Anne Hathaway apologizes to reporter for 'top-notch cringe' interview

Anne Hathaway apologized to a reporter for an interview she gave when she was facing a wave of negativity from the public that later became known as the "Hathahate" phenomenon.

On Oct. 5, Norwegian entertainment reporter Kjersti Flaa shared a YouTube video featuring clips of interviews she conducted with the cast of the 2012 movie musical "Les Misérables" during their press tour. In Flaa's one-on-one session with Hathaway, the now 41-year-old actress bluntly rejected the reporter's request to sing back an answer and gave one word responses.

The journalist described her interview with Hathaway as "top-notch cringe."

"She was just being so dismissive of me," Flaa said in the video. "She hated. Let's face it, she really hated me."

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Flaa went on to note that she had other interactions with Hathaway after that interview and said that the star had been "very sweet."

"I'm very happy that I got better experiences with her after this," Flaa said. "If this was the only time I'd met her, I'd be like, ‘Not great.’"

Last Tuesday, Flaa posted a follow-up video in which she revealed she had received an email from Hathaway's publicist, who forwarded her a message from Hathaway.

"I have to say, I was pretty shocked," Flaa said. "I had not expected her to reach out to me at all. I thought she was never gonna even see that video. But she did. And she did something pretty amazing."

"She sent me a long email explaining to me what she was going through right then when she did this interview, and she apologized for being – giving me an awful interview, basically. It was so touching to me," Flaa continued. "Just talking about it makes me almost teary-eyed because I was just so grateful that she did that."

"It was a very personal note. And we decided that I wouldn't share exactly what was in the email. But I just wanted to share with you guys what she did because I thought that was just so amazing."

Flaa said Hathway invited her to interview her for her next movie, which will be released in May. "I'm really looking forward to that, Anne," Flaa said. "And thank you so much for doing that."

The apology comes after Hathway confirmed that she will be reprising her role as Mia Thermopolis, the Princess of Genovia in the third installment of "The Princess Diaries."

The actress announced the news that "The Princess Diaries 3" was in the works in a video that she recently shared on Instagram. In the clip, Hathaway was seen sitting outside as she raised one finger and mouthed the word "one" before the video cut a scene from the first movie featuring Mia's famous line, "A princess? Shut up!" 

Hathaway appeared in the video once again as she raised a second finger while saying, "two." The clip then cut to Queen Clarisse Rinaldi (Julie Andrews) exclaiming, "Shut up!" in a scene from the second film. 

The video cut back to Hathaway as "The Princess Diaries" theme music swelled, and the actress raised a third finger and said "Shut up" with a wide smile before blowing the camera a kiss.

"Miracles happen," Hathaway wrote. 

She added that she was "back to Genovia," tagging the third film's director Adele Lim, Disney and the production company Somewhere Pictures.

"The fairy tale continues," Hathaway added.

 "She apologized for being – giving me an awful interview, basically. It was so touching to me."

— Kjersti Flaa 

Hathaway made her career breakthrough in the original 2000 film when she landed the role of Mia at the age of 18, and she returned for the 2004 sequel "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement."

The actress successfully transitioned to adult roles with acclaimed performances in the 2005 drama "Brokeback Mountain" and the 2006 comedy "The Devil Wears Prada." After playing a recovering drug addict in the 2008 drama "Rachel Getting Married," Hathaway received her first Academy Award nomination, earning a nod for best supporting actress. 

Hathaway's star continued to rise as she went on to star in a string of successful films, including 2008's "Get Smart," 2009's "Bride Wars" and the 2010 movies "Love & Other Drugs" and "Alice in Wonderland." 

However, the New York City native's career was nearly derailed by a disastrous co-hosting gig at the 2011 Oscars and the vitriolic "Hathahate" internet phenomenon, which erupted during the 2013 awards season.

Hathaway and James Franco were tapped as the co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards, but their performances at the February 2011 ceremony were labeled as disastrous by both critics and viewers.

CBS described the numerous skits by Hathaway and Franco as "uninspiring," while the Hollywood Reporter noted that the hosting duo were "spectacularly unwatchable."

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Hathaway, who sang, danced and underwent numerous costume changes, was given credit for making an effort but criticized for appearing hyper and overly animated. Franco bore the brunt of the negative reactions, as critics noted that the actor appeared distant and almost disinterested in the proceedings.

Both actors' reputations in Hollywood took a hit after the Oscars flop. In a 2012 interview with THR, Hathaway admitted that her performance may have come across as "slightly manic and hyper cheerleadery on screen."

"Whether or not it was an actual failure, it was perceived as a massive failure," she said.

During a 2011 interview on "The David Letterman Show," Franco shared his thoughts on why people thought he was "under the influence" while hosting the awards show.

"I love her, but Anne Hathaway is so energetic, I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway," the "Spring Breakers" star said.

Though the backlash to the Academy Awards hosting debacle was harsh, Hathaway would later face a tsunami of Internet hate after she received multiple awards nominations for her performance in the 2012 movie adaptation of the Broadway musical "Les Misérables."

Hathaway played Fantine, a young French mother and prostitute dying of tuberculosis. The actress threw herself into the role, losing 25 pounds over a short span of time and shaving her head. Hathaway also worked on her singing with vocal coaches and dove into research about the lives of prostitutes in 19th-century France.

The actress would later share that her commitment to the role took a toll on her mental and physical health and affected her during the tumultuous weeks of public appearances and interviews leading up to the 2013 Academy Awards.

The 2013 Oscars race kicked off with the Golden Globes Awards ceremony in January of that year, where Hathaway won for best supporting actress. Despite the triumph, Hathaway faced backlash over her acceptance speech, with social media critics slamming it as too rehearsed, overly emotional and lacking in authenticity.

