Any performer with a distinguished career always comes to one decision that leaves everyone wondering. In the case of Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway, it was ‘The Idea of You.’ For a star celebrated for her remarkable versatility in cinematic blockbusters such as ‘Interstellar,’ ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’ and ‘Les Misérables,’ taking on the romantic comedy based on Harry Styles fanfiction looks strange, to say the least.
Behind the controversy surrounding this work is a personal motive that led her to agree to star in it. While critics widely praised Hathaway’s performance, the film broke streaming records, yet the role fractured audiences. It became deeply polarizing not because of how she acted, but because of the cultural nerve endings the character touched.
Anne Hathaway Following Passion And Instinct For ‘The Idea of You’
There is no denying that ‘The Idea of You‘ is a recipe for a critical failure. In this movie directed by Michael Showalter, we see the story of Solène, a 40-year-old divorced owner of an art gallery, who suddenly finds herself attracted to Hayes Campbell, the 24-year-old boy band’s frontman.
Such a concept can easily become a slave to clichés and tropes, and, indeed, this one bears many weaknesses inherited from a rather predictable fanfiction novel by Robinne Lee.
But why would Hathaway agree to play such a role? It seems that the key lies in her attitude to acting and Hollywood’s rules. She has confessed that she is not a perfect chess player when it comes to her career decisions.
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Speaking with USA Today, she expressed, “It probably would be advantageous if I were a little bit more strategic about my career,” stating that the movie “just released something inside of me when I read the script”.
Perhaps, she should be, but as long as her main guide is passion and instinct, she will never think otherwise. Indeed, the script deeply moved her, proving that the story resonated with her personal experience.
Hathaway Gave A Romantic Story That Audiences Can Relate To
In addition to her personal connection to the story, Hathaway had broader reasons for agreeing to take part in the project. First and foremost, Hollywood has thoroughly exploited relationships between people of vastly different ages.
There was never any problem with portraying older men in relationships with younger women. On the contrary, the other way around remains a big deal and even a joke.
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In ‘The Idea of You,’ Hathaway attempts to shed light on the peculiarities of experiencing an age-gap romance and on overcoming the disappointment of one’s previous marriage.
During the SXSW premiere, she noticed how enthusiastically people took the film and how happy they were to have someone to relate to. Hathaway was understandably delighted, admitting she loves to “see women so lit up [because] they’ve just seen something that speaks to them.”
Of course, purists will argue that there are better age-gap romances, such as ‘The Reader,’ ‘The Graduate,’ and ‘Babygirl.’ Nevertheless, Hathaway believed that it was worthwhile.
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