Anne Hathaway says she has Christopher Nolan to thank for saving her Hollywood career after criticism swelled over her 2013 Oscar win for “Les Misérables.”
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the star of “The Idea of You” recalled how no one wanted to hire her amid the widespread online hate from social media users. That is, until Nolan stepped in to resuscitate her career.
Reflecting on the viral “Hathahate” phenomenon, Hathaway revealed, “A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online.”
“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,” she said, referring to her role as chief scientist Amelia Brand in Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi film, “Interstellar.”
Hathaway had starred in Nolan’s critically acclaimed “The Dark Knight Rises” as Selina Kyle/Catwoman just two years before.
“I don’t know if he knew that he was backing me at the time, but it had that effect,” Hathaway said of Nolan’s support. “And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn’t backed me.”
The “Hathahate” wave kicked off on social media after the 2013 award season, when the star scored the Academy Award for supporting actress.
Though the origin of the hatred can’t be pinpointed, the attacks became a huge topic of conversation on the internet as people picked apart everything about her, from her Prada dress to her acceptance speech, at the Oscars.
The hate even led to unprovoked think pieces on Hathaway’s so-called undesirable qualities.
Hathaway admitted to Vanity Fair that it was “such a rough thing to go through.”
“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,” she explained.
“You’re a tightrope walker. You’re a daredevil. 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?” Hathaway added.
The “Devil Wears Prada” star also talked about how badly the Oscar drama affected her in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in 2014, noting that the backlash felt like she “got punched in the gut.”
Years later, Hathaway admitted that the internet loathing her ultimately ended up being a “good thing” for her.
In 2021, she told The Sun that she felt “incredibly empowered” by the fiasco.
“So I guess what I’d say is when the bad shit happens, don’t fear it. Just go with it, flow with it,” Hathaway said.