Anne Hathaway's Stunning Transformation
Anne Hathaway has been a regular fixture on screens big and small for more than two decades. Her first movie role — Mia in "The Princess Diaries" opposite Julie Andrews — is still one of her most beloved performances. Hathaway was barely older than the teenage princess she portrayed in the coming-of-age rom-com in real life, so she has grown up in front of her fans.
The Oscar-winner, now a wife and mom, has played more iconic characters who stood the test of time. The titular princess in "Ella Enchanted," Fantine in the Academy Award-winning musical "Les Misérables," and the White Queen in "Alice in Wonderland" are just a few. But her portrayal of Andy Sachs in "The Devil Wears Prada" made her the movie star she is today. Throughout her career, the actor has embraced many different styles and had several on-screen transformations — her weight loss and pixie cut she got to play Fantine made headlines for years.
Of course, not every moment of Hathaway's public life has been smooth sailing and she's had to deal with criticism. However, she's always come through it gracefully. Some of Hathaway's long-time fans might feel like they've experienced her career's ups and downs in real time. But for those needing a refresher, let's look at the actor's stunning transformation.
Anne Hathaway didn't know how to love herself when she was young
Although Anne Hathaway shot to stardom as a teenager, she had a relatively normal childhood in New Jersey. Despite her obvious passion for it, her parents were reluctant to let her start acting too early because they believed she should grow up without the pressure of a job. However, acting ended up being a really good coping mechanism for some of her mental health struggles.
Fans of Hathaway might be surprised to know that she struggled to love herself and feel confident in her skin when as a young girl. She opened up about this time in her life during an interview on ABC News' "Popcorn with Peter Travers," explaining, "I disliked myself so intensely ... It was just a mindset. I didn't know how to love myself." This feeling went away when she was on stage. "I loved being on a stage because I knew what was going to happen next," she told Travers.
For the most part, acting came easily to Hathaway. She fell in love with theater before pivoting to screen work. But for a long time, "the thing that felt impossible at the time was actually being present and being here," the "Get Smart" actor admitted.
She suffered from anxiety and depression as a teen
Unfortunately, becoming someone else for a performance was only a quick fix and Anne Hathway continued to struggle with her mental health. This was particularly potent in her teenage years. Not only did she feel unable to love herself, "I didn't know how to love anybody," recalling in her ABC interview with Peter Travers that she felt "pungent unhappiness."
But she was more than just unhappy at times. Hathaway experienced anxiety and depression, which she felt was going to hold her back both in her professional and personal life. "Happiness. It just seemed like it could never happen to me. I had just too many issues," she told Travers during the interview.
Although things have changed, Hathaway couldn't be happier with her career and personal life as a mother to her sons. She admitted on People's "The Jess Cagle Interview" that she still had "feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and nervousness and anxiety." In 2019, Hathaway showed how far she'd come in an Instagram post explaining how she's embraced living for herself. "It's been a journey. I don't look that different, but I just feel like the inside has transformed so much," she said.
Get Real was a major stepping stone for Anne Hathaway
Despite her struggles, Anne Hathaway worked hard to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. When she was 15 years old, she asked her parents if she could get an agent to try and book commercials. She initially hoped to make enough money for college tuition, but who knows if she even expected her career to turn out how it did.
Hathaway started booking commercial roles, the first being an ad for Better Homes and Gardens. Soon after, she began auditioning for acting roles and one of them stuck pretty quickly. "I'd been going to New York to audition while in high school, and then when I was 16 I wound up getting a TV series that took me to L.A.," Hathaway recalled to Chelsea Handler for Interview Magazine.
The role was Meghan Green in "Get Real," a comedy-drama show that starred Jesse Eisenberg, Jon Tenney, Debrah Farentino, and Eric Christian Olsen. Although the series was short-lived, running for one season from 1999 to 2000, it got Hathaway noticed and soon led to much bigger opportunities in Hollywood.
