Anne Hathaway said famous director Christopher Nolan saved her career when public opinion wasn’t in her favor.
The famous actress said her path to winning an Oscar for “Le Miserables” was an arduous one, as many fans had turned into critics and haters, according to a recent interview with Variety. “A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online,” she said. Hathaway credited the “Oppenheimer” director for the revival of her career, saying, “I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles I’ve had in one of the best films that I’ve been a part of,” according to Variety.
Anne Hathaway attends the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Anne Hathaway attends the BVLGARI EDEN THE GARDEN OF WONDERS on June 06, 2022 in Paris, France. Photo by Marc Piasecki/Getty Images for Bvlgari
The Hollywood starlet said the general public did an about-face and decided that she was no longer worthy, at around the time that she took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Les Miserables” in 2013. Cancel culture was on the verge of eliminating her career entirely, and she didn’t know if there was anything that could be done to save her reputation in the public eye.
She was widely mocked at the time and recalls the phrase “Why does everyone hate Anne Hathaway” trending online, much to her dismay.
Anne Hathaway attends the “She Came to Me” premiere and Opening Ceremony red carpet during the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin. Photo by Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images
Anne Hathaway attends the Clooney Foundation For Justice’s “The Albies” on September 28, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Nolan took a chance on her and cast her as NASA scientist Dr. Amelia Brand in the 2014 space epic “Interstellar.”
He trusted in her talents after working with Hathaway as Selina Kyle in 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises.”
“I don’t know if he knew that he was backing me at the time, but it had that effect,” Hathaway told Variety.
Christopher Nolan attends the “Oppenheimer” premiere at Cinema Le Grand Rex on July 11, 2023 in Paris, France. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Producer Emma Thomas, actress Anne Hathaway and director Christopher Nolan attend “Interstellar” premiere at UME Cinema on November 10, 2014 in Shanghai, China. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images
“And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn’t backed me,” she said. “Humiliation is such a rough thing to go through.”
She now has advice for those who may find themselves in a similar situation. “The key is to not let it close you down. You have to stay bold, and it can be hard because you’re like, ‘If I stay safe, if I hug the middle, if I don’t draw too much attention to myself, it won’t hurt.’ But if you want to do that, don’t be an actor. You’re a tightrope walker,” Hathaway told Variety. (RELATED: ‘An Artistic Choice’: Famous Director Defends Dialogue That’s Difficult To Hear In Blockbuster Movie)
“You’re a daredevil,” she continued. “You’re asking people to invest their time and their money and their attention and their care into you. So you have to give them something worth all of those things. And if it’s not costing you anything, what are you really offering?”