Controversial Things Anne Hathaway Has Done Including Dating a Shady Con Man

Anne Hathaway's Controversial Moments: The Surprising Actions That Rubbed People the Wrong Way

Anne Hathaway, who first caught the attention of the audience as a 16-year-old in the short-lived TV series Get Real in 1999, quickly rose to fame with her roles in The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, and The Devil Wears Prada. Her breakout role in The Princess Diaries marked the beginning of her career, and she later credited both this film and Rachel Getting Married for prominently molding her journey in Hollywood. Despite her epic success, Hathaway’s reputation took a drop, leading to what many called the Hathahate era. In an interview, she confessed, "A lot of people wouldn't give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online."

1. Anne Hathaway’s Intense On-Set Behavior

Hathaway’s intensity on set has often been a challenge. Reflecting on her early career, sha shared, "I was 17 when I made 'The Princess Diaries,' I was at the nucleus of such a large organism, and Garry [Marshall] made me feel that I was the most important person on set every day. And from there ... sometimes when I would talk to adults, they would be taken aback by how forward I was. And I was very oblivious to it." During the filming of Rachel Getting Married, Hathaway recalled challenging director Jonathan Demme on a script change, "He smiled at me and said, 'Hey, Annie? Maybe instead of telling me why I'm wrong, you could ask me why I made the choice I made,' I didn't mean to be disrespectful to people, but that's exactly what I had done for years."

2. Ignoring the Director’s Advice for "Les Misérables"

Hathaway’s commitment to her role in Les Misérables in 2012 involved extreme method acting, including losing 25 pounds. Director Tom Hooper was concerned and tried to discourage her,  "To be honest, I thought she was going further than she should, and I tried to discourage her." Hathaway shared, "No one liked what I was doing. By the end, people were hugging me and they would get emotional because I felt so frail. I'd lost an unhealthy amount of weight in two weeks. I didn't know anything about nutrition. I taxed my body, and my brain bore the brunt of it for a while. I just felt very anxious and very lost at that time."

3. Dating a Shady Con Man

As per Nicki Swift, Hathaway’s infamous relationship with con man Raffaello Follieri dubbed the Vati-Con," is another controversial chapter in her life. The pair met in 2004 while he was creating his scam empire, pretending to assist the Catholic Church in selling real estate properties. He infiltrated elite circles, including figures like Bill Clinton and John McCain, all while Hathaway was by his side. Their relationship ended abruptly in 2008 when Follieri was arrested by the FBI. Hathaway later reflected, "It's a situation where the rug was pulled out from under me all of a sudden."

4. Accidentally Shading the Kardashians

In 2016, Hathaway found herself in troubled water after posting an Instagram meme that seemed to shade the Kardashians. The meme read,  "In a world of Kardashians ... Be a Helena Bonham Carter." which she posted as an appreciation to her Alice Through The Looking Glass co-star. However, Kardashian fans were furious with this comparison, prompting Hathaway to delete the post and clarify,  "Post removed for unintended shade thrown…It never occurred to me I was pitting anyone against each other. Not my style. Peace x."

5. Role in 'The Witches' Causing Pain

Hathaway's portrayal of the Grand High Witch in the 2020 film The Witches ignited controversy due to the character's depiction of oligodactyly, a genetic condition where an individual has fewer than 10 fingers or toes. The portrayal led to backlash from people with limb differences, who participated in the #notawitch campaign to raise awareness. The official Paralympics Games account tweeted, "Limb difference is not scary. Differences should be celebrated and disability has to be normalized." Hathaway apologized, saying, "As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened."