Anne Hathaway did not want to be perceieved as a princess, took on the role in Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables to prove herself

Anne Hathaway is successful not only because of her acting s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s but also because of how she embraces her characters fully. She won an Oscar for Les Misérables, starred in numerous acclaimed films, and made a comeback in independent cinema.

Anne Hathaway

The actress has had a breakthrough with The Princess Diaries, where she played Mia Thermopolis, a clumsy teenager who discovers she’s the heir to a royal throne. This role got her widespread recognition, and she also started getting many offers from various other directors.

She has also portrayed another princess (Ella of Frell received the gift or curse of obedience) in Ella Enchanted. But playing princesses forever wasn’t her only motive. The actress came out of her comfort zone and chose to play a drug Addict and prostitute that got her an Oscar.

Anne Hathaway Played A Drug Addict and Prostitute That Made Her Win an Oscar

Anne Hathaway as Fantine in Les Misérables

We know that after The Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway played Princess Mia again in its sequel. She also portrayed another princess in Ella Enchanted. Hathaway didn’t want to typecast herself as a princess forever and knew she needed to take on more substantial roles. The actress told LiveAbout:

“In terms of the princess role, there is only so long that you can play those as a young lady before you start feeling really ridiculous. They are so much fun to do, I figure I might as well get the most out of them while I can. Then [I’ll] go off and play all the drug addicts and the prostitutes, and all the good ones you win Oscars for a little bit later on. But now I am, yes, ready to hang up the tiara [and] put the ball gown in storage.”

Yes, that’s correct, the now 40-year-old star later took the role of Fantine — a drug addict and prostitute in Tom Hooper’s musical drama Les Misérables. Ironically, she’d later win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a 𝓈ℯ𝓍 worker.

Anne Hathaway Got Hate For Winning an Oscar for the Role in Les Misérables

Anne Hathaway won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 (for her role as Fantine in the movie Les Misérables)

It’s nearly eight years since Anne Hathaway won prizes at the BAFTAS, SAG Awards, Golden Globes, and Academy Awards for her performance as Fantine in Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables. During the awards season, the actress became a target of internet backlash, which grew stronger after her Oscar win.

The Hollywood star told The Sun she has chosen to focus on the positive aspects that emerged from the intense internet hate she received. She believes the backlash helped her build self-confidence that she might not have developed otherwise.

Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar in 2014, Hathaway expressed how the backlash she experienced after the Oscars was like getting “punched in the gut.” The actress added she was left “shocked” and “embarrassed” by the hatred at the time, going so far as adding, “Even now I can feel the shame.”

Watch Les Misérables on Prime Video.