Anne Hathaway has spoken of her regret over failing to trust a female director, due to what she fears was “internalised misogyny”.
In an interview with ABC’s Popcorn with Peter Travers, the actor said that she was concerned that she “resisted” Lone Scherfig, who directed her in the 2011 romantic comedy One Day, because of her gender. “I really regret not trusting her more easily,” Hathaway said. “And to this day I am scared that the reason I didn’t trust her in the way I trust some other directors is because she’s a woman.”
“I’m so scared that I treated her with internalised misogyny. And I’m scared I didn’t give her everything she needed because I was resisting her on some level,” Hathaway added.
Hathaway also suggested internalised misogyny may have affected her choices of roles. “When I get a script, [if] I see [it’s] a first film directed by a woman, I have in the past focused on what was wrong with it. And when I see [it’s] directed by a man, I focus on what’s right with it,” she said. “I had actively tried to work with female directors. And I still had this mindset buried in there somewhere.”
The actor added that, despite her embarrassment, it seemed important that the subject be raised. “I’m getting red talking about this,” she admitted. “It feels like a confession, but I think it’s something we should talk about. I can only acknowledge that I’ve done that and I don’t want to do that anymore, and maybe talking about it could make someone else think about whether or not they do it.”
The actor’s comments come at a time of scrutiny of the lack of female directors in Hollywood. In January, a study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film found that that only 7% of the 250 highest-grossing films of 2016 were directed by women, and there have been reports that major Hollywood studios could be sued for workplace discrimination as a result.
In response to ABC’s request for a comment, a spokesperson for Scherfig said the director “is deep in pre-production of her next film and is consumed by it. She asked me to express her love and admiration for Anne and her work”.
Scherfig’s latest film, Their Finest, is released in UK cinemas on 21 April.
