Anne Hathaway's Transformation From The Original Devil Wears Prada To The Sequel

In the 2001 live-action Disney comedy "The Princess Diaries," silver screen legend Julie Andrews starred opposite a then-unknown actor named Anne Hathaway. It did not take long for the young up-and-comer, who was still a teenager when she shared scenes with the "Mary Poppins" icon, to establish herself as a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. She went on to appear in hits like "The Dark Knight Rises," "Interstellar," and "Les Misérables." And, of course, in 2006, Hathaway starred in the beloved fashion hit "The Devil Wears Prada" alongside fellow acting titans Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci.

The film firmly established her as a bona fide leading lady and was a critical and commercial knockout, spawning the long-awaited 2026 sequel. Since the first movie hit theaters, Anne Hathaway has undergone a stunning transformation and has steadily established herself as one of Hollywood's most endearing stars.

From winning an Academy Award for her role as Fantine in "Les Misérables" in 2013 to tying the knot and becoming a mother, Hathaway has experienced countless personal and professional triumphs since starring in "The Devil Wears Prada." Hathaway's career has been going strong since the 2000s and it seems as though it certainly won't be slowing down any time soon. 

Following "The Devil Wears Prada," Anne Hathaway teamed up with director Jonathan Demme to star in the 2008 drama "Rachel Getting Married." In the film, Hathaway played Kym Buchman, a woman struggling with addiction who returns home from rehab for her sister's upcoming wedding. It landed on numerous "Best Film of 2008" lists and Hathaway's dark and raw portrayal attracted rave reviews from critics, with many deeming it her finest yet. She received her first Oscar nomination as well as a Golden Globe nod, and she won the Critics' Choice Award for best actress. 

From the moment she read the screenplay, Hathaway was drawn to the project. When filming, she only felt herself grow as a performer. "Before, I felt so vulnerable that I kept myself almost hermetically sealed. I wanted to be absolutely together and professional and in control," she told The Telegraph in 2009. "I had been trying to play the idea of what an actor was, as opposed to actually being myself. There was definitely a change in me that Jonathan inspired." Hathaway's take on the complex character further showcased her range and proved that she's not one to back down from a challenge.

Prior to her sensational work on the silver screen, Anne Hathaway appeared in multiple stage productions. In 2009, she made her epic return to the theater when she played Viola in the Shakespeare classic "Twelfth Night." The Off-Broadway production also featured Raúl Esparza, Audra McDonald, and Hamish Linklater, and audiences were blown away by Hathaway's performance.

"On screen or onstage Ms. Hathaway possesses the unmistakable glow of a natural star, but she dives smoothly and with obvious pleasure into the embrace of a cohesive ensemble cast," The New York Times praised in a review. Hathaway's theater background includes attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts while also becoming the only teenager to be accepted into the Barrow Group Theater Company's acting program.

Hathaway, who earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for outstanding actress in a play, was thrilled to be treading the boards again. "The theater has a different rhythm," she told The New York Times (via Acting Magazine). "It's alive, and it requires you to live in the moment. It helps me in my film work because I don't approach characters with preconceived notions. I let the character breathe."

2012 proved to be a pivotal year in Anne Hathaway's thriving acting career, as she starred in two acclaimed films: "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Les Misérables." For the Christopher Nolan blockbuster, Hathaway took on the iconic role of the femme fatale Catwoman/ Selina Kyle, who becomes an adversary-turned-ally to Christian Bale's Batman. 

Hathaway called the role her most physically demanding yet, and she trained in the martial arts to capture the character's graceful movements. "I saw it less as a challenge and more as an opportunity to go to a place I had never been required to go before," she told The Daily Actor at the time. "Coming into this role, I knew it was going to be some of the most exciting work I'd ever done and I was going to have the time of my life, but my expectations were far exceeded." The film grossed nearly $1.1 billion worldwide and Hathaway won the Saturn Award for best supporting actress.

The superhero flick also helped kick off Hathaway's professional relationship with Nolan. She would go on to collaborate with the director in the 2014 sci-fi movie "Interstellar" and again in the 2026 epic "The Odyssey."

