12 Ways Having Kids Changed Anne Hathaway Forever
Anne Hathaway quickly earned a place in the hearts of movie fans across the world when she landed her breakout role as Mia Thermopolis in the 2001 cult classic "The Princess Diaries." The movie, which is an adaptation of Meg Cabot's best-selling series, has easily stood the test of time. This is undoubtedly due to Hathaway's performance opposite Julie Andrews and because, at her core, Mia is a totally relatable teen (except for the fact that she's secretly a princess, of course). Hathaway has been working on big screen features steadily since then. She's starred in everything from beloved movies like "The Devil Wears Prada," to Christopher Nolan's sci-fi drama "Interstellar," to the screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's book "The Witches."
Although there are plenty of memes about the star not aging, more than two decades have passed since Hathaway played Mia, and it's inevitable that she's going to change over time. One of the biggest changes in Hathaway's life was having kids. She welcomed her first son, Jonathan Rosebanks, in 2016 with husband Adam Shulman. The couple then had another boy, Jack, three years later in 2019. Hathaway has since said that becoming a mom completed a missing piece of her. But finding her footing as a parent has come with a lot of adjustments. Keep reading for all the details on the ways having kids changed Anne Hathaway forever.
Having kids was clarifying for Anne Hathaway
Since giving birth to Jonathan and Jack, Anne Hathaway has publicly spoken about how motherhood has changed her for the better. Despite her decades of acting success, the "One Day" star explained that she just knew that there was something missing in her life before her boys came along. "I just wasn't feeling satisfied by the other stuff," Hathaway admitted during an interview with Marie Claire. "It was too stressful and kept me at a distance from things that I loved ... I think I was searching, like everybody, for greater peace," she added.
Having her sons gave Anne Hathaway the clarity on a lot of things she needed, but most importantly, made her feel complete. This is no doubt a testament to how much the actor wanted to be a mom. But, the topic of motherhood requires nuanced conversations, so while sharing her joy with the world, Hathaway has also been candid about her fertility struggles. "It was not a straight line to either of my pregnancies," she revealed on Instagram. In the post, Hathaway also shared a statement of support for other people having difficulty conceiving.
The actor doesn't sweat the small stuff anymore
It is all too easy to get hung up on the little things in life. Stressing out about the fact you are running five minutes late, or endlessly worrying about things that are out of your control. But one of the things Anne Hathaway got clarity on after having kids was perspective; learning what really is important and what's not. She's been able to find a way to stop sweating the small stuff, thanks to her boys.
After her first child was born, the actor said that her biggest worries became about him. "The day begins with a checklist: Is he breathing? Is he healthy? Is he growing? Is he thriving? If I get four yeses it's really hard to upset my day," she told Marie Claire in 2017. And, now that she's a mom of two, her biggest concerns are keeping her boys healthy and happy. Because of that, she's able to let everything else fade into the background.
Overall, Hathaway has embraced a simpler lifestyle since having children, and she finds joy in prioritizing simple pleasures. Summing up her future goals to Vogue in 2022, she said: "[I want to] surprise myself as much as possible. Surf more. Get a decent camera and use it often. Make as many memories with my family as possible."
She is more true to herself and everyone else
We always want to set the best example for the people who look up to us. And while Anne Hathaway has thousands of adoring fans, it's her kids, Jonathan and Jack, who are taking all their cues from the actor. Knowing this, Hathaway has found herself instinctually changing to be the best version of herself she can be. "It's not like I was lacking integrity, but [being a parent] made me want to be completely, on every level, true to my word," she explained to The Wall Street Journal.
To be the best role model she can, Hathaway said she had to look inward. "[It] meant stopping any nonsense that I had going on inside myself." She also noted that knowing when to step away and take a moment has allowed her to love more honestly and authentically. It certainly sounds like having Jonathan and Jack looking up to her has changed her forever, but it's for the best because who doesn't want to be living their truest, most authentic lives?
Anne Hathaway quit drinking
Alcohol and moderation don't go hand-in-hand for Anne Hathaway. "My issue is I just love it. So. Much," she admitted to Tatler. And of course, there's nothing wrong with enjoying a few drinks, but the actor said it has gotten in the way of being a parent, so she's decided to quit drinking. "The way I [drink] makes me unavailable for my son. My last hangover lasted for five days. I'd earned it: it was a day drinking session with friends that went into an evening birthday party with one of my drinking buddies. I will never be that person who can nurse a glass of wine throughout an entire evening."
