|
|
A Lady In Waiting
submitted by: Lisa D.
source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Date: July 30, 2001
They're calling 'Princess Diaries' star 'next Julia Roberts,' but she just wants to be Anne Hathaway'
By SEAN DALY Special to the Journal Sentinel
Los Angeles -- "I'm having a great day!" Anne Hathaway announces as she lights up the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel with a dazzling "I'm so lucky" smile.
Indeed, the 18-year-old Vassar College freshman has a lot to be excited about these days, including her leading role in the new Disney comedy, "The Princess Diaries." But on the inside, she must be feeling the pressure.
"Since people have seen the film, a lot of them have said, 'You really remind us of Julia Roberts,' " says, Hathaway, a brown-eyed Brooklyn native who until recently was recognizable only to loyal fans of the short- lived Fox TV series, "Get Real." Now, comparisons to Hollywood's biggest star have left her blushing and almost speechless.
"I'm sure (director) Garry Marshall didn't intentionally shoot me to look like Julia," she says. "But I suppose if you're going to be compared to someone, who better to be compared to! I only hope one day I can be as good as her."
Marshall, who played a key role in Roberts' success by casting her in the 1990 classic "Pretty Woman," described the 5-foot-8 Hathaway last October as "a combination of Roberts, Audrey Hepburn and Judy Garland."
It's a compliment Hathaway modestly says she is "entirely unworthy of."
"To be considered among them is completely overwhelming," she says during her first interview of the morning. "I certainly don't feel I deserve it yet. I think I have a lot more to prove."
But that's not to say Hathaway is any show-business rookie. The daughter of a successful stage actress (her mom, Kate Hathaway, toured with "Les Miserables" before retiring to raise a family), she was the first and only teenager admitted to the acting program at the award-winning Barrow Group in New York.
Then, less than a week before landing the role on "Get Real," Hathaway traveled from her family's home in northern New Jersey to New York City, where she performed in two concerts at Carnegie Hall as part of the All Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus.
A case of deja vu
Eventually, the Brooklyn native was hand-picked by Marshall for "The Princess Diaries." She makes her big-screen debut as Mia Thermopolis, a shy San Francisco teenager whose life is transformed by the news that she is actually the Princess of Genovia, a tiny European province.
"In a role like this, you cast somebody who you think can become a star," says Marshall.
He admits that because of his involvement in both films, there's a tendency for people to label "The Princess Diaries" as merely "a teenage version of 'Pretty Woman.' " But he is quick to retort, "Where was there a hooker? I didn't see any money exchanged."
Nevertheless, similarities between the films are difficult to overlook.
Both tell stories of a young woman who is reinvented as a more glamorous version of her former self. And Marshall does reveal that for one scene in " Princess," he hired the same actor who played a waiter in "Pretty Woman" to reprise his role and deliver the same line to Hathaway that he did to Roberts: "It happens all the time."
But the greatest parallel is the unusual physical resemblance between Hathaway and a slightly younger Roberts. Could this be the result of some secret Hollywood DNA experiment? Probably not. Still, Marshall admits that Hathaway's warm and familiar look immediately caught his eye.
"This kid just has it," he says with enthusiasm. "She's a pretty girl. She's got great eyes and a good smile, just like Julia. She won the genetic lottery, I guess."
Living up to the hype
Being mentioned in the same breath as one of the world's biggest female movie stars can be a double- edged sword, says Jann Carl, co-host of the syndicated program "Entertainment Tonight."
"The comparisons will certainly cause people in the business to take a look at Anne and her work," Carl says. "Getting noticed and standing out is half the battle. But the downside would be falling short of those expectations."
Carl, who has covered Hollywood for more than a decade, knows it won't be easy for Hathaway -- or anyone else -- to achieve the level of stardom that Roberts enjoys.
"Julia has the quality of making everyone in the room feel good," Carl says. "Everyone feels important when Julia's around, and more often than not she will make you laugh and forget any troubles of the day. She is able to transfer those wonderful traits to the big screen, which makes every guy want to date her and every girl want her as a best friend."
Keeping her options open
So far Hathaway seems largely unaffected by the pressures of Hollywood -- perhaps because she spends much of her time attending college in upstate New York.
"If something of the caliber of 'Princess' comes along again, I will probably hold off school for a while," she says. "But if it doesn't, I am totally fine expanding my mind. I'm going to be an English major with a (minor) in women's studies. I'm really looking forward to going back and doing that."
Hathaway, who says she would like to be an English professor or a psychologist if the whole acting thing doesn't pan out, always has been a good student.
She made dean's list her first semester at Vassar and graduated with highest honors from her high school in New Jersey. But Hathaway's high school years presented a different set of challenges, she remembers.
"I had an awkward phase that lasted for years. I was a 15-year-old who was 5-foot-8 and looked like I was 12."
Hathaway says she drew from that experience in developing the character of Mia.
"I think we all have geeky sides to ourselves, and we can all be elegant and popular," she says. "We all have it within ourselves to be whatever we want to be."
Unlike her on-screen persona, Hathaway developed an interest in clothing and makeup at an early age.
"I used to play dress-up all the time," she recalls, laughing. "I would always get into my mom's makeup and put on her lipstick, which is very interesting when you're three. But I don't really wear it much anymore."
In fact, today Hathaway is the picture of casual, dressed in jeans and a purple sleeveless top, with only a hint of cosmetic touch-ups.
"With Anne, it's not about the hair and make up all the time," says co-star Hector Elizondo. "It's about the work. Of course, it helps that she has a smile that lights up the screen."
And apparently a great set of pipes to boot, according to legendary singer Julie Andrews, who played Mia's grandmother, Queen Clarisse Rinaldi.
During a break in filming, the "Sound of Music" star snuck up on Hathaway, who was singing a song to herself.
"When I finished, she said, 'Annie, you have such a beautiful voice,' " the young actress recalls, blushing. "To hear that from Julie Andrews, who has been one of my heroes since I was three years old, was one of the defining moments of my life."
"She does have a great voice," Andrews confirms. "She could even do a musical."
As it turns out, singing on Broadway has been a lifelong goal for Hathaway, although she admits, "I need to define my craft more before I can tackle that."
But heck, that's something Julia Roberts hasn't done yet, either.
ANNE HATHAWAY
Age: 18
Education: Vassar College (just completed her freshman year), Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Signature role: "The Princess Diaries" (2001), as Mia Thermopolis, shy San Francisco teen transformed into real-life princess.
Little-seen role: "Get Real" (TV, 1999) as Meghan Green, a brainy teenager with a secret wild side.
Thanks, but no thanks: Turned down a three-picture deal with Miramax because she did not like the first script they showed her.
Garry Marshall says: "They showed me a clip of her (from 'Get Real'). She was crying the whole show. It was somebody in the show that convinced me she was funny."
Site design by: Dolphin Webpage Designs © 1996-2001