As Anne Hathaway gears up for the release of her latest film, The Idea of You, she’s been reflecting on how the movie industry has changed since she was a young actress — and that includes chemistry tests.
“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,” Hathaway recounted in an interview with V Magazine published on Monday, April 22. “Which is actually the worst way to do it.”
In the early 2000s, Hathaway starred in movies like The Princess Diaries and its subsequent sequels, Ella Enchanted and The Devil Wears Prada, among others.
She continued, “I was told, ‘We have 10 guys coming today and you’re cast. Aren’t you excited to make out with all of them?’ And I thought, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ because I wasn’t excited. I thought it sounded gross. And 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. 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.”
Hathaway serves as a producer on The Idea of You and stars as Solène Marchand, a single mother who falls in love with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), a singer from a mega-famous boyband called August Moon.
“It is this story about a single mother fully embracing her sexuality at a time in her life and a woman’s life where, traditionally, we begin to be erased,” Hathaway told V.
Galitzine, 29, is one of Hollywood’s most talked-about new stars thanks to his breakout roles in films such as 2023’s Red, White and Royal Blue and Bottoms. According to Hathaway, she knew he was perfect for the role of Hayes when he walked into his audition.
“We had met a number of young men already, but I remember laughing when Nick walked in because he was so ridiculously perfect for the part. I just thought, ‘He is it,’” she recalled. Not only did he have the charisma of a One Direction member, but he checked all of Hathaway’s boxes for the role.
“Is he gonna be able to read the lines? Read the lines, great. Okay, can you sing? Oh, my God, he can sing,” she said. “Wait and he can play the guitar? OK, and he’s just fun to be around. He’s just charming. Like, he’s just charmed this entire room.”
When it came to the chemistry tests between Hathaway and her leading man, the producers decided to do things a little differently.
“We asked each of the actors coming in to choose a song that they felt their character would love, that they would put on to get my character to dance, and then we’d do a short little improv,” she explained. “I was sitting in a chair like we had come in from dinner or a walk or something, we pressed play, and we just started dancing together.”
She concluded, “Nobody was showing off. Nobody was trying to get the gig. We were just in a space dancing. I looked over and Michael Showalter, our director, was beaming. Spark!”
The Idea of You will start streaming on Prime Video on Thursday, May 2.
