Anne Hathaway is a successful, award-winning actor with many esteemed roles under her belt, however, her long career in Hollywood is marred by some controversial moments as well. Although Hathaway has always kept up a bubbly persona and never publicly feuded with anyone, the “Princess Diaries” actor somehow managed to be the center of an online movement called “Hathahaters.”
Whether it’s her affected mannerisms or overly zealous nature, she’s managed to rub people the wrong way. Richard Lawson of The Atlantic Wire told Hollywood.com, “She’s got this theater kid thing where she adopts the mood of every situation she’s in — rude and bawdy on ‘Chelsea Lately,’ poised and ‘classy’ at the Oscars, etc — but wildly overcompensates every time.” He continued, “She always seems like she’s performing, and her favorite act is this overstated humility and graciousness. I’ve known theater kids my whole life. I was a theater kid my whole life. She is the epitome of the bad kind of theater kid.”
While not everyone would agree with Lawson’s take — and Hathaway has plenty of fans — many criticized her past acceptance speeches as being overly contrived. Sure, a lot of actors rehearse what they’re going to say at the podium, but one film awards ceremony, in particular, had critics slamming Hathaway for being too fake. Hathaway’s career suffered after her speech and that was just one of the several times she dominated headlines for the wrong reason.
In 2013, Anne Hathaway won her first Oscar award for her role as Fantine in the movie adaptation of “Les Misérables.” Unfortunately, she lost a lot of fans after she gazed adoringly at her golden statue and murmured, “It came true.” Many thought she was putting on an act with an over-rehearsed speech, and as Howard Stern stated on his Sirius XM show (via NBC News), “She’s just so affected [and] actress-y that even when she wins an award she’s out of breath, and then she has the standard joke that sounds like it’s [been] written [for her]. And it all seems so scripted and acted.”
Hathaway started getting bashed so much online that her career suffered after “Les Mis.” “A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online,” she shared with Vanity Fair. It was Christopher Nolan who gave her a chance with “Interstellar” that helped Hathaway move on from cruel internet comments after her Oscars win. “Humiliation is such a rough thing to go through. The key is to not let it close you down,” Hathaway added.
2. Anne Hathaway’s Oscars hosting gig with James Franco
Anne Hathaway and James Franco might have seemed like a good hosting match on paper but in reality, the two just failed to spark any chemistry during the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony. As for Franco, many wondered if he had sparked up something to smoke beforehand, as his lackluster energy only highlighted Hathaway’s overly chipper persona. “He didn’t give me anything. God, I just remember the night before we’re about to go up there, and me turning to everyone and going, ‘Am I too much? This feels really big to me.’ And the producer just went, ‘No! Don’t do less. Do more if you need to,'” the “Rachel Getting Married” star told People. The kicker is that Hathaway initially said no to the gig but Franco persuaded her to co-host with him.
Although Hathaway and Franco got roasted for their cringey hosting skills, she stated to The Hollywood Reporter, “I had a blast doing it … And I think it looked slightly manic and ‘hyper-cheerleadery’ onscreen. But I have no regrets about doing it.” Still, she’s unable to watch herself back on the small screen because of all the backlash she received but the memory lives on forever in the public’s minds.
3. Anne Hathaway dissed the Kardashians
Anne Hathaway learned never to anger Kardashian fans. In 2016, she shaded the reality television family by posting a picture of her “Alice Through the Looking Glass” co-star with the words, “In a world of Kardashians, be Helena Bonham Carter,” CBS News reported. After “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” fans blasted Hathaway for being messy, she quickly deleted the Instagram post and replaced it with a meme that read, “Post removed for unintended shade thrown. It never occurred to me I was pitting anyone against each other. Not my style. Peace x,” the actor wrote. In response, a user commented, “I hate when people backtrack, if that’s how you feel keep it up, the Kardashian’s aren’t going to hurt you. If I was a celebrity I’d keep it, because in reality, the Kardashian’s AREN’T liked by anyone but stupid teenaged girl.”
The year prior, Hathaway actually paid the Kardashians a compliment and stated in an interview with Refinery29, “I used to be like everyone else and think the Kardashians are just famous for being famous. But I’ve been really impressed with how supportive Kim Kardashian has been of Caitlyn Jenner.” The brief faux pas didn’t turn into an all-out feud, thankfully, but we’re sure the Kardashians are no strangers to getting shade thrown their way.
4. Anne Hathaway once dated a con man
It was a story right out of some Hollywood movie. In 2008, Anne Hathaway’s boyfriend Raffaello Follieri was arrested for fraud, per NBC News. Follieri told investors he had ties to the Vatican, which allowed him to buy church-owned property at a steep markdown in order to scam them out of millions of dollars, funding his jet-set lifestyle with Hathaway. The money he obtained illegally was used to fly around the world on private planes and live in a $ 37,000-per-month apartment in New York City. Follieri pleaded guilty and was sentenced to over four years in prison.
“As soon as I found out about the arrest, I had to get on a plane to Mexico to do a press tour for ‘Get Smart.’ And then I spent a week in shock at a friend’s house. And then I had to go back and do more press, and I haven’t stopped since,” Hathaway told W (via People). She continued, “It’s a situation where the rug was pulled out from under me all of a sudden.”
After serving time, Follieri told the Daily Mail that Hathaway completely cut off communication with him following his arrest. “I think she made a business decision. She decided saving her career was most important. I am not bitter. You can look in my eyes. I don’t have anger but I’ve been hurt,” he shared.
5. Anne Hathaway’s portrayal in The Witches
Roald Dahl fans were treated to the 2020 film adaptation of his classic book “The Witches,” with Anne Hathaway playing the Grand High Witch. Sadly, a controversy overshadowed the colorful film when there was backlash over Hathaway’s character, who was depicted with having three long fingers on each hand. Comedian Alex Brooker, who has a limb difference, stated to BBC, “What sort of message does this give? To me, it sends out a message that we should be scared of people with missing fingers. A lot of kids and adults have that — that’s a life people live. It doesn’t need to add to the stigma.” Actor Grace Mandeville shared, “The truth is children will watch this movie and some will then be scared of people that have limb impairments or ectrodactyly [a split hand] thanks to this film.”
Following the criticism, Hathaway took to Instagram to post a video from Lucky Fin Project and wrote, “I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches.” She went on to state, “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.”