Hathaway later confirmed on "The Ellen Show" that's planning to stay sober for quite a while — at least until after her kids move out of home. The "Ocean's Eight" star said her main reason for giving up the sauce was so she could give her kids the attention they deserve, especially in the mornings when they really need her and if she's been out drinking the day or night before she doesn't feel like she can give it her all. "I did one school run one day where I dropped him off at school. I wasn't driving, but I was hungover, and that was enough for me. I didn't love that one," Hathaway explained.
Being a mom has changed how she chooses acting roles
Anne Hathaway's commitment to acting never changed after she gave birth to her son Jonathan, taking less than a year off between filming big screen projects like "Colossal" in 2015 and "Ocean's Eight" in 2016. She took off longer when she gave birth to Jack because of the Covid-19 pandemic, filming "Locked Down" in 2021. But Hathaway had a markedly different approach after that. She admitted that being a mom has actually changed how she chooses her roles. "[It's] kind of re-prioritized everything," she said during an interview on "SiriusXM."
"It's actually made me a bit choosier because something really has to be so excellent to spend time away from them because they're so precious to me and they're, you know, the most sacred part of my life ... and then when I do accept something it puts greater pressure on me to make it worth the time that I've spent away from them."
With a net worth of $80 million, Hathaway can afford to pick and choose her projects. Some of the roles she's chosen have deviated from her usual big screen hits, too. She admitted to taking the role of Sally Hawthorne in the 2024 "Sesame Street" movie purely to entertain her kids, particularly her eldest son. "A big reason why I'm doing it is just an off chance that [Jonathan] has a memory of hanging out with Cookie Monster," she admitted to Us Weekly.
Is Anne Hathaway going to stop doing scary movies?
If Anne Hathaway is tailoring her acting roles toward family friendly movies like "Sesame Street" so that her kids can watch, she may avoid appearing in scary movies for a few years (or decades). The actor has already strictly stated that her boys can't watch "The Witches." The director Robert Zemeckis intentionally put a darker spin on Roald Dahl's classic children's story and because of that, Hathaway feels that it is way too scary for her boys to watch until they are older.
This decision is based on Hathaway's real-life experience of watching a scary movie at a very young age. "When I was little, my parents didn't realize I snuck into the living room one night while they were watching 'Poltergeist' and I saw that movie way too young. And to this day I'm kind of afraid of being sucked into a closet, which is why I don't want my children to see this movie," she explained to People. Not wanting to scare her kids for life, Hathaway added: "Everybody else's children can see it but my kids can't see this movie until they're like 30 because every time I smile they're just going to freak." Luckily for her kids, Hathaway hasn't done too many scary movies, and films like "Alice in Wonderland" and "Ella Enchanted" are definitely family friendly flicks they can watch if they want to see their mom on the big screen.
She doesn't bring her work home, ever
To prepare for roles, many actors employ method acting which sees them living in their character on and off-set for the most of, if not the whole of production. Anne Hathaway's "WeCrashed" co-star Jared Leto is one of those actors. Leto notoriously spent months embodying the Joker when he starred in 2016's "Suicide Squad," and he temporarily blinded himself while preparing for "Blade Runner 2049."
But method acting is only one way to do it, and Hathaway, who doesn't typically employ that tact, is no less committed to her work. In fact, while speaking on "SiriusXM," "The Devil Wears Prada" star explained how seriously she takes her work, and the responsibility she feels to make sure her performance is the best it can possibly be. "People work so hard for their money and the idea that I'm asking you for your time and your money to, like, watch me do this thing that I love to do, it has to be worth it, it really does," she admitted.
Although she is dedicated to her characters, Hathaway always leaves her characters on the set like Leto. "If I'm in a character for three months, I make sure that I'm not in character for three months. That way I'm never asking for [my kids] to share me for too long," the actor explained to People.
She rejects 'mommy guilt'
"Mommy guilt" is a hot topic in the media. Anne Hathaway is not the first celebrity to talk about the pressure she feels as a working mom and she will not be the last. While speaking to People, she joined the ranks of fellow stars like Jennifer Lopez and Felicity Huffman, who have been vocal about the undeserved guilt they feel trying to balance it all. And, just as she's learned not to sweat the small stuff, Hathaway tries not to let this patriarchally-oppressive pressure get to her either. "I try to be nice to myself. I'm not big on mommy guilt. I just don't really do it unless I really, really, really, really, really need to," she said.
