Anne Hathaway apologized to a reporter for an interview she gave when she was facing a wave of negativity from the public that later became known as the “Hathahate” phenomenon.
On Oct. 5, Norwegian entertainment reporter Kjersti Flaa shared a YouTube video featuring clips of interviews she conducted with the cast of the 2012 movie musical “Les Misérables” during their press tour. In Flaa’s one-on-one session with Hathaway, the now 41-year-old actress bluntly rejected the reporter’s request to sing back an answer and gave one word responses.
The journalist described her interview with Hathaway as “top-notch cringe.”
“She was just being so dismissive of me,” Flaa said in the video. “She hated. Let’s face it, she really hated me.”
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Flaa went on to note that she had other interactions with Hathaway after that interview and said that the star had been “very sweet.”
“I’m very happy that I got better experiences with her after this,” Flaa said. “If this was the only time I’d met her, I’d be like, ‘Not great.’”
Last Tuesday, Flaa posted a follow-up video in which she revealed she had received an email from Hathaway’s publicist, who forwarded her a message from Hathaway.
“I have to say, I was pretty shocked,” Flaa said. “I had not expected her to reach out to me at all. I thought she was never gonna even see that video. But she did. And she did something pretty amazing.”
“She sent me a long email explaining to me what she was going through right then when she did this interview, and she apologized for being – giving me an awful interview, basically. It was so touching to me,” Flaa continued. “Just talking about it makes me almost teary-eyed because I was just so grateful that she did that.”
“It was a very personal note. And we decided that I wouldn’t share exactly what was in the email. But I just wanted to share with you guys what she did because I thought that was just so amazing.”
Flaa said Hathway invited her to interview her for her next movie, which will be released in May. “I’m really looking forward to that, Anne,” Flaa said. “And thank you so much for doing that.”
Flaa said receiving an apology from the star was “amazing.” (John Nacion/Getty Images)
The apology comes after Hathway confirmed that she will be reprising her role as Mia Thermopolis, the Princess of Genovia in the third installment of “The Princess Diaries.”
The actress announced the news that “The Princess Diaries 3” was in the works in a video that she recently shared on Instagram. In the clip, Hathaway was seen sitting outside as she raised one finger and mouthed the word “one” before the video cut a scene from the first movie featuring Mia’s famous line, “A princess? Shut up!”
Hathaway appeared in the video once again as she raised a second finger while saying, “two.” The clip then cut to Queen Clarisse Rinaldi (Julie Andrews) exclaiming, “Shut up!” in a scene from the second film.
The video cut back to Hathaway as “The Princess Diaries” theme music swelled, and the actress raised a third finger and said “Shut up” with a wide smile before blowing the camera a kiss.
“Miracles happen,” Hathaway wrote.
Hathaway rose to fame starring in the original “The Princess Diaries” movie and recently announced that she will return for “The Princess Diaries 3.” (SGranitz/WireImage)
She added that she was “back to Genovia,” tagging the third film’s director Adele Lim, Disney and the production company Somewhere Pictures.
“The fairy tale continues,” Hathaway added.
“She apologized for being – giving me an awful interview, basically. It was so touching to me.”
Hathaway made her career breakthrough in the original 2000 film when she landed the role of Mia at the age of 18, and she returned for the 2004 sequel “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.”
The actress successfully transitioned to adult roles with acclaimed performances in the 2005 drama “Brokeback Mountain” and the 2006 comedy “The Devil Wears Prada.” After playing a recovering drug addict in the 2008 drama “Rachel Getting Married,” Hathaway received her first Academy Award nomination, earning a nod for best supporting actress.
Hathaway and Julie Andrews co-starred in the first two installments of “The Princess Diaries” franchise. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Hathaway’s star continued to rise as she went on to star in a string of successful films, including 2008’s “Get Smart,” 2009’s “Bride Wars” and the 2010 movies “Love & Other Drugs” and “Alice in Wonderland.”
However, the New York City native’s career was nearly derailed by a disastrous co-hosting gig at the 2011 Oscars and the vitriolic “Hathahate” internet phenomenon, which erupted during the 2013 awards season.
Hathaway and James Franco were tapped as the co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards, but their performances at the February 2011 ceremony were labeled as disastrous by both critics and viewers.
CBS described the numerous skits by Hathaway and Franco as “uninspiring,” while the Hollywood Reporter noted that the hosting duo were “spectacularly unwatchable.”
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Hathaway, who sang, danced and underwent numerous costume changes, was given credit for making an effort but criticized for appearing hyper and overly animated. Franco bore the brunt of the negative reactions, as critics noted that the actor appeared distant and almost disinterested in the proceedings.
Both actors’ reputations in Hollywood took a hit after the Oscars flop. In a 2012 interview with THR, Hathaway admitted that her performance may have come across as “slightly manic and hyper cheerleadery on screen.”
“Whether or not it was an actual failure, it was perceived as a massive failure,” she said.
Hathaway and James Franco were slammed for ther performances after co-hosting the 2011 Oscars. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
