Why People Love to Hate Anne Hathaway: They Insulted Her Without Knowing Her Struggles, and Then She Taught Everyone a Life Lesson
They judged her without knowing what lay behind her behavior.
The actress Anne Hathaway was introduced to the global audience in 2001, when she played the leading role in the film “The Princess Diaries”.
After that, she starred in many well-known films such as “Brokeback Mountain,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Bride Wars,” “Valentine’s Day,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Les Misérables,” “Interstellar,” “Ocean’s 8,” “The Hustle,” “Serenity”, and others.
She collaborated with many famous actors and even won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Les Misérables.”
Despite numerous awards and tremendous success, Anne was often the target of negative comments and became one of those people that others “love to hate.”
How Did the Public’s Resentment Toward Anne Hathaway Begin?
The backlash started at the 2011 Oscars, when Anne Hathaway and James Franco hosted the ceremony. While Franco appeared relaxed, Anne, according to many viewers, was “overly excited and seemed fake.”
“Oh my God, you’re real. This is really happening, okay,” the actress said as she stepped on stage.
In addition to appearing nervous and trying to overcome her stage fright with jokes, many concluded that James Franco seemed as if he was experiencing the “worst moments of his life,” while Hathaway “never stopped performing” and appeared overly dramatic.
Just when everyone thought the event was forgotten, the 2013 Oscars came, where Anne won the award. However, the moment that should have been one of the happiest in her life sparked even more hate-filled commentary.
Many found her acceptance speech to be insincere.
“Oh, this is real. It’s such an honor, thank you. There are so many people whose kindness and support are the reason I’m standing here now,” she said through tears.
Again, she was criticized for her behavior on stage, and radio host and comedian Howard Stern even mocked her publicly.
“She always sounds like she’s out of breath, she acts even while accepting an award,” Stern said.
People also criticized her behavior during the post-Oscar photoshoot, claiming her smile was fake and rehearsed, with some even saying she didn’t deserve the award.
Perhaps the biggest complaint was that she was “too perfect,” which was mentioned repeatedly in various shows.
“Her perfection isn’t endearing, it’s irritating. She’s so perfect, it’s unbearable,” was one such comment.
Her “sweet girl” image was frequently discussed, but unlike some of her colleagues who were praised for it, Anne only received criticism.
They accused her of trying too hard to appear nice and sweet, saying it made her seem unnatural. Some even called her a “theater kid,” claiming she was overly dramatic and exaggerated her emotions to please everyone.
The negativity toward Anne escalated to the point where people began criticizing everything related to her and every movie she appeared in. Many viewers were especially disappointed with her portrayal of Catwoman in “The Dark Knight Rises,” saying she wasn’t attractive enough for the role and claiming she was “worse than Michelle Pfeiffer.”
That gave people the green light to continue bashing her, with social media users saying she was so bad that “she shouldn’t get any roles ever again.” Rumors spread that she had written a memoir but couldn’t sell it because it was “too boring.”
Some thought she was too attractive, others thought she wasn’t attractive at all, and still others said her mere presence was “painful to watch,” all while she quietly struggled with her own issues out of the public eye.
The Actress Was Fighting Her Own Battle All Along
However, in an appearance on “The Tonight Show,” she opened up about how she dealt with all the criticism, revealing she had major self-confidence issues as a teenager.
“Growing up, I believed happiness was something that could never happen to me,” Anne began, adding:
“I really didn’t love myself.”
Acting helped her gain more confidence, but she was still unsure if she was good enough. The negative comments only confirmed her doubts and pushed her deeper into dark thoughts.
She recalled how she felt when she read the headline “Why does everyone hate Anne Hathaway?”
“It felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I was shocked, slapped, and humiliated,” she said honestly.
“I tried to tune it out, but I couldn’t. Then I realized it was because I hadn’t learned to love myself enough. If you don’t love yourself when someone else says awful things about you – you’ll believe them,” Anne continued.
In an interview with “The Guardian,” she explained her odd behavior at the Oscars, admitting she felt extremely uncomfortable accepting an award for portraying a woman who had suffered so much, while wearing a dress that cost more than some people will ever see in their lives.
That’s why she had to pretend to feel great – and people noticed. At one point, her career also began to suffer.
“There were directors who said: ‘You’re perfect for the role, but I’m not sure how the audience will react to you because of all this stuff,’” she revealed, explaining it led her to take a break from acting.
For two years after winning the Oscar, she didn’t act and instead focused on self-development. She admitted she was overly negative and too reliant on others’ opinions of her, but then decided to change – and today she’s a completely different person.
How Anne Hathaway Taught Everyone a Life Lesson
“I have so much patience and love for others and, best of all, I have it for myself, too – something I never had before,” the actress said on the show.
Her major comeback came with Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” and she returned stronger than ever. As she said, she learned to smile genuinely and stopped caring about others’ opinions.
“We need people who know how to deflect hate and spread a culture of love, starting with themselves,” she said in a speech.
Anne Hathaway definitely has every reason to be proud of herself, having overcome many ups and downs, learned an important life lesson, and no longer letting others’ opinions disturb her. Perhaps her most powerful message is that we must learn to love ourselves, respect others, and not be affected by the words of those who only know how to speak badly about others.
