Anne Hathaway breaks out
Don’t congratulate Anne Hathaway for slipping out of her goodietwoshoes roles in The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada to take on the low-and-dirty character of Kym — a post-punk chick in rehab who wrecks her sister’s connubial bliss — in Rachel Getting Married, now playing. Hathaway gets (politely) annoyed that she keeps being patted on the head for such a mammoth acting stretch.
Q: As even Rachel Getting Married director Jonathan Demme asked you: “Wasn’t it cool to do something so different?”
A: No, it wasn’t! I was never, ever scared. I know everyone wants me to relish the change, but I always felt right doing Kym, and Jonathan is a fucking great director. Not to sound cocky or arrogant, but the task always has been, “be yourself, be yourself.” I feel happy now because all the intentions I had for the character ended up on the screen.
Q: What did you like about playing a screw-up like Kym?
A: That I didn’t feel compelled to make her likable or sympathetic, or worry that people understood her. Kym is about being herself, and whether you like her or don’t, that’s about you. We all have warts — and I don’t mean physically, you bloggers! If you understand how hard she’s trying to be sober, you give Kym credit far beyond her acid one-liners. This movie is nothing but 100 percent honest.
Q: You give a wild, embarrassing, off-the-cuff speech at the wedding rehearsal. Did you improvise?
A: That’s the exact speech that that Jenny [screenwriter Jenny Lumet] wrote. When I said it, nobody responded to it; everyone wanted Kym to sit down. Doing that was the most fun I’ve had acting!
Q: How many times have you watched the movie?
A: Three and a half. I saw the first half of the film before last Christmas. The second time, Tom Hanks was there. Instead of watching the movie, I watched Tom Hanks. Wouldn’t you?
