Summary

• Anne Hathaway's successful career had a dark side, including being forced to kiss ten men for a role, which she found uncomfortable.
• Despite facing challenges like being publicly shamed and exploited by paparazzi, Hathaway continued to promote her work with courage.
• Hathaway's experiences shed light on the disturbing things actors endure in Hollywood.

Looking back at Anne Hathaway's career, it is clear that she has enjoyed an incredible amount of success. After all, Hathaway's history of headlining blockbuster movies has allowed her to afford an impressive real estate portfolio.

While Hathaway seems thankful for her career, which she thinks she owes to her unique nose, she also has revealed the dark side of Hollywood. One example of that is the time Hathaway revealed she had the "gross" experience of having to kiss ten men she didn't want to.

This article will reveal why Anne Hathaway had to kiss ten men for a role even though she thought that was gross. Then, the article will look at another disturbing moment from Hathaway's career that shows the disturbing side of fame.

Anne Hathaway's "Gross" Story About Having To Kiss Men Reveals The Disturbing Things Actors Have To Go Through

After the movie Princess Diaries made Anne Hathaway famous, it has mostly seemed like she has been on top of the world. As a result, it makes sense that many people would think that Hathaway has led a near-perfect life.

While there is no doubt that Hathaway is very fortunate, the truth is that she has been through a lot. After all, many observers seemed to think that Hathaway was so untouchable that they publicly shamed her during the so-called Hathahate movement.

If it wasn't bad enough that Hathaway has been treated awfully by observers at times, she has also had to deal with the dark side of Hollywood. For proof of that, all anyone has to do is look at a story Hathaway told about feeling forced to kiss ten men.

In April 2024, Anne Hathaway was interviewed by V Magazine for a profile of her life and career. After many years in Hollywood, Hathaway understood what it took to make it in Hollywood and shared some of her story.

One example of that is the fact that Hathaway revealed what actors sometimes go through during the casting process. As Hathaway explained, even after she was cast in a movie, she still felt forced to do things she thought were gross during the casting process.

As Hathaway explained to V Magazine's Derek Blasberg, actors were expected to make out with strangers during the 2000s.

Stars who've felt uncomfortable filming intimate and kissing scenes, according to The List

• Kate Winslet (Titanic)
• Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies)
• Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
• Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey)
• Marie Schneider (Tango in Paris)
• Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey)
• Jennifer Lawrence (Passengers)
• Jessica Brown Findlay (Albatross)
• Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City)
• Kristen Stewart (Twilight)
• Blake Lively (The Town)
• Justin Timberlake (Friends with Benefits)

According to Hathaway, actors would often be forced into that situation during the casting process. Not only that, actors who landed major roles were often asked to kiss many strangers in a day during the screen testing part of the process.

“Back in the 2000s—and this did happen to me—it was considered normal to ask an actor to make out with other actors to test for chemistry. Which is actually the worst way to do it.”

Hathaway then went on to talk about a specific time she was asked to kiss ten men, some of whom likely were strangers, in a single day. Not only was Hathaway asked to lock lips with lots of people, but some of her co-workers expected her to be excited to.

“I was told, ‘We have 10 guys coming today and you’re cast. Aren’t you excited to make out with all of them?’"

While talking to V Magazine, Hathaway didn't reveal if any of the ten men were famous. However, if they were, there is a decent chance other people would be excited about getting the chance to kiss them. As a result, it is easy to argue that it makes sense that someone might expect Hathaway to be excited.

When and where was Anne Hathaway born, according to Britannica?

However, there is a big difference between the chance to kiss one attractive person and feeling forced to kiss several people. With that in mind, it is easy to understand why Hathaway thought this part of the process sounded "gross".

"And I thought, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ because I wasn’t excited. I thought it sounded gross.”

Even though Hathaway felt uncomfortable with the idea of kissing several strangers, she still went through with it. The reason for that, as she explained to V Magazine, is Hathaway feared being labeled "difficult".

“I was so young and terribly aware how easy it was to lose everything by being labeled ‘difficult,’ so I just pretended I was excited and got on with it.”

On the bright side, Hathaway clarified that nobody involved was trying to mistreat her. Instead, Hathaway says people were ignorant of how she and other actors felt at that time. “It wasn’t a power play, no one was trying to be awful or hurt me. It was just a very different time and now we know better.”

Anne Hathaway Had To Cope With The Dark Side Of Fame

On top of Anne Hathaway's kissing story revealing what actors are put through, another situation she was forced into showed the dark side of fame in general. After all, the situation that Hathaway was put through in 2012, sadly, was the kind of thing that was done to many young female stars at the time.

When Hathaway attended a movie premiere for Les Misérables, she was photographed getting out of a limo. One paparazzo snapped a photo at a time and angle that showed up her gown and revealed part of Hathaway's body she didn't want to be exposed.

Instead of the person who took the photo doing the right thing and deleting that image, they sold it, and it was published within hours. To say that it was disgusting that happened to Hathaway is an understatement.

Despite that, what happened to Hathaway next also revealed how badly female stars get treated sometimes.

After the photo of Hathaway was published, she showed incredible courage by continuing to promote Les Misérables. One of the stops on that promotional tour resulted in Hathaway being interviewed by Matt Lauer.

Instead of Lauer empathizing with Hathaway and offering her support, she was treated with jokes and judgment. As the interview began, Lauer joked about the photo of Hathaway. “Seen a lot of you lately.” Lauer then asked Hathaway a question that implied she was the one at fault in the situation. "What’s the lesson learned from something like that?" To Hathaway's eternal credit, she stood up for herself in that incredibly difficult moment.

"It was obviously an unfortunate incident. I think it kind of made me sad on two accounts,” she said. “One was that I was very sad that we live in an age when someone takes a picture of another person in a vulnerable moment, and rather than delete it, and do the decent thing, sells it. And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies the sexuality of unwilling participants."

Six years after this unfortunate interview, Matt Lauer was fired from the “today show,” after damning sexual misconduct allegations with more victims coming forward and reporting multiple accounts of misconduct.