele welcomed her first child with her husband, Joaquim Valente, in February 2025.

Frankel noted that Bündchen was the only original cast member directly offered a return who could not participate. The door, it seems, was genuinely open, and the timing simply did not cooperate.

So yes, Gisele Bündchen was absolutely in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, she improvised one of its most charming lines, and she nearly did not show up at all — which makes her brief but beloved role feel even more like a happy accident of fashion film history.

Let us know in the comments whether you think Serena deserves a proper comeback in a potential third installment.