Anne Hathaway is probably one of the most non-problematic celebrities who have graced the film industry. Whether it is her exceptional skills as an actress, her down-to-earth personality, or the fact that she, simply does not age, Anne Hathaway’s fans love her for more reasons than one.
However, even the non-problematic Anne Hathaway had a phase in her life that she is not proud of, at all. Just after The Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway adopted an attitude that would shock people, and not in a good way. She recalls how director Garry Marshall treated her like she was the MVP on the set and how that treatment led to a period in her life where she took on a personality that she is now ashamed of.
Anne Hathaway was Ashamed of Her Unlikeable Attitude
Anne Hathaway was the main character in Garry Marshall’s The Princess Diaries films. She played the role of a simple teenager, who lived in the background until she found out that she has royal blood. Fast forward a bit, Mia Thermopolis had to learn how to become a worthy and just princess to the people of Genovia.
Unfortunately, it seems like Hathaway did not pay attention to those lessons herself. After being treated by Marshall as the most important person on the set, Hathaway became a bit too forward, even while talking to adults. Talking to W Magazine, the actress stated,
“I was 17 when I made The Princess Diaries. I was at the nucleus of such a large organism, and Garry [Marshall] made me feel that I was the most important person on set every day. And from there…sometimes when I would talk to adults, they would be taken aback by how forward I was. And I was very oblivious to it.”
So what made The Devil Wears Prada actress turn herself into the loving and grateful person she now is? Well, it has something to do with a piece of advice given to her by one of her directors.
An Advice That Opened Anne Hathaway’s Eyes
There comes a point in life where we all second guess ourselves and assess whether we need to bring some change into our lives or not. For Hathaway, this moment came when she was shooting for Rachel Getting Married (2008) with director Jonathan Demme.
While filming, Hathaway did not like the fact that Demme changed something in the script. Instead of having a proper conversation with the director, she went all diva on him. Hathaway stated that she started blurting out reasons why the previous script was better. Demme had a simple response which made the actress understand that her behavior could come off as a bit disrespectful.
“One day on Rachel Getting Married, Jonathan altered something in the script, and I said, ‘Jonathan! Why did you change this?! It was better the other way and here’s A, B, C, D, E, F, G why!’ And he smiled at me and said, ‘Hey, Annie? Maybe instead of telling me why I’m wrong, you could ask me why I made the choice I made. I instantly felt so ashamed. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to people, but that’s exactly what I had done for years.”
Well, sometimes all we need is a person who will lovingly call us out on our problematic behavior. For Hathaway, the person was Demme.
You can stream The Princess Diaries on Disney+.
Source: W Magazine
