Anne Hathaway turns 42! The timeless Hollywood icon has been booked and busy as she is set to star in Christopher Nolan’s next project alongside Zendaya while also working on The Princess Diaries threequel. With incredible versatility in the choice of her roles and the mellifluous voice of a nightingale, Hathaway has been offering fans incredible performances throughout her career such as Ella Enchanted (2004), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Les Misérables (2012), The Intern (2015), Armageddon Time (2022), The Idea of You (2024), and many more critically acclaimed blockbusters.
Hathaway has created an extremely binge-worthy filmography and is rife with incredible experiences and quirky anecdotes she has gathered over her decades-old career. However, as the actress turns a year old, in honor of her birthday, here’s a look back at six unknown facts about her you probably had never heard of.
Besides acting, the Interstellar actress used to harbor ambitions of becoming a nun. Coming from a Roman Catholic family, she also considered becoming a nun before realizing acting was her true calling. However, when her elder brother came out as gay, her views on the Catholic Church began to change for the worse. As per British GQ, the family renounced their Catholicism and became Episcopalians in solidarity with her brother, but Hathaway later distanced herself from the church, calling herself a “work in progress.”
Hathaway’s journey to prominence began with a rather peculiar audition for The Princess Diaries. While waiting for a flight in Los Angeles, she decided to try her luck at a casting call for the movie. During the appointment, Hathaway, who was quite anxious, even managed to knock herself off her seat, which, to the delight of director Garry Marshall, worked in her favor. Through a combination of natural charm and comedic delivery, she landed the part of Mia Thermopolis.
In fact, Hathaway’s real-life pet cat, who is also named Fat Louie in the movie, got to play the iconic cat in The Princess Diaries movie and also returned to star in the sequel due to his popularity. Fat Louie also debuted in the music video that featured the cast of the movie, titled Myra: Miracles Happen.
There, however, are few near achievements in her career. Hathaway openly rejected a lead part in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up owing to the graphic nature of its birthing scene. At that point, she had never been a mother and did not know whether she could embody the character convincingly. She said solemnly that after giving birth to her two sons, she might have nailed the role in the Katherine Heigl-starrer movie.
Hathaway praised her mother, Kate, who previously played the role of Fantine on stage and was part of the American tour of Les Misérables. The experience of her mother also contributed to Hathaway depicting Fantine in the 2012 blockbuster. “I know I’m her mother, but I think she’s the perfect Fantine. I don’t feel like I dove into Fantine as far as she did. Annie actually opened my eyes to the character because of all the research she did,” Hathaway’s mother told the Los Angeles Times. The role even earned her an Oscar in 2013 for Best Supporting Actress.
Anne Hathaway married Adam Shulman in 2012. The couple share sons Jonathan, 8, and Jack, 4, and have recently celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary.
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