Rory McIlroy has already checked off one of golf’s most elusive accomplishments by completing the career Grand Slam. Now, the world’s No. 2-ranked player is adding an unexpected side quest to his résumé: Hollywood cameos.
Fresh off an appearance in Happy Gilmore 2 in 2025, McIlroy recently revealed that he and his wife, Erica Stoll, made a brief appearance in The Devil Wears Prada 2, the blockbuster sequel starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt. The film has already generated more than $600 million worldwide, giving McIlroy a tiny role in one of the year’s biggest box-office hits.
The cameo lasts only about 10 seconds, with McIlroy and Stoll appearing at a fashion gala. Still, the story behind how the golf star landed the role is almost as entertaining as the appearance itself.
A Press Conference Answer That Reached Hollywood
Speaking during his media session ahead of the 50th Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, McIlroy explained that the opportunity began with an offhand comment after his victory at The Players Championship last year.
“After I won The Players last year, in the press conference afterward, someone asked what I did to get ready the night before or relax,” McIlroy said. “I said I watched the original Devil Wears Prada.”
That answer eventually reached director David Frankel, who helmed both the original film and its sequel. Frankel also has a personal connection to golf through his son, who played at Stanford.
Before long, Hollywood and professional golf were making introductions.
“Frankel’s people reached out to my people,” McIlroy joked, describing the process. The filmmakers invited him to participate in a cameo while they were filming in New York, and the decision became easy once he discussed it with his wife.
“They said, ‘Look, we’re shooting in New York in the summer. If you want to be a part of it, do a cameo, whatever, we would love to have you,’” McIlroy recalled. “And I ran it by Erica and she said, ‘We are absolutely doing that.’ To have that experience together was very cool.”
McIllroy has No Plans for a Career Change
Despite his growing list of movie credits, McIlroy quickly shut down any suggestion that he is preparing for a second career in acting.
“Absolutely not,” he said when asked whether acclaimed Irish actor Colin Farrell should be concerned about new competition.
The lighthearted Hollywood discussion soon gave way to more serious golf matters as McIlroy turned his attention to the Memorial Tournament, one of the few prestigious events still missing from his collection.
Now 37, McIlroy is making his 13th appearance at Muirfield Village. His best finish remains a tie for fourth place in 2016. While he has won many of golf’s biggest tournaments, the event hosted by Jack Nicklaus continues to hold special meaning.
Chasing a Long-Sought Memorial Victory
“I would say here and Tiger’s event at Riviera, they’re the two that I would love to win,” McIlroy said. “I’ve been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold was alive. So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack’s hand.”
McIlroy also pointed to his long-standing relationship with Nicklaus, which stretches back nearly two decades.
“Jack and I share a nice history. He’s been nothing but great to my family and me,” he said. “So, yeah, this is certainly one I would love to get done.”
Yet Muirfield Village has consistently presented challenges. McIlroy believes the course design takes away one of his strongest assets: his ability to overpower courses with the driver.
“For being such a long golf course, I feel like it takes driver out of my hand a lot,” McIlroy explained. “I pride myself on that being one of my biggest weapons. The fairways pinch in right around the spots where I would be finishing with a driver. So it’s frustrated me in a way that I feel like my biggest weapon is in some way neutralized here.”
Whether McIlroy leaves Ohio with a long-sought Memorial title remains to be seen. One thing is already certain: while he may not be pursuing an Oscar anytime soon, his unexpected Hollywood résumé continues to grow alongside one of golf’s most accomplished careers.