The Princess Diaries was life-changing
Anne Hathaway will be forever grateful for having the opportunity to play Mia Thermopolis, later Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, in the rom-com "The Princess Diaries," which was adapted for Meg Cabot's best-selling book of the same name. When she read the script, Hathaway knew she had to be a part of the movie. "It just had that feeling. I touched [the script], and it was electric," she recalled to People.
Of course, this made her even more nervous heading into her audition, which she did during a layover on her way to New Zealand to film "The Other Side of Heaven." It turned out, her nerves and natural clumsiness worked in her favor. "I got really nervous and fell out of my chair, and I think that's what [Garry Marshall] was most impressed with," Hathaway admitted to Vogue. And this is not just Hathaway speculating as Marshall confirmed this fact to Entertainment Weekly.
The movie was released on August 3, 2001, a date Hathaway keeps close to her heart. "I remember [the day] and I give thanks to the universe, a big open-hearted thank you, because that was the day that dreams came true for me. There are a lot of aspects to my life that are very real, but also a lot that are very fairy tale. That was the day that my fairy tale started," she gushed to Elle.
The Devil Wears Prada was another career-defining moment
As a relative newcomer to the entertainment industry when she auditioned for "The Princess Diaries," it's not surprising that Anne Hathaway was not initially the first choice for the role. She had to outshine more well-known actors — including Alicia Silverstone and Jessica Biel — before she could don Mia's crown. Hathaway was much more recognizable when "The Devil Wears Prada" came around, but admittedly, she wasn't director David Frankel's first choice. He and Fox wanted Rachel McAdams, who was coming off the success of "Mean Girls" and "The Notebook."
Hathaway chased the part, meeting with executive Carla Hacken first and convincing her to give her a shot by etching the words "hire me" in the sand of a zen garden that sat on her desk. Once McAdams turned down the part, Frankel got on board with the idea of Hathaway playing Andy Sachs, and in the end, she didn't even have to audition.
The "Ella Enchanted" star ultimately beat out 100 other actors for the part, and can still recall the exact moment she got the call to say she landed the role. "I was putting on a shirt. I had some buddies over. I remember running out in my living room, half-dressed, screaming — 'I got "The Devil Wears Prada!" I got "The Devil Wears Prada!"' she told Variety.
Ditching her 'good-girl' image with The Dark Knight Rises
Over the next few years, her career included standout performances in "Bride Wars," "Alice in Wonderland," "Love & Other Drugs," and "One Day," to name a few. It wasn't hard to notice a pattern in Anne Hathaway's filmography. There were some curveballs like "Passengers," but for the most part, Hathaway had spent the first decade of her career nestled in the safety of romantic comedy dramas.
The actor had also noticed the pattern, so in 2012, she shook up her filmography. Not wanting to be type-cast, Hathaway got out of her comfort zone by playing Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, in Christopher Nolan's superhero sequel "The Dark Knight Rises" opposite Christian Bale.
Reflecting on that time in her career, Hathaway told HuffPost (via Bustle) that she was actively trying to work with as many people in as many different genres as possible. "'The Princess Diaries' was so cool in so many ways because it was a great first job. It was a big hit. But at the same time ... it was hard to get into rooms to be taken seriously for roles that weren't princesses. And so, I think partially, that was why I've tried to have as big of a range as I've had," she explained.
Les Misérables required a serious physical transformation
Starring in "Les Misérables" certainly aided in giving Anne Hathaway a diverse filmography. The reason she took on the role of Fantine was much more than just variety, though. Starring in "Les Misérables" was a major career milestone for her, as she'd seen her mom perform the very same role on the stage when she was a child. Having firmly cemented her status as an A-lister, she fit in perfectly with a superbly talented cast that included Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Aaron Tveit, Helena Bonham Carter, and Eddie Redmayne.
However, taking on the iconic role required the actor to undergo a serious physical transformation. She was in good shape coming off the back of "The Dark Knight Rises," but needed to take it to the next level. Hathaway lost 25 pounds for the role in a short time, adopting an extremely strict diet that consisted of very little food.
