Yes, you read that correctly
We imagine that for any actor, being awarded an Oscar is a momentous occasion. A very public sign of acceptance in the often fickle world of acting. The ultimate accolade for any thespian worth their salt.
However, this was not the case for Anne Hathaway, who won an Oscar in 2013, for her portrayal of Fantine in the 2012 adaptation of Les Misérables, also starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.
The actress, was awarded ‘best performance by an actress in a supporting role’ for her role playing the tragic figure of Fantine, a central character in both the novel and the film adaptation, who sells her hair, teeth and finally her body in order to provide for her daughter. A role that, understandably, would take its toll on any actor.
Speaking about the Oscar-winning part, the actress candidly explained just how intense her role really was (she famously shaved her head to play Fantine and was on brink of exhaustion after completing filming), and should go some way to silence her detractors who critiqued her acceptance speech, lambasting her for ‘feigning humility’:
‘I felt very uncomfortable,’ she told the The Guardian. ‘I kind of lost my mind doing that movie and it hadn’t come back yet. Then I had to stand up in front of people and feel something I don’t feel which is uncomplicated happiness.
‘I felt wrong that I was standing there in a gown that cost more than some people are going to see in their lifetime, and winning an award for portraying pain that still felt very much a part of our collective experience as human beings,’ the actress, who stars in the upcoming Sci-Fi film Colossal, continued.
‘I tried to pretend that I was happy and I got called out on it, big time,’ she remembers. ‘That’s the truth and that’s what happened. It sucks. But what you learn from it is that you only feel like you can die from embarrassment, you don’t actually die.’
Words to live by.
