Movies

Anne Hathaway, 41, was told her ‘career would fall off a cliff’ at age 35

Anne Hathaway is telling critics to “shut up!

The Oscar winner revealed Sunday that she was once told her career as an actress would go into sharp decline before she hit 40.

“When I started out [in this industry] as a child, I was warned that my career would fall off a cliff at the age of 35, which is something I know a lot of women face,” Hathaway, 41, told Porter for its November cover story. “The thing that has evolved during [that time] is that more women are having careers deeper into their lives, which I think is fantastic.

“Obviously, it doesn’t mean we should have a ticker-tape parade — someone said this to me the other day: ‘There’s so much to be proud of and there’s so much to fix,'” she continued.

Anne Hathaway revealed Sunday that she was once told her career as an actress would go into sharp decline before she hit 40.
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According to the “Alice in Wonderland” star, she quit drinking in her 30s because she “just couldn’t do it anymore.”
Cass Bird/PORTER/NET-A-PORTER.COM
“Being funny feels riskier than being sincere, because I think my sense of humor is different to what people think my sense of humor is going to be; I think it’s easily misunderstood, and sharper,” she said. “Part of the reason I feel an extra pressure to make sure I’m very clear about what I say, and how I say it, is because I trust the sincerity.”
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In a previous interview with People, Hathaway said that the word “aging” is “just another word for living.

“And what you do with it from there is personal and up to you. I feel great — I feel better than I did in my 20s because I’m taking much better care of myself,” the star told the outlet in 2022.

According to the “Alice in Wonderland” star, she quit drinking in her 30s because she “just couldn’t do it anymore.” And now that she is in her 40s, she would like to “support” myself” herself “differently nutritionally.”

“I want to go back and talk to my 25-year-old self who felt like she didn’t have to do anything and just be like, ‘Oh honey, honey, there’s a whole other world out there and it tastes like an avocado,’” she laughed.

Film icon Anne Hathaway revealed Sunday that she was once told her career as an actress “would fall off a cliff at the age of 35.”
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
“When I started out [in this industry] as a child, I was warned that my career would fall off a cliff at the age of 35, which is something I know a lot of women face,” Hathaway, 41, told Porter for their November cover story. “The thing that has evolved during [that time] is that more women are having careers deeper into their lives, which I think is fantastic.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

According to the “Princess Diaries” star, her current goal is to “ultramarathon” her career.

“I’ve always been really upfront about being an ambitious person,” the “Devil Wears Prada” star told Porter. “I have goals, I have dreams; they don’t look much different than they did when I was [younger], but I’m still pursuing them.”

After winning her Oscar for “Les Misérables” in 2013, the actress was slammed for being too earnest about her work and how open she was about wanting to be successful.

“Being funny feels riskier than being sincere, because I think my sense of humor is different to what people think my sense of humor is going to be; I think it’s easily misunderstood, and sharper,” she said. “Part of the reason I feel an extra pressure to make sure I’m very clear about what I say, and how I say it, is because I trust the sincerity.”

According to the “Princess Diaries” star, her current goal is to “ultramarathon” her career.
Cass Bird/PORTER/NET-A-PORTER.COM
“I want to go back and talk to my 25-year-old self who felt like she didn’t have to do anything and just be like, ‘Oh honey, honey, there’s a whole other world out there and it tastes like an avocado,’” she laughed.
Eamonn McCabe/Popperfoto via Getty Images
After winning her Oscar for the musical sensation “Les Misérables” in 2013, the actress was slammed for being too earnest about her work and how open she was about wanting to be successful.
Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

According to Hathaway, she had learned how to separate her work and personal life.

“It’s something I feel is not just essential for my health – I’m on a team, it’s my family, and it’s not just about me,” the “Ella Enchanted” star said. “My family has needs, and one of the needs of children is that they need to be able to define their own lives.”

Hathaway, who has sons Jonathan, 7, and Jack, 4, with husband Adam Shulman, said that she doesn’t attribute her family’s success solely to her acting career.

“It doesn’t even occur to me to link the two up,” she noted. “Except through gratitude that they serve each other so beautifully. But they serve each other through me, and not through a space that’s outside of myself.”