Why people dislike Anne Hathaway (and how she's dealt with the "Hathahate")

Online hatred towards Hathaway surged after she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2013 for her performance in 'Les Miserables'—what should have been a moment of celebration. In fact, the "Hathahate" phenomenon that followed her Oscar success put her career in jeopardy. “A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online," she reflected in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, released on March 25, 2024.

“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," she said, referring to the 2014 movie 'Interstellar.' “I don’t know if he knew that he was backing me at the time, but it had that effect,” Hathaway said. “And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn’t backed me.”

Browse this gallery and delve into the reasons people dislike Anne Hathaway, as well as how the actress has coped with it.

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The peak -

The backlash against the actress peaked around 2013, after the Oscars, though it had been growing for some time.

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Hathahate - The feeling even inspired a hashtag on Twitter: #Hathahate.

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Theater kid - One of the early reasons given was the fact that Hathaway behaves like a "theater kid," AKA that kid from school who had an over-the-top personality, affected and dramatic.

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Theater kid - As Hollywood.com put it: “She’s got this theater kid thing where she adopts the mood of every situation she’s in—rude and bawdy on 'Chelsea Lately,' poised and ‘classy’ at the Oscars, etc—but wildly overcompensates every time.”

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The 2011 Oscars - If you remember the 2011 Oscar hosts, it's probably not for the right reasons. James Franco was initially criticized for his lack of energy, but he fired back, blaming Hathaway.

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The 2011 Oscars - "I love her, but Anne Hathaway is so energetic, I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway," Franco told late-night host David Letterman in March 2011.

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Sexism - In 2015, Hathaway addressed the issue, suggesting that the media had created the problem, particularly male writers.

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Anne Hathaway - "That [New York Times article] was written by a man. Among the women I've worked with and met in my industry, I feel supported," she stated.

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Her Oscar speech - Though her performance in 'Les Misérables' might have marked the highlight of her career, her Oscar-acceptance speech was anything but.

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Her Oscar speech - "It came true," she said, referencing the song she famously sang in the film. The moment felt corny for many, and she came off as trying too hard.

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Her speeches in general - Many have said that she just doesn't know how to approach an audience, and her speeches are often made fun of on the Internet.

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Her speeches in general - For example, she thanked author Victor Hugo—who has been dead for nearly a century and a half—during her acceptance at the BAFTAs.

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Speeches - As a Twitter user put it, quoted by the Daily Mail: "Sigh. There Anne Hathaway goes again, being all surprised and honored and humble with a carefully rehearsed extemporaneous speech."

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She's too "perfect" - Some have argued people dislike Hathaway because she's too "perfect."

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She's too "perfect" - As an article titled 'Why Do Women Hate Anne Hathaway (But Love Jennifer Lawrence)?' from The Cut in 2013 put it, "She is that theater kid with good intentions but secretly annoys the s**t out of you."

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Interviews - Similarly to her speeches, many people say that Hathaway just doesn't interview well. She is often awkward and comes off as corny.

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Interviews - Like in an interview with Jon Stewart, in which she just can't stop laughing. People went online to say that it was cringeworthy and uncomfortable.

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Ridiculous explanations abound - At the peak of the "Hathahate," Salon asked an actual psychology professor to chime in and he gave a bizarre explanation involving the shape of Hathaway's face.

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Ridiculous explanations abound - The professor, Terry Pettijohn, said: "When times are good, we prefer actresses with rounder faces," and Hathaway's "mature" face "suggests she would be popular when times are more challenging."

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The bandwagon effect - The bandwagon effect refers to a psychological phenomenon characterized by people doing something because other people are doing it.

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The bandwagon effect - P.M. Forni told The New York Times that "Hathahate" gained momentum, and so everyone was eager to participate.

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How she's responded - Though she hadn't spoken too much about the issue before 2022, she has admitted the hate "does get to [her]," according to Us Weekly.

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How she's responded -

She continued: "The miracle of the universe is that, as far as they know, there's 51 percent matter versus 49 percent anti-matter—things tip in the scale of the positive, so that is what I focus on."

Sources: (Nicki Swift) (Vox)

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Why people dislike Anne Hathaway (and how she's dealt with the "Hathahate") -