Anne Hathaway
The Colossal star on overcoming self-loathing – and finding love
QUIRKY STUFF Anne’s latest movie, Colossal, has been described as “monster movie-meets-romantic comedy”. She plays Gloria, a New York blogger with an alcohol problem. After her boyfriend breaks up with her Gloria returns to her hometown, only to discover that every time she gets black-out drunk she gains the ability to remotely control a Godzilla-like monster terrorising the city of Seoul in South Korea. Written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo, it co-stars Jason Sudeikis as Gloria’s childhood pal, whom she hooks up with when she returns home. DOMESTIC BLISS For the past six years Anne’s been happily married to businessman Adam Shulman and they have a son, Jonathan (2). She credits Adam for helping her become a better person. “I’d been badly afflicted by self-loathing throughout most of my life. But there was a moment in my relationship with him when I knew I could either continue to put my self-loathing first or allow myself to be loved. That was hard, but I knew he was worth it.” MOST HATED WOMAN In 2013 her reputation took a nosedive when Hollywood turned against her. While she was winning awards left, right and centre – including an Oscar for her role in Les Miserables – she got people’s backs up with many viewing her as spoilt and insincere. “Let me sum up why people hate Anne Hathaway,” US shock jock Howard Stern said at the time. “First of all she gets a speechwriter to write her speech. She’s overly dramatic at these award shows . . . She’s even acting when she’s winning awards!” The backlash got so bad a new word was created – Hathahate.
But Anne, the daughter of a labour attorney and former actress, says she’s come to terms with it. “There was a stretch of my life when I wasn’t comfortable being myself. To be a person in the spotlight, I pretended to be someone who could be in the spotlight. I’m so over that now. I just try to be my best self all the time, with some notable late-night lapses.” S Collosal opens in SA cinemas on 13 April.