The 2011 Oscars is best remembered for the infamous hosting by the duo of Anne Hathaway and James Franco, which wasn’t exactly received well among critics and viewers. Following the lack of chemistry between the two stars, the opening monologue of the 83rd Academy Award came off as extremely awkward despite Hathaway’s best efforts to salvage the situation.
Following the incident, Franco tackled the situation and opened up about how it affected his bond with the Interstellar star, expressing that the duo weren’t on talking terms since then.
83rd Academy AwardsJames Franco Reflected on the Oscar Disaster Involving Anne Hathaway
Even before hosting the Oscar, James Franco and Anne Hathaway weren’t on the best terms according to David Wild, who was part of the writing team for the Oscars. Their alleged friction did seem to contribute to the awkwardness of the hosting segment, which was bombarded by critics. Reflecting on the matter, The Interview star claimed that the duo haven’t been on talking terms since the Oscars, even though he clarified that Hathaway wasn’t mad at him for ruining the situation.
Speaking on The Howard Stern Show, he said,
“We haven’t talked in a while. Anne and I made up, by the way. Let’s just get that on the record. It was a really hard time after the Oscars. She wasn’t mad at me, I don’t think … she didn’t say she was mad at me for what happened … The critics were so nasty.”
While it can’t be said for sure whether the duo had a rift between them for sure, Hathaway didn’t let the Oscars backlash get under her skin.
James FrancoJames Franco Convinced Anne Hathaway to Take the Hosting Gig
Although Anne Hathaway did most of the heavy lifting during the hosting segment, she wasn’t initially onboard to take the gig. Surprisingly, it was James Franco, who convinced the acclaimed actress to take it, and while Hathaway didn’t regret failing the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” at the time, looking back at the situation, she expressed, “We… Sucked”. She told PeopleTV (via EW),
“When all the dust settled, I was just like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’. Your first instinct is usually the right one and all the reasons why I turned it down came true.”
Anne Hathaway
Since the 2011 Oscars, Anne Hathaway continued her ascend to the top, delivering several acclaimed projects while Franco’s career took a heavy toll following the controversies that flooded his career.
