Adrian Grenier was set for a cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2 but there "wasn't time" to film it.
The Entourage actor played Nate, the boyfriend of Anne Hathaway's central character Andrea Sachs in the first movie but didn't return for the upcoming sequel, though director David Frankel - who also helmed the 2006 original - has now admitted there were plans in place for him to make an appearance.
He told Entertainment Weekly: “I had an idea about sneaking him into a cameo, and in the end, it was just too late in our production schedule to make it happen."
The director noted filming on The Devil Wears Prada 2 was completed less than a month before its release date so there simply "wasn't time".
But David refused to be drawn on what the character would have done in the sequel.
He said: "No, I probably shouldn't say."
Adrian poked fun at the snub in a recent Starbucks advert, and David thought it was hilarious.
He said: "But, I think I’m thrilled that he did a Starbucks commercial, which was really funny and so self-effacing. I love the humility and the comedy of it!”
The advert referred to the film as "a certain sequel" but Adrian joked he felt Nate should be left in the past.
He quipped in the commercial: “You might have seen the headlines — I wasn’t asked to be part of a certain sequel. But I’m good. Really. It’s all good energy.
"So a toast to Nate. He made a mean sandwich. He loved his girlfriend, to a point. He wasn’t perfect.
"So let’s leave Nate in 2006 and keep this good energy going.”
The 49-year-old actor previously admitted it was a "disappointment" not to be involved in the sequel, and suggested his character was cut because he wasn't popular with fans.
He told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column: “We’re all fans of the movie, whether or not we were in it.
“Obviously, it was a disappointment that I didn’t get the call to be in the sequel. But I also understand there was some backlash with Nate, the character, so that might have something to do with it.”
Elsewhere, Sydney Sweeney shot a three-minute cameo for The Devil Wears Prada 2 but her appearance, in which she played a version of herself, was ultimately axed due to a "creative decision".
The Anyone But You star would have been part of a scene that introduced Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt)'s new role as head of Dior in the United States, but it was ultimately decided it didn't work structurally with the rest of the sequence.