Speaking to Stellar, Hathaway again touched on the importance of being kind to yourself as a mom, especially in the early days. Some say that being a mom is the hardest job in the world: "There's obviously a learning curve ... you do feel like you're doing everything wrong, especially in the early days," she said. Thankfully, Hathaway recognizes that putting extra pressure and guilt upon working moms is totally unjustified and we're glad to see her still rocking the big screen.
Anne Hathaway embraced loving her body
In a culture where celebrities are routinely undergoing weight loss surgery and diabetes medication is being used for weight loss, it's not surprising that body-shaming is still rife. Thankfully, we have celebs like Anne Hathaway who are speaking out about unhealthy beauty standards and the unattainable pressure on mothers to "bounce back" to their post-baby body. "I think shape is an ongoing thing in everybody's life. I'm not trying to recapture something that was. I'm going with what it is now," Hathaway proudly told People a few months after giving birth to Jack.
This was not the first time the actor made this kind of body positive statement since having kids either. Hathaway took to Instagram a few months after giving birth in 2016 with a message about loving yourself and being kind to your body. Showcasing that she couldn't fit into her pre-pregnancy shorts, Hathaway shared a home DIY of her turning her jeans into shorts instead. Alongside the post, she shared a message of support for her followers, writing: "There is no shame if it takes longer than you think it will to lose the weight (if you want to lose it at all)." The post was met with a lot of support from Hathaway's online community.
She makes sure to take time for herself
Anne Hathaway has admitted that she never felt completely fulfilled or totally at peace before having kids. Because of this, she kept herself very busy, always trying to fill her schedule with acting projects and work events. She rarely took time off. "If I wasn't working, I felt like I was wasting time," she recalled to People.
This has completely changed for Hathaway since having kids, though. She's reached a completely new level of being busy being a mom and an actor, so she doesn't set her schedule like she used to. "Now I know I have to build in breaks in my year, and there are times when I'm just not available to work because it's important for me to be home with [them]."
Additionally, Hathaway doesn't just take breaks from work to spend time with her kids, she also schedules some much deserved alone time to rest and recharge. During that time, "I cook a lot more. I read a lot more. I write a lot more. I communicate a lot more," Hathaway revealed. And as a result of scheduled breaks, the actor said she's found it much easier to make time for the things and people she loves that she did before having kids.
Anne Hathaway stopped singing at home
Speaking on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Anne Hathaway revealed that her eldest son Jonathan Rosebanks is a real music aficionado, and he listens to "The Lion King" soundtrack on repeat. That should be great for someone with Hathaway who boasts a mean set of pipes, but it turns out Hathaway's first born hates listening to her sing. "He hates my voice ... I'm not allowed to sing in my own house anymore," she revealed.
Although Hathaway has adhered to her son's wishes, it's not something she understands. "My mom has an amazing voice, and I loved it when she sang. To be fair, my son loves my mother's voice. It's personal," Hathaway added. As he grows up with so many musical influences around it's possible Jonathan will come to realize how great Hathaway's singing voice is and reverse his ban — after all, she won an Oscar for her performance in "Les Misérables" with that voice.
Being a mom has changed her relationship to social media
Anne Hathaway has always been a pretty private celebrity, and while she stands up for issues that she cares about — like making her body-positivity statement — she mostly keeps her social profiles work-related. So, unsurprisingly, Hathaway doesn't share much about her kids online. This isn't a shock, as many celebrities are choosing to keep their kids' faces offline to give them as much privacy as possible while they grow up.
But for some, it's a fine line to finding a balance. In a moment of joy, Hathaway decided to share a snapshot of her son at home. The picture showed Jonathan, who was almost a year old, watching Hathaway's UN speech online. She only showed the back of his head, but she regretted it instantly. "I felt like I had broken some kind of a seal in inviting people into my life. And even though I felt as though I had done it in as protective a way as I could, even though it was a moment I was incredibly proud of, I don't know that I'll ever do it again," Hathaway admitted to Jezebel. And as a result, her relationship with social media and what she'll post has forever been changed. "I'm a big believer that you gotta mess things up sometimes to really see them properly," she concluded.