"I damaged my health during ‘Les Mis,’ which I didn't want to mention in case it seemed like I was courting sympathy," Hathaway said during a 2014 interview with Harper's Bazaar.

Leading up to the Golden Globes, Hathaway recalled that she was ill with the flu, suffering from exhaustion and frustrated at what she perceived as disinterest in her character and the larger issue of sexual slavery.

While speaking with the outlet, Hathaway admitted that her Golden Globes acceptance speech was "weirdly presentational."

"One of the things I've been accused of is being inauthentic. And they were right – but not for the reason they thought."

The online vitriol toward Hathaway ramped up during another moment later in the ceremony after the actress' speech. 

When "Les Misérables" won for best musical or comedy, Hathaway took the microphone first to thank her manager Susan Bymel. Online haters interpreted Hathaway's actions as stealing the spotlight from the producers, who were the recipients of the award, as well as other members of the cast.

During her interview with Harper's Bazaar, Hathway explained that she had "fumbled through the end" of her own speech and had forgotten to thank Bymel, who had been her manager for 15 years and was battling cancer at the time. She described the oversight as "one of my most regretted life moments."

Hathway told the outlet that she asked the movie's producer, Eric Fellner, if she could say a few words after the movie won the category.

"While everyone was still getting onstage, I spoke," she recalled. "I should have gone after everyone else. I own that; it was rude. People saw that as grabby, I guess. I don't know."

Hathaway recalled that she Googled herself the next day while brainstorming ideas for a "Funny or Die" video with some friends when she spotted an article titled "Why does everyone hate Anne Hathaway?"

The actress told the outlet that she felt "punched in the gut."

"Shocked and slapped and embarrassed. Even now, I can feel the shame," she admitted. "I was in crisis."

"Now I'd be fine," Hathaway said. "I really would be. I'd let it roll off my back, but at the time I was still partly Fantine. I was still identifying with being a victim."

"People treated me a certain way," she said. "But I've grown from it. This whole thing has made me a way more compassionate and loving person. And I don't feel sorry for myself."

As awards season progressed, Hathaway continued to accumulate best supporting actress wins at the SAG Awards and the BAFTAs while her online critics also persisted bashing her speeches, appearance and overall demeanor. "Anne Hathaway annoying" became the actress' top Google search.

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When the night of the 2013 Academy Awards arrived in February, the Hathahate movement was in full force. Hathaway took home the Oscar for best supporting actress, but her acceptance speech was widely mocked online.

Hathaway began her speech with "It came true," a reference to Fantine's iconic "Les Misérables" song "I Dreamed A Dream." However, critics blasted the line as cringeworthy and Hathaway's delivery as overly rehearsed.

In a 2016 interview with the Guardian, Hathaway revealed that she was unhappy and "felt very uncomfortable" at the Academy Awards ceremony, which otherwise would have marked the crowning night of her career.

"I kind of lost my mind doing that movie and it hadn’t come back yet," she said. "Then I had to stand up in front of people and feel something I don’t feel, which is uncomplicated happiness."

"It’s an obvious thing, you win an Oscar and you’re supposed to be happy," Hathaway continued. "I didn’t feel that way. I felt wrong that I was standing there in a gown that cost more than some people are going to see in their lifetime and winning an award for portraying pain that still felt very much a part of our collective experience as human beings."

"I tried to pretend that I was happy and I got called out on it, big time. That’s the truth and that’s what happened. It sucks. But what you learn from it is that you only feel like you can die from embarrassment, you don’t actually die."

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Hathaway stepped back from the spotlight in 2013 apart from making a brief cameo in the romantic comedy "Don Jon" and voicing a role as a narrator in the documentary "Girl Rising."

In 2014, she appeared in the independent movie "Song One," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. While attending the festival, a reporter for The Huffington Post told Hathaway, "You were very much part of our lives in 2012, but we didn't see you much in 2013. I think people miss you."

"My impression is that people needed a break from me," Hathaway replied with a laugh.

Hathaway has shared that her retreat from the public eye wasn't entirely intentional. 

"A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online," she told Vanity Fair in a March 2024 interview.

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"I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles I’ve had in one of the best films that I’ve been a part of," she said, referencing the 2014 blockbuster, "Interstellar." 

The director and the actress had previously worked together when she played Catwoman in his 2012 superhero movie "The Dark Knight Rises."

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"I don’t know if he knew that he was backing me at the time, but it had that effect," she admitted. "And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn’t backed me."

"Humiliation is such a rough thing to go through," she added of the period. "The key is to not let it close you down. You have to stay bold, and it can be hard because you’re like, ‘If I stay safe, if I hug the middle, if I don’t draw too much attention to myself, it won’t hurt.’"

"But if you want to do that, don’t be an actor," Hathaway declared.

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"You’re a tightrope walker. You’re a daredevil. You’re asking people to invest their time and their money and their attention and their care into you. So you have to give them something worth all of those things. And if it’s not costing you anything, what are you really offering?"

After "Interstellar," Hathaway has continued to work steadily as an A-list actress while also raising her sons Jonathan, 8, and Jack, 4, whom she shares with her husband Adam Shulman. This year, she starred in the thriller "Mother's Instinct" and the romantic comedy "The Idea of You."

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While speaking with Vanity Fair, Hathaway reflected on the advice that she would give younger generations who are often subjected to online toxicity similar to her own experiences.

"I want to hug them, make them tea and tell them to live as long and as well as they can," she told the outlet. "That there is an excellent chance that the longer they live, the smaller this moment will feel. That I wish them a life a million times more fascinating than this terrible moment."

Fox News Digital's Caroline Thayer contributed to this report.