Anne Hathaway And Nancy Meyers On Why Women 'Having It All' Is An Outdated Myth

Anne Hathaway and director Nancy Meyers talk about women juggling it all for their new movie, The Intern

Anne Hathaway finds it kind of ridiculous to ask if women in 2015 are able to balance a successful career with a happy home life and a fulfilling social calendar.

‘I think it’s an old fashioned question. People can have what they want, what’s available to them, what they’re willing to work for,’ she tells Marie Claire exclusively.

In her new film, The Intern, the Oscar winner plays Jules Ostin – the founder and CEO of a start-up fashion company who inadvertently hires 70-year-old Ben (played by the legendary Robert DeNiro) as her intern.

As you would expect from a Nancy Meyers movie, a heart-warming relationship ensues as the movie deals with some pretty pertinent issues that affect women every day – namely the notion of women in the 21st century being able to “have it all”:

‘I think that the idea that there is one perfect way of having it all or that there’s one person who is doing it better than everyone else – I don’t think that’s helping anybody,’ explains Anne.

‘The more we can make it personal and be really clear – “What is my everything and what do I need to do to accomplish that?” – and how can I support the other women that I see struggling so that they can accomplish that too. And I’m not just talking about women; I’m talking about men having that conversation too. The more we can get to that, I think the better off we’ll all be.’

Nancy, whose 30-year directing career includes creating classics like Father of the Bride and The Holiday, outright rejects the concept that so often sees women feeling torn between their family and their career:

'What does "having it all" mean? Does it mean perfect? Certainly in my movies I never show that you can have everything perfectly right but I’m optimistic always. The struggles will always be there, that’s life. Life is not tied up with a ribbon.

‘Do I think don’t try to have a career because you have children? No. [Jules] tried to create something that works for her, I did what works for me and that’s what every woman has to do. You have to do what works for your family and if that’s being a stay at home mum, that’s the right thing.’

‘Can women have it all?’ Anne shrugs, ‘Come on, it’s such a ridiculous question. It’s 2015!’

Watch our chat with Anne, Nancy and Robert here:

Used in articles

The Intern is in cinemas nationwide now