Why Anne Hathaway ‘Broke Down’ on the Set of ‘Mother Mary’
Anne Hathaway is one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading ladies. An Oscar-winning actress, a red-carpet queen, and a woman who somehow makes us all feel underdressed all the time. But…
Anne Hathaway is one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading ladies. An Oscar-winning actress, a red-carpet queen, and a woman who somehow makes us all feel underdressed all the time. But even pros like her also cry while on the job (okay, her crying while filming her latest project, the highly anticipated Mother Mary, is different from why we cry at work).
Anne Hathaway Breaks Down on Set
In a recent interview with Vogue, The Princess Diaries actress shared some interesting anecdotes about her upcoming music drama, Mother Mary. Co-starring Michaela Coel and directed by David Lowery, the film follows a pop diva (Hathaway) who experiences an existential crisis while on tour. She then went to see an old friend who helped her build her public persona.
Lowery revealed that Hathaway broke down while filming a climactic scene: “At one point Annie broke down and said, ‘I have to apologize, because I think what’s going to come out of me will hurt you.’ And Michaela took her hands and said, ‘I love you, I trust you.’ We were in various stages of that for about a week, shooting that scene.”
Coel shared that she went to techno clubs to blow off steam while filming, especially since they “were forced into an intensity” by Lowery’s vivid writing. The I May Destroy You actress revealed she invited Hathaway to join her.
She said of her co-star, “It’s very brave work that she’s done. The physicality she had to learn in preparation for this job — and it’s not just us in [that scene], it’s the crew, it’s the producers, and so of course this day was terrifying, a little monster on her shoulder, but no one realized until after the first take.” Coel added, “And then to keep doing it — take after take. That requires a lot of strength. Gallons and tons.”
Hathaway on Doing Mother Mary: “It Was Hard”
You wouldn’t think someone who’s been acting since she was 15 years old would find it difficult to act in another film. But Hathaway said of the project, “What struck me right away, reading the script, is that you can’t ‘perform’ Mother Mary. If I got the part, I would have to become material David could craft with. … I had to submit to being a beginner. The humility of that — showing up every day knowing you’re going to suck. And it has to be okay. You’re not ‘bad.’ You’re just a beginner.” She added, “Getting to that mindset — I had to shed some things that were hard to shed. It was welcome. But it was hard, the way transformational experiences can be hard.”
Mother Mary will feature original songs from Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX.