Anne Hathaway tied the knot with her longtime love Adam Shulman on September 29, 2012 in a traditional Jewish ceremony, the leading lady wearing a custom Valentino gown for her nuptials. Hathaway gushed about her romance with Shulman, describing how much he changed her life when they began their relationship in 2008.

"He changed my ability to be in the world comfortably," she told Elle in 2017. "I think the accepted narrative now is that we, as women, don't need anybody. But I need my husband. His unique and specific love has changed me." Before marrying Shulman, Hathaway was in a relationship with Raffaello Follieri, an Italian real estate developer. He was arrested on fraud charges and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison in 2008. The couple broke up prior to his incarceration.

Hathaway offered a quick comment about Follieri's arrest when she hosted "Saturday Night Live" in October 2008 — in the thick of the scandal. In her opening monologue, she quipped, "I broke up with my boyfriend, and two weeks later he was sent to prison for fraud. I mean, we've all been there, right, ladies?"

In 2012, Anne Hathaway appeared as Fantine in the screen adaptation of the classic musical "Les Misérables." To prepare for the demanding role, she consumed less than 500 calories a day and dropped 25 pounds to embody the tuberculosis-plagued sex worker. Hathaway also underwent a drastic hair transformation for the film, chopping off her real hair in the pivotal scene where her character sings "I Dreamed a Dream."

Hathaway's show-stopping rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" highlighted her phenomenal vocal skills, and the song even charted on the Billboard Hot 100. She went on to win both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for best supporting actress, but the road to victory wasn't easy. She openly discussed the intense effect the role had on her even after production.

"I cry, but I think it's because I'm still connected to the experience of making it, the process," she said of watching her scenes during a press junket appearance via Vanity Fair. "[Fantine]'s so broken that I actually have to protect myself a little bit. So when I saw it, I did cry, but not because of what I was doing [on-screen]. It was because I was back in the process of making it." 

Despite serving up a powerhouse performance in "Les Misérables," Anne Hathaway was subjected to intense media scrutiny both during and following her impressive Oscar win in 2013. An online hate campaign was waged against the movie star for a myriad of outrageous reasons, including but not limited to the assertion that she tried too hard. The public's opinion ultimately turned against her and soured what should have been a joyful moment for Hathaway.

Some could argue that the blowback was simply because she was staying busy and dominating Hollywood during the time. She had infamously hosted the Oscars with James Franco in 2011, starred in the blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises," and won an Academy Award for "Les Misérables," and many criticized Hathaway for her mannerisms following her win, the media dubbed the cruel campaign "Hathahate." As a result, the wave of unwarranted venom nearly derailed her career.

"A lot of people wouldn't give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online," she revealed to Vanity Fair in 2024, saying her role in the 2014 sci-fi hit "Interstellar" proved to be crucial for her career. "I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles I've had in one of the best films that I've been a part of." 

Never one to shy from away taking a big creative swing, Anne Hathaway served up a side-splitting performance when she appeared in a 2015 episode of the reality competition series "Lip Sync Battle." Hathaway memorably reunited with her "The Devil Wears Prada" co-star Emily Blunt to compete in a sing-off, for which she performed Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" while Blunt opted for Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart."

Fans were delighted to see longtime friends Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt join forces once again, as the two maintained a close relationship since starring in the 2006 film. In 2023, the two teamed up for Variety's "Actor's On Actors" and spoke candidly about their bond. Blunt sang her pal's praises and commended Hathaway for her kindness while shooting the fashion hit, which also served as her own breakthrough role. "I was so green coming into that situation," Blunt said. "And you were like the warmest embrace. Even though you were a colossal movie star at that time, you treated me like a complete equal. You are one of the people I've known longest. We've known each other for 18 years." 

Hathaway ended up winning the "Battle" episode thanks to her uninhibited performance, wearing a white tank top and matching briefs — à la Cyrus in the music video — while hilariously swinging around on a wrecking ball. 

After delivering a purr-fect version of Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises," Anne Hathaway continued to team up with director Christopher Nolan, starring in his 2014 sci-fi spectacle "Interstellar" opposite Matthew McConaughey. The project came when Hathaway was struggling to escape the online hate unfairly waged against her, and both her performance and the film was a critical and commercial hit.

