Anne Hathaway, Drama Queen

Thursday, 04 March 2010 15:18

While Anne Hathaway did some personality experimenting with her current role as the White Queen in Tim Burton’s 3D film Alice In Wonderland, her life off-screen has been less of a storybook scenario. Nearly on the verge of tying the knot with a too-good-to-be-true con-man, the former aspiring nun and Best Actress Oscar nominee “got smart” instead of going clubbing around town—which Anne insists isn’t her style. During this interview, the diary-divulging princess-turned-drama queen also takes on weighty issues, including how size matters in and out of this movie, and how moping over bad news men and doomed romance instead of moving on is also not her thing.

By Prairie Miller

In what way do you relate to Alice In Wonderland that made you go for this movie?

With Helena Bonham Carter, Tim and Johnny [Depp], everyone is so mad. And yet because of the atmosphere, no one thinks that they’re insane! You can be totally angry one second, then totally happy another second, and you can be delightful and murderous at the same time.
I took a very Zen approach to filmmaking on this one. It sounds silly, but I had no idea what was going on. I walked in, and it was like being in a neon green terrarium—green on all sides and tons of empty space.
But from the perspective of a young woman becoming a woman, I really related to it. And the idea that you’re never the right size, and that you could eat something to make you feel bigger. On the surface, it’s kind of light and fantastical. But it actually does play into a lot of deep, psychological fears we have, inadequacies that we feel we have, and insecurities. And the way we relate to the world around us.

Like the “stress of eating” issues?
It really annoys me, the image that’s put out there for women. You know, those tiny bodies with absolutely no fat on them. It’s unhealthy, plain and simple. It makes me sick. Everyone should be free to live life as they want. And sometimes you think, maybe I could change something about myself to fit in; I'm no exception to that.
When I was growing up, I wanted a nose job because I didn't think my nose was good. And my nose is now, I think, what lets me change my face a lot and lets me be glamorous. You know, your face needs to have character if you're going to be an actor, or you're just kind of a ... face! But in terms of radically changing myself for self-esteem or anything, no I don't think I'll ever do that.

So are you saying to hell with the female body image police?
I accepted long ago that I'm a curvy girl. And rather than saying that there's nothing wrong with that, I'll just say that I'm a curvy girl. There's nothing to justify. Some clothes are more designer and just actually look better on women that are built like ... wire hangers! Because that's just the nature of the design. I won't wear those clothes. I can't. You know, it'll make the dresses look bad! And it'll make me look bad in them. So I just kind of try and find the designs that work for me.

You've had some rough times in your life lately. How have you stayed grounded?
I just feel like I've come out on the other side of a lot of things. Maybe that’s what people call growing up.

So how important do you think that any guy should be in a woman's life?
Many women don't feel comfortable being taken care of. I don't mind being taken care of, as long as I can take care of myself. And for me, that's important.

What is your character, the White Queen, up to in this movie?
I kept saying to myself, “She's like a punk rock vegan pacifist.” So I listened to a lot of Blondie, and I watched a lot of Greta Garbo movies. Then Norma Desmond got thrown in there too. So she just emerged, and I really like her. She likes the dark side, but she’s so scared of going too far into it. So there’s a lot to play around with. And it was awesome. I had so much fun. And I just wanted her to arrive in certain places. And in my head I just thought, the way she walks, she occasionally bumps into things and doesn’t know how she got there. And she’s a little dopey and kind of ditzy. But at the same time, very clued in.

Do you ever get the urge to be a party animal?
I’m not confident enough to do that. You know, I’m not somebody who will throw on a short skirt and tease her hair up. And I feel uncomfortable with attention. I'm really a wallflower.

Are fame and fan obsessions ever a negative for you?
I'm surprised that people aren't struck by the absurdity of all the attention that is paid to people for doing nothing. You know, doing normal things, like going to the grocery store. It seems absurd to me, and I can laugh at it. I mean, nobody's every tried to jump out of the bushes at me.
But just because you lead a public life, doesn't mean you can't keep things private. I'm a very open person, but at the same time, I don't reveal too much. And I'm very comfortable saying, “I'm not going there.” I'd rather give up my career. I don't mean to make it that dramatic, but this is what we're faced with. And I don't believe all that, you know, that it's the life that you've chosen. Because when I grew up, my understanding of being an actress didn't mean being a celebrity. And I'm sure at some point, I will be forgotten. And hopefully, by protecting my own privacy, I will have a completely separate life that's rich and fulfilling at the same time.

How are you with doing nudity and sex scenes in movies?
I was topless in Havoc, but it was necessary for the film. My character was a shallow girl who’s so jaded about her sexuality that she has no problems sharing it.

Do you ever feel like you're being pressured in your career to be somebody you don't want to be?
No, I've been really lucky. I've never been pushed. I don't work with people who are seeking to profit off me in an unhealthy way. I do think that you find that a lot in the music industry. And I think that people have these images that they feel they have to adhere to, and there's usually somebody in the background that has come up with that. Really with me, what you see is what you get! The one time in my life that I felt a little bit trapped was right around the time that I did Havoc. And people had such a negative reaction against the girl from The Princess Diaries doing a topless scene. I was in an incredibly successful film, but I didn't know that I was so identified with it. And that people would just pick words like “topless” and “princess,” and why they wouldn't go together. So then I realized that I was going to have to become an actress again, just an actress.