"I had to be obsessive about it — the idea was to look near death," Hathaway told Vogue (via Entertainment Weekly). "Looking back on the whole experience ... it was definitely a little nuts. It was definitely a break with reality, but I think that's who Fantine is, anyway." Along with her weight loss, Hathaway also chopped off all her hair for the role which left her sporting a pixie cut for quite a while.
She showed her strength dealing with the 'Hathahaters'
Seemingly overnight, Anne Hathaway went from being revered as one of the most believed actors in Hollywood to one of the most hated. She was branded "annoying" by a New Yorker columnist, and subject to horrific online bullying by a group dubbed "Hathahaters," per The New York Times.
It began when she reflected on watching "Les Misérables" for the first time. She didn't come across well when she told MTV that her performance made her cry. Although she clarified, "it's because I'm still connected to the experience of making it, the process," Hathaway seemingly could say nothing right. Her 2013 Oscars speech (she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film) sent people into a fury, especially after it came to light that she had rehearsed it.
Hathaway found all this hate extremely difficult to deal with and admitted that it amplified a lot of the negative feelings she had about herself when she was growing up. She explained on "The Ellen Show" that she couldn't help but listen to what her haters said, "You try to shut it off, and I couldn't." However, she quickly realized she needed to show herself some self-love to move through it. "If you don't love yourself, when someone else says horrible things to you, part of you is always going to believe them ... so I took a step back and, as Matthew McConaughey would say, 'I just kept livin'.”"
Anne Hathaway prefers to stay out of the spotlight
Anne Hathaway found a way to move on and find happiness in the wake of all the "Hathahate," but she became very private. Since tying the knot with Adam Schulman in 2012, Hathaway has kept their life together out of the spotlight. This has continued even after their family grew by two; their sons Jonathan and Jack were born in 2016 and 2019, respectively.
Hathaway has kept busy in front of the camera, working on films such as "The Intern," "Ocean's 8," and "The Hustle," as well as the Apple TV+ series "We Crashed." However, she has refrained from sharing too many personal details and especially doesn't speak about her flaws, real or imagined, in public. This is a lesson she learned from the "Hathahate."
"One of the reasons why it's dangerous is that if you point out what you don't like about yourself, then I think people can start to look for that," she explained during her conversation with Chelsea Handler for Interview Magazine. "It's part of the reason why I try to stay out of the spotlight as much as humanly possible because I think that when actors, whether or not they've chosen it or it has been thrust upon them, are living very public lives, it affects your ability to get lost in their performances."
A dinner with Matt Damon turned her off veganism
Anne Hathaway underwent some major health and lifestyle changes while preparing to play Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises," some of which stuck with her for quite a while afterward. Along with a vigorous training plan of martial arts and yoga, Hathaway adopted a vegan diet to meet her physique goals for the superhero movie. She continued to be vegan for three more years until a dinner with Matt Damon turned her back into a carnivore.
The pair were filming the sci-fi epic "Interstellar" together in Iceland when they decided to enjoy a nice dinner at a local restaurant. They were accompanied by Hathaway's husband Adam Shulman, and both men excitedly agreed to have whatever the chef recommended. But Hathaway felt too awkward to ask for a vegan meal. She recalled the evening to Tatler, saying: "I was the only chick and I'm the vegan and everyone's just going with the flow. So I asked [she puts on a small embarrassed voice]: 'Is your fish local?' And they said: 'Do you see that fjord?' So I had a piece of salmon and my brain felt like a computer rebooting."
She uses her platform to speak out about feminist issues
Anne Hathaway uses the platform she's made for herself over the past two decades to do good wherever she can. In June 2016, she was appointed as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. "I feel honored and inspired by this opportunity to aid in advancing gender equality. Significant progress has already been made, but it is time that we collectively intensify our efforts and ensure that true equality is finally realized," Hathaway said after her new role was announced. She's since gone on to deliver an impactful speech about equality around parental leave and talked about the importance of women in business.
