Anne Hathaway is a Hollywood icon.
Hathaway has been gracing screens for decades now, and she has blossomed in front of fans' eyes.
“No, I was a very independent little girl,” she said.
That independence would lay the groundwork for Hathaway’s future career.
The actress had self-esteem issues as a girl and as a young woman.
She added, “I disliked myself so intensely.
It was just a mindset.
I didn’t know how tolovemyself.
I didn’t know how to love anybody.”
Fortunately, she was able to turn to her love of acting to help her become more comfortable.
“I loved being on a stage because I knew what was going to happen next.
That I could dance with,” she said.
“The thing that felt impossible at the time was actually being present and being here.”
While she loved her hometown, Hathaway toldInterviewin 2011 that she’d always wanted to spread her wings.
The town I grew up in is beautiful.
I got a great education, and I’m very grateful for it.
But it’s not a place I wanted to stay.
I left when I was 16, just to follow my dreams."
In 2001, Hathaway starred inThe Princess Diarieswhich brought her international acclaim.
Even more than a decade after its release, Hathaway still looks back on the film fondly.
“Getting the script, it just had that feeling,” she said.
“I touched it, and it was electric.”
“That part was also very, very, very magical.”
PerIMDb, Hathaway’s subsequent films included 2004’sElla EnchantedandThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
Hathaway prepped for the role by studying cats to help her learn how to move with stealth and grace.
But ultimately Hathaway decided to just watch “a National Geographic video on cats” instead.
It all began in the early 2010s, shortly after she wrapped up her role in 2012’sLes Miserables.
He added that she seems “so affected and actressy.”
Headlines also blasted Hathaway.SFGatedubbed her the “Most Annoying Celebrity of 2013.”
“It’s an obvious thing, you win an Oscar and you’re supposed to be happy.
I didn’t feel that way.”
Instead of sinking into a depression, however, Hathaway instead found ways of coping with the widespread cyberbullying.
In 2014, Hathaway appeared onThe Ellen DeGeneres Showand spoke about the waves of “Hathahaters.”
“I listened at first,” she said.
“I couldn’t help it.
You give a shot to shut it off, and I couldn’t.
I hadn’t gotten there.”
Hathaway decided that, instead of listening to the negativity, she was going to focus on loving herself.
She made the decision to no longer be dependent on what other people think of her.
“I just kept livin',” she said.
“It’s been a really cool journey and I feel like …
I have a tremendous amount of love and compassion for everyone else.
And, best of all, I have it for myself.”
“He changed my ability to be in the world comfortably,” she toldEllein 2017.
“But I need my husband.
His unique and specific love has changed me.”
Still, Hathaway is human, and there’s no such thing as a miracle cure.
“You spew it all out.
You do not read it.
“We were there for each other, and we were supportive,” she said.
“Why have I always been told that the opposite would happen?”
Hathaway also credits other women with being a source of strength for her.
Two of her famous female friends are Jessica Chastain andEmily Blunt, friends who Hathaway says keep her inspired.
She also suggested that discussing infertility needs to be more normalized.
I’m tired of it, because it’s not the truth and I like the truth.”
“If I’m feeling insecure, I am very careful that I don’t show that.
I’m more loving now, and that includes toward myself.”
Hathaway isn’t taking any of this for granted, and she knows just how privileged she is.
“It’s all temporary like, all of it,” she toldTown & Countryin 2019.
“I used to not understand that, and it was a lot harder.”
