Anne Hathaway Reveals the “Gross” Process She Had To Go Through in the Name of “Chemistry”

Anne Hathaway recently revealed how castings were done in the 2000s and how she rolled with it because she was afraid to be labeled as “difficult.” Here’s what the actress had to say.

In an interview with a magazine, Hathaway candidly shared that the producers required her to kiss a succession of people auditioning to star opposite her to find “the one.” 

Although she didn’t mention which project, she revealed that back then, “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.”  

The Oscar-winning actress revealed that the producers said, “‘We have ten 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,” she clarified.

To illustrate how things have changed, the actress-cum-producer spoke of the new way they approach chemistry testings now.

For her most recent project, a feel-good romantic comedy that explores a relationship with a significant age gap, “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,” the Interstellar actor revealed.

She also shed light on how they finalized her co-star, Nicholas Galitzine (29), because of the song he chose by the rock band Alabama Shakes. 

“I heard Brittany’s voice, and I just started smiling,” said Hathaway. 

“He saw me smile, so he relaxed, and we just started dancing. Nobody was showing off. Nobody was trying to get the gig. We were just in a space dancing,” she added. “I looked over, and Michael Showalter, our director, was beaming.” 

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old actor, who starred in The Red, White & Royal Blue, recounted his experience of the “intimidating” chemistry read.

“Someone came up with this idea that the actors doing this chemistry test should bring a song that they wanted to use essentially to convince Soléne to get up and dance with him. And again, [for] someone like me, who is not a dancer, this was incredibly intimidating,” he said.

Galitzine added, “But there was something almost spiritual that kind of happened there where I felt this immediate connection to Annie, and we had a simpatico and a shared sense of humor, and it was just very easy.”

The Idea of You is a story about a single mother fully embracing her sexuality at a time in her life when a woman’s life is traditionally considered erased. It is set to premiere on May 2nd on Prime Video.