The actor also uses her social media platform and interviews to talk about equality. She has been particularly vocal on the gender gap in Hollywood and regularly calls out sexism. In her 2017 Elle cover story to promote "Ocean's 8," Hathaway pointed out that changes are happening, but the industry isn't there yet. "Hollywood is not a place of equality," she said. "I don't say that with anger or judgment; it's a statistical fact. And even though I've been in some female-centric films, I've never been in a film like this. It just kind of makes you aware of the ways you sort of unconsciously change yourself to fit certain scenarios."
Anne Hathaway got called out for her 'offensive' on-screen transformation
Anne Hathaway has been on the receiving end of a lot of praise and criticism throughout her career. Unfortunately, her performance in the 2020 adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's story "The Witches" heralded the latter. In the movie, Hathaway plays Lilith, the Grand High Witch, and she, along with the other witches (played by Josette Simon, Eugenia Caruso, Ana-Maria Maskell, Orla O'Rourke, and Penny Lisle) are depicted as having three elongated fingers on each hand. This was an interpretation of the traditional "thin curvy claws" the characters are described to have in the books. However, they came across as insensitive and offensive to many people with disabilities and limb differences.
When this was pointed out to Hathaway, she issued a statement of apology on Instagram. "As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened." In her post, Hathaway shared the details of the Lucky Fin Project, an organization that raises awareness of individuals with limb differences. "I particularly want to say I'm sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better, I promise I'll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I'm sorry I let your family down," she concluded.
Having kids helped Anne Hathaway embrace loving herself more
Anne Hathaway has spent years struggling to love herself. While speaking on "The Jess Cagle Interview," she recalled how cruelly she treated herself in the past. "I remember 10 years ago being so scared going into the whole awards season and doing what I thought I was supposed to do, so I barely ate anything at Christmas," she said. "I thought movie stars had to have a certain body. I was just smoking, just smoking my nerves away, and wasn't nourishing myself."
It took having kids for the actor to finally start embracing her body and show herself kindness. Now her mindset has completely changed. "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 happily said just a few months after giving birth to her first son, per People. She reinforced this message in an Instagram post explaining how her body shape has changed since having kids, but emphasizing that there's nothing shameful about that.
She quit drinking to be more present for her kids
Anne Hathaway made another major change when she became a mom. She decided to quit drinking alcohol for at least 18 years. Hathaway enjoyed drinking on social occasions, especially when she was surrounded by friends, but she admitted to Tatler that she rarely employed any sort of moderation. Ultimately, she felt drinking was getting in the way of her parenting. "The way I [drink] makes me unavailable for my son. My last hangover lasted for five days," she said.
Hathaway elaborated on her decision during an appearance on "The Ellen Show" saying she wants to be fully available for her son (she only had Jonathan at the time), especially in the mornings, which is when he needs her the most. "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," she explained. Hathaway went cold turkey in October 2018.
Anne Hathaway's full circle fashion moment
Anne Hathaway has debuted a lot of different styles over the years, but one of the best has to be when she recreated one of Andy's iconic outfits from "The Devil Wears Prada" at New York Fashion Week in 2022. The actor was photographed next to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who is known to be the real-life inspiration for Meryl Streep's character Miranda Priestly, the editor of the film's fictional Runway magazine, and fans couldn't help but notice the similarities between her outfits.
At New York Fashion Week, Hathaway wore a brown leather jacket over a roll-neck jumper and accessorized with gold jewelry, which mirrored the last outfit Andy wore in the movie. Talking about how the moment came about during an appearance on Today (via X), Hathaway explained: "It was kind of nuts, wasn't it? It was by accident. I was supposed to wear something else. The shoes didn't fit, this was the other outfit that came."
It was her hair that completed the look. Twelve years later, Hathaway was back to rocking heavy bangs like she sported in the movie and her hairstylist decided to run with it, putting her hair into a ponytail and leaving her bangs loose. "I looked in the mirror and I thought, 'Oh that's funny, I wonder if anybody will notice,'" she recalled. Funnily enough, the whole world noticed, and it sparked a lot of fan comments about how Hathaway appears as though she has barely aged. The actor may have had several transformations over the years, but as fans have said, she's still as youthful as ever.