The first time Anne Hathaway played a character “different to who I was”
Not many actors are fortunate enough to play the lead role in their first movie, and even fewer still have given a genuine star-making performance in their feature debut. Anne Hathaway is firmly among that number, though, even if she knew it would take hard work to attain longevity.
She was only 18 years old when The Princess Diaries hit cinemas in August of 2001, and it would go on to clear $165million at the box office on its way to becoming a firm favourite among an entire generation. In an instant, Hathaway had gone from a virtual unknown to a bankable and in-demand performer, but building on such massive success right out of the gate was key.
While there were detours back into familiar territory via The Princess Diaries sequel Royal Engagement and Ella Enchanted, Hathaway still sought to stretch herself as a dramatic talent. The Stephen Gaghan-scripted ensemble crime drama Havoc was a solid start, but it was her next release after that which showcased new sides of the star.
It was only her seventh live-action outing on the big screen, but Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain did more than enough to outline to both the industry and the moviegoing public that Hathaway was here to stay. As the wife of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist, Hathaway’s Lurleen was a pivotal emotional anchor in a story about unrequited love that rural Wyoming wasn’t entirely accepting of in the early 1960s.
While Gyllenhaal and co-star Heath Ledger were fixtures of awards season – as was Michelle Williams – Hathaway didn’t find herself in the running for any major gongs. However, it was by far the best work of her career at the time, and all part of a concerted effort to avoid being pigeonholed or typecast based on the role that first strapped a rocket to her back.
As Hathaway explained to the BBC, “It was always my intention to be an actress and not the Princess of Genovia.” The Princess Diaries may have gotten her foot in the door, but she was conscious of not allowing it to linger there for so long that it ended up becoming trapped.
“Once I’d got my fill of the early roles, it was time to move on,” she continued. “Brokeback Mountain was really the first time I played a character that was different to who I was, and I really got a taste for it. Now my new rules of thumb are no tiaras, and do the opposite of the last role you did. That seems to be working pretty well for me.”
It’s a mantra she’s adhered to ever since, illustrated by the fact that three of her most recent outings have come in psychological thriller Mothers’ Instinct, coming-of-age drama Armageddon Time, and the Harry Styles fanfic-inspired romance The Idea of You.
