Back in the 2000s, Anne Hathaway was everywhere. She won people over with ‘The Princess Diaries’, wowed critics in ‘Brokeback Mountain’, and pretty much became a pop-culture staple after ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. But then, out of nowhere, her career hit a harsh brake. Around the early 2010s, the internet, and even a chunk of Hollywood, seemed to just turn on her.It all started with people calling it ‘Hathahate’. For a few years, Hathaway was the butt of memes, online jokes, and nonstop criticism. The media piled on, too. Still, she managed to push through all that noise. With some patience, smart moves, and a willingness to reinvent herself, she found her way back.
The ‘Hathahate’ backlash: What happened?
So, what set off the backlash? As per Entertainment Weekly, it kicked off in 2011 when Anne Hathaway co-hosted the Oscars with James Franco. The show itself was kind of a mess, and it was claimed that the hosts had no chemistry at all. Franco even joked that Hathaway’s high energy made him look chill, which only made things worse for her. After the ceremony, all of a sudden, people were picking apart Hathaway’s personality, calling her “too perfect” or fake. Some even went on to claim that her interviews felt rehearsed, almost like she was acting even when she wasn’t on set.Per Entertainment Weekly, things hit a peak during the 2013 awards season. Hathaway won an Oscar for ‘Les Misérables’ for her performance as Fantine. However, instead of celebrating, the internet went wild with memes and negative takes. Headlines mocked her. People called her annoying or too earnest. Oddly, no one could really explain why they disliked her so much, but the ‘Hathahate’ label certainly stuck.And this wasn’t just a bunch of internet trolls. The backlash started to creep into her actual career. Hathaway later admitted in interviews that some filmmakers didn’t want to cast her because her online reputation had gotten so toxic.“A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were concerned about how toxic my identity had become online,” she told Vanity Fair. It was almost unfathomable: she was an Oscar winner at her peak, and suddenly doors started closing.
The one man who helped turn the tide
Although Hathaway was going through one of the toughest phases in her career, not everyone turned away from her. Christopher Nolan, who’d already cast her as Catwoman in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, brought her back for ‘Interstellar’ in 2014. The movie was a hit, and with its success, people remembered just how good Hathaway really was.Per Entertainment Weekly, Anne called Nolan her ‘guardian angel’ for giving her that shot when others wouldn’t. That role helped reset her image, at least a little.
The steady comeback from the backlash
After Nolan’s nudge with ‘Interstellar’, Hathaway switched things up. She stopped chasing only the big blockbusters and started picking more unexpected roles. She did ‘The Intern’ with Robert De Niro, played a totally offbeat character in ‘Colossal’, and stole the show in ‘Ocean’s 8’. These movies let her show a more relaxed, funny side, which helped people see her in a new light.She didn’t just stick to acting, either. Hathaway started producing, too. In 2024, she starred in and produced ‘The Idea of You’, playing a divorced mom who falls for a younger pop star. The movie was a hit, and it reminded everyone how charming she is on screen.Now, as part of ‘career renaissance’, Anne Hathaway is balancing artsy projects, streaming hits, and big studio films. She’s got a packed schedule: she’s once again joining hands with Nolan for ‘The Odyssey’, then there’s ‘Mother Mary’ with David Lowery, a sci-fi film called Flowervale Street, a ‘Verity’ adaptation, and even ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’, a sequel to the previous film, with the original cast.All this shows how much things have changed. Hathaway’s in a new phase now: she’s got creative freedom, the audience is back on her side, and she’s not just a comeback story; she’s proof you can survive Hollywood’s strangest storms.