Did You Know Taylor Swift Is the Reason Anne Hathaway Got in ‘The Idea of You’ at 41 Years Old?

Published 04/25/2024, 10:55 PM EDT

Anne Hathaway may be an Oscar-winning actress who can lip-sync for her life, but even she is not immune to the allure of Taylor Swift. Although one cannot really term them as BFFs or as having some profound camaraderie, whatever little part they have played in each other's lives has been heartwarming. Who knows if Hathaway was the mystery woman Swift hinted at in 'All Too Well,' the one who offered a shoulder to the songstress to lean on in her darkest hours? But Swift certainly had a hand in helping Hathaway get her dream role.

Anne Hathaway's latest movie The Idea of You was a hit, and Swift may have played some role in getting the actress the kind of part she has most yearned for as she stepped into her 40s.

Anne Hathaway’s casting took cues from Taylor Swift

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In a recent interview with Variety, Cathy Schulman, the producer of The Idea of You, shed light on the decision to cast Anne Hathaway. While explaining her suitability for the part, Schulman drew parallels to Taylor Swift and her phenomenon of hooking fans into different stages of life through her albums. She appreciated the idea of selecting an actor with cross-generational appeal and someone who could allow the audience to witness this evolution of her character. And Hathaway was well-suited to “walk us through this investigation”. 

The Interstellar star once mentioned to Cathy Schulman her aspiration for when she reached 40 - something about standing on a building and shouting, "I’m 40 and I’m still vibrant". It all came together perfectly because Hathaway was 39 during filming and turned 40. The producer figured maybe America would be down to "grow up" alongside the actress, just like they did with that billionaire pop sensation. And Schulman may have been spot-on in gauging the American audience, as was clear from the movie's premiere. 

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The Idea of You premiere was an emotional rollercoaster that brought the Oscar-winning actress to tears.

Anne Hathway was overwhelmed by fans response

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Anne Hathaway’s return to romantic comedy in her 40s raised a lot of skepticism. However, at The Idea of You premiere, the actress made it clear that she simply wanted to have some "fun". Following her heart turned out to be the best decision she made, as fans were left barely able to recover from the ecstatic screams brought on by her return to rom-com. Surprised by the crowd's overwhelming response, Hathaway was moved to tears when a fan shouted "I love you". After regaining her composure, with tears in her eyes, she reciprocated, “I love you so much”.

For Hathaway, it was a moment to remember, and she made sure to shout out to those who cheered her on. She showed she is not about to conform to stereotypes about her movie choices because of her gender, age, or the fact that she is an Oscar-winning actress. That said, it seems Cathy Schulman's vision of creating a Taylor Swift-like phenomenon with Anne Hathaway's character may have truly paid off. 

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What do you think about Cathy Schulman’s interview? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hriddhi Maitra

1060 articles

Hriddhi Maitra is a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. An enthusiastic movie buff, Hriddhi found her true calling when she worked as a Cinema Content Writer at My Cinema Story while analyzing movies objectively, and offering constructive feedback. Coming from a background where she worked in different niches like finance, food, travel, medicines, automobile, and entertainment, we can safely say she is a jack of all trades.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

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