Making the difficult transition from Disney poppet to woman with Oscar, Anne Hathaway has managed an impressive grown-up career. Her latest film, The Intern, promises plenty of beautifully lit scenes of her in beautifully designed buildings wearing beautifully designed outfits.
But before you head to the cinema, armed with a pad to note which colours you think could work in your house, here are five of her greatest scenes.
Brokeback Mountain
After a drastic and somewhat unsuccessful attempt to rebel against her image in the gang-culture drama Havoc, Hathaway bagged a small role in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning romance Brokeback Mountain. She might have existed outside of the main love affair but her role as a brassy yet tortured southern wife showed big promise.
The Devil Wears Prada
While Meryl Streep inarguably stole the show as the softly spoken gorgon who made her staff’s lives miserable in this sharp comedy, Hathaway deserves recognition for providing a likable lump of putty for her to play with. Her engaging turn as an innocent wannabe writer was an extension of her role in The Princess Diaries with added bite, as shown in this makeover scene.
Rachel Getting Married
Jonathan Demme’s stripped-back family drama gave Hathaway the opportunity to add some grit to her squeaky clean repertoire as the drug-taking, smart-talking black sheep who is released from rehab to attend her sister’s wedding. It earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress and launched her as a serious actor.
The Dark Knight Rises
Another opportunity to shed her cutesy persona arrived in 2012, courtesy of Christopher Nolan’s conclusion to the Batman trilogy. There was an initial hostility towards the casting of Hathaway as Catwoman but she defied expectations and gave a dark, sexy performance as a woman without conscience. It was also the start of a key year for Hathaway …
Les Miserables
… who subsequently appeared in Tom Hooper’s Oscarbait take on the classic musical. The impressive cast, including Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried, all sang their hearts out but it was Hathaway’s haunting turn as the doomed Fantine that stole the show. It was this scene in particular that secured Hathaway her first Oscar.
