Anne Hathaway's Dying Career Was Revived By Christoper Nolan
By Afouda Bamidele on March 25, 2024 at 3:37 PM EDT
Updated on March 25, 2024 at 4:36 PM EDT
Anne Hathaway has dug into how her life changed after she won her Oscar for "Les Miserables."
The famed actress disclosed that instead of bringing more roles, the nod resulted in her being snubbed by Hollywood due to her "toxic identity" online.
Ultimately, her life — and career — was saved when Christopher Nolan backed her appearance in "Interstellar."
Anne Hathaway Opens Up About Career Dry Spell After Winning Oscars
Hathaway opened up about the barrage of criticism she faced in the early 2010s, starting from 2011 when she co-hosted the Oscars alongside James Franco.
At the time, the phenomenon, dubbed "Hathahate," had critics getting offended by her sincerity, awkwardness, and perceived "annoying" qualities.
The hate came to a head in 2013 when the now-41-year-old won an award for her performance in "Les Misérables" and delivered a heartfelt acceptance speech.
Even though she never addressed it publicly, Hathaway claimed in a new interview with Vanity Fair that she was aware of how people perceived her online. Ultimately, that dislike spilled into her career, resulting in a dry spell. She stated:
"A lot of people wouldn't give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online."
Fortunately, Hathaway "had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about" what was shared online and gave her "one of the most beautiful roles I've had in one of the best films that I've been a part of." The Primetime Emmy Award winner added:
"I don't know if he knew that he was backing me at the time, but it had that effect. And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn't backed me."
Hathaway Defied The Notion That Her Career Will End At Age 35
That singular endeavor also helped Hathaway surpass the cautionary advice she received as a teenage actor that her Hollywood career would end when she reached a certain age. She asserted:
"When I started out as a child, I was warned that my career would fall off a cliff at the age of 35, which is something I know a lot of women face."
The New York City native explained that even though it was "fantastic" that "more women are having careers deeper into their lives," there was still work to do.
In her words, "Obviously, it doesn't mean we should have a ticker tape parade — someone said this to me the other day: 'There's so much to be proud of and there's so much to fix.'"
Hathaway Suffered A Miscarriage In 2015
Another aspect of her life that she reflected on was the devastating loss she felt following her miscarriage in 2015.
When the incident occurred, Hathaway had taken to Instagram to post a black-and-white mirror selfie showcasing her baby bump.
Underneath the image, uploaded in July 2019, the "Brokeback Mountain" screen queen informed her followers:
"It's not for a movie…. All kidding aside, for everyone going through infertility and conception h—l, please know it was not a straight line to either of my pregnancies. Sending you extra love."
When questioned about her motivation for using those words to announce her pregnancy during her chat with Vanity Fair, Hathaway clarified:
"Given the pain I felt while trying to get pregnant, it would've felt disingenuous to post something all the way happy when I know the story is much more nuanced than that for everyone."
The Oscar Winner Kept The Miscarriage A Well-Hidden Secret
The impact from the miscarriage was even worse as Hathaway had to conceal her pain while portraying a pregnant character in her one-woman off-Broadway play, "Grounded."
"The first time, it didn't work out for me. I was doing a play, and I had to give birth onstage every night," she recollected.
Even though the New York University graduate kept the miscarriage private from the public, she confided in her close circle, finding solace in sharing her truth with them.
"I had to keep it real otherwise...So when it did go well for me, having been on the other side of it — where you have to have the grace to be happy for someone — I wanted to let my sisters know, 'You don't have to always be graceful. I see you, and I'm with you.'" she revealed.
Anne Hathaway Felt 'Tormented' By Other Women's Pregnancies
Before she had her own kids, "The Devil Wears Prada" star usually felt "tormented" whenever she encountered pregnant women while struggling to conceive herself.
According to The Blast, she expressed her then-frustration, stating, "Each time I was trying to get pregnant, and it wasn't going my way, someone else would manage to conceive."
Hathaway acknowledged while she understood that others' pregnancies were not meant to cause her distress, it sometimes felt that way emotionally.
She ultimately became a mother when she and her husband and actor, Adam Shulman, welcomed their first child, Jonathan, in March 2016. The lovebirds, who have been married since 2012 later revealed they were expecting their second son in July 2019.