She subsequently was cast as Penelope in his 2026 epic fantasy "The Odyssey," which features a star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, and Zendaya. Hathaway has expressed her gratitude for Nolan and appreciation for him both personally and professionally. "I have so many feelings about it that I don't even know how to articulate," she said to Women's Wear Daily in 2024 of collaborating with Nolan and his wife/producer Emma..

"It fills me with so much joy ... I love Chris and Emma Nolan so much, and to be invited into their world [is] one of the best places you can find yourself," Hathaway said. "Getting to be invited twice really felt like something, three felt like it would've been greedy, so I never let myself hope that that would happen, and that it has makes me emotional, to be perfectly honest. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right." 

Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman welcomed their sons Jonathan in 2016 and Jack in 2019. She has been candid about her journey to motherhood, revealing that she suffered a miscarriage in 2015 while starring in the play "Grounded." In the show, Hathaway's character goes into labor, which was a lot to take on at that point in her life. "It was too much to keep it in when I was onstage pretending everything was fine," she told Vanity Fair in 2024. Rather than suffer in silence, Hathaway turned to the support of her close friends during that time. 

Since becoming a mom, Anne Hathaway has offered some details about her relationship with her two kids, though she's made a concerted effort to keep them separate from her Hollywood world. "It's something I feel is not just essential for my health — I'm on a team, it's my family, and it's not just about me," she shared with Net-A-Porter in 2023. "My family has needs, and one of the needs of children is that they need to be able to define their own lives. It doesn't even occur to me to link the two up, except through gratitude that they serve each other so beautifully." 

Following a two-year break from Hollywood, Anne Hathaway returned to the big screen when she appeared in the female-driven caper "Ocean's 8," the fourth installment in the smash hit "Ocean's" franchise. The large ensemble included some of the industry's finest performers like Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Helena Bonham Carter. In the film, Hathaway portrayed a famous, self-absorbed actor.

She has discussed how affirming it was to be surrounded by powerful women on set and how she used her character Daphne to respond to her haters. "I feel like Daphne is my shadow self," the Oscar-winner said to Entertainment Weekly in 2018. "The level of ego-stroking and ego-inflating that can occur is so ridiculous. It was so much fun to poke fun at that." Hathaway cleverly had her character represent an extreme caricature of how the media had viewed her during the "Hathahate" period.

The heist movie went on to garner praise from audiences for its lively performances and empowering female-led cast, and Hathaway earned a nomination for female movie star at the People's Choice Awards. ABC Online raved about her scene-stealing role as the vain Daphne: "She's the only successful meld of comedy and pathos—a victim of the celebrity treadmill who is also capable of outsmarting it."

Anne Hathaway has frequently used her platform to raise awareness and advocate for change, the actor openly supporting numerous causes like gun control, LGBTQ rights, and abortion rights throughout her career. She has repeatedly taken to social media to speak out against racism, bullying, and racially motivated attacks, discussing the ramifications of white privilege through online posts.

Hathaway has also made donations to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and addressed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, providing her support for Ukrainians and president Volodymyr Zelensky while at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2023. "I want to express my gratitude to the film festival for including a hero of our times and for giving us all the opportunity to amplify the message of Ukraine, which is the almost universal desire for peace," she said at the festival, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Zelensky also spoke via video at the opening ceremony.

She serves as a member of the board for the Lollipop Theatre Network, a non-profit organization founded in 2001 that helps bring entertainment and new film releases to pediatric patients with life-threatening and chronic illnesses. In 2018, Hathaway was one of 300 women in the entertainment industry who teamed up to launch the Time's Up movement.

While there's no denying she can go above and beyond with a dramatic role, Anne Hathaway also delivers gold when presented with lighter fare. In 2024, she starred opposite Nicholas Galitzine in the romantic comedy "The Idea of You," an adaptation of the Robinne Lee novel. Hathaway's endearing performance and chemistry with Galitzine was praised, as was the refreshing switch-up of a woman falling in love with a younger man.

Hathaway also served as a producer for the rom-com, which chronicles Solène Marchand's sexual awakening at 40; the actor herself turned 40 during filming and deeply connected