Anne Hathaway says she nearly walked away from A24’s “Mother Mary” after early footage left her convinced her performance was “really bad.” Despite months of dance training and vocal work, she later re-recorded singing with Jack Antonoff—and the film still str
Anne Hathaway didn’t just worry about a performance—she seriously considered leaving “Mother Mary” behind.
In a new interview with Elle. the Oscar winner opened up about the insecurity that followed her after watching early production footage of the psychological thriller. She plays the titular pop star, and her first reaction to what she saw was blunt. “This is really bad,” she said she thought at the time. “I don’t know that I can ask people to come to see this.”.
Hathaway even told her husband, Adam Shulman, that she planned to exit the movie. But her view shifted as the work continued. She explained that she eventually came to a different conclusion: “I came to the conclusion that there would be no shame if I was fired, but there would be if I quit.”
The turnaround wasn’t quick—or passive. Hathaway said she took up dance classes for months and continued working on her singing after production wrapped. After a year of work. she joined Jack Antonoff in the studio to re-record the singing portions of “Mother Mary.” She also recalled a moment of recognition from Antonoff: “He whipped his head at me goes. ‘You have been working.’”.
Still, the final result didn’t translate into ticket sales. After playing in 1,103 theaters this spring, “Mother Mary” grossed only $2.8 million worldwide. The film is directed and written by David Lowery, and it also stars Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, Sian Clifford and FKA Twigs, among others.
That box-office outcome came alongside a busy year for Hathaway. Her other spring release, “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” reunited her with Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt—and it brought in over $550 million worldwide at the box office.
Anne Hathaway Mother Mary A24 Elle interview Jack Antonoff psychological thriller box office The Devil Wears Prada 2 David Lowery FKA Twigs