The Devil Wears Prada sequel has come under fire days before its release for criticism over a Chinese character’s name.
The next chapter of the fashion saga features the original cast with several additions, including Jin Chao, Anne Hathaway’s character’s new assistant. Played by Helen J. Shen, Jin was first seen in a short clip released by 20th Century Studios, introducing herself to Hathaway’s Andy Sachs, who has just returned to work at Runway magazine.
In the clip, Jin tells Andy she’s transitioning from an intern role to a position in her department. She lists her accomplishments to Andy, including a Yale degree with a 3.86 GPA, a high ACT score (“on the very first time,” she declares), and her role as lead soprano in Yale’s a cappella group.
This brief appearance sparked backlash across social media, with people criticizing the stereotypical portrayal of an Asian character and her name itself. Some users on X said the name resembles a racial slur.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the character set off discourse across China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. One user wrote, "The Devil Wears Prada promotion up to this point was really great, but right before release, they suddenly hit us with blatant anti-Asian racism and flipped the car.”
Journalist Tanya Chen wrote, “They made the assistant character on devil wears prada a typically high academic achieving asian woman with low social aptitude (very forgettable and a big lazy stupid trope in film). Again. Roll the clips of all the asian side characters throughout hollywood history. So lazy.”
Some called for a boycott of the film. One user posted, “Hollywood is so pathetic. I’m boycotting Devil Wears Prada 2 w Anne Hathaway. Sad as the 1st was one of my favorite movies.”
“Isn’t that weird there is an only nerd in a fashion movie and it’s an asian,” wrote another.
Others, however, condemned the backlash and defended Jin’s outfit, which fuelled one of the central criticisms of the character. “Her outfit is actually very couture in a film about fashion. Her glasses and hair clips are of the moment,” suggested a user on X.
The Daily Beast has reached out to 20th Century for comment.
Shen, who plays Jin, is a musical theater actress. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is her first credited film.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been highly anticipated, with Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt each reprising their roles from the 2006 original. Adrian Grenier, who played Hathaway’s controversial boyfriend, will not be reprising his role. Blunt’s character, meanwhile, has reportedly evolved to closely resemble Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 premieres in theaters on May 1.
