Anne Hathaway praises Christopher Nolan for casting her in Interstellar despite ‘toxic’ online reputation

The ‘Princess Diaries’ star has reflected on period of ‘Hathahate’ – in which she was relentlessly mocked and criticised online for perceived earnestness

Anne Hathaway has thanked filmmaker Christopher Nolan for casting her in his film Interstellar despite her “toxic” reputation at the time.

In a new interview, the Les Miserables star recalled a period of her career in which she was relentlessly mocked and shamed online for her perceived earnestness – something quickly dubbed “Hathahate”. She noted that Nolan was one of the few directors to ignore the criticism that had enveloped her.

“A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online,” she told Vanity Fair. “I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles I’ve had in one of the best films that I’ve been a part of.”

In Nolan’s Oscar-winning sci-fi epic, Hathaway played NASA scientist Dr Amelia Brand. Her performance was described by The Independent’s reviewer, Geoffrey Macnab, as “affecting”.

Hathaway added that she did not know whether Nolan knew he was actively endorsing her at a precarious time in her career, but that his casting choice “had that effect” regardless.

“And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn’t backed me,” she said.

Anne Hathaway (Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios)

The Princess Diaries star has previously admitted to googling her own name shortly after her Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress for Les Miserables in 2013, and discovering an article titled “Why does everyone hate Anne Hathaway?”

Continuing her point about experiencing such public disapproval, Hathaway added: “Humiliation is such a rough thing to go through... The key is to not let it close you down. You have to stay bold, and it can be hard because you’re like, ‘If I stay safe, if I hug the middle, if I don’t draw too much attention to myself, it won’t hurt.’

“But if you want to do that, don’t be an actor,” she continued. “You’re a tightrope walker. You’re a daredevil. You’re asking people to invest their time and their money and their attention and their care into you. So you have to give them something worth all of those things. And if it’s not costing you anything, what are you really offering?”

The actor will soon star in the thriller Mothers’ Instinct, alongside her Interstellar co-star Jessica Chastain. In the same interview, Chastain explained why she found it “difficult” to work with Hathaway on the set.

Mothers’ Instinct will be in UK cinemas from Wednesday 27 March.