Justin Theroux's shocking role in 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' surprises fans

An actor featured in the latest sequel of “The Devil Wears Prada” is so transformed by his role that fans are mentioning they didn’t even know it was him.

Justin Theroux’s name is displayed in the opening credits of the film, alongside returning stars Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt.

Theroux makes his entrance halfway through the movie, playing a tech mogul named Benji Barnes, who is also Blunt’s character Emily’s new partner, enthusiastically funding her latest ambitious career pursuit.

Sporting a fake orange tan and making blunt remarks that AI will soon take over everyone’s jobs, Theroux portrays a humorously repulsive antagonist — and does it so well that some viewers didn’t realise it was him when they were waiting for him to appear on screen.

“Justin Theroux is so different in Devil Wears Prada 2. Saw his name at the start and kept looking for him the whole time,” a viewer shared on Twitter.

Someone else tweeted that their biggest takeaway from the movie was: “That’s Justin Theroux??”

Another agreed that Theroux seemed “unrecognizable” in the film: “It took me quite a few scenes to actually recognise him.”

A fan on X described Theroux’s portrayal as “wild and funny” — and it appears the actor would concur.

“The most enjoyable part of playing him was how goofy he was,” Theroux shared with People at the movie's premiere in April.

“He’s really clueless,” he continued. “Being able to act ridiculously, wear absurd clothes — I had a really silly hairstyle, was bald, and my hair seemed to be falling out — that was the best part.”

Of course, Theroux, 54, has been garnering some interest lately for his changing appearance in real life.

The actor attended the season two premiere of his Amazon Prime series “Fallout” in Los Angeles last December looking with a face that seemed smoother and fuller.

“Did he get work done on his face? Looks different,” someone commented on an Instagram post featuring photos from the premiere.

“What’s up with his face?” another inquired.

The actor, who was married to actress Jennifer Aniston from 2015 to 2018, brought his new wife Nicole Brydon Bloom, 32, along as his date for the event.

The couple welcomed their first child, a son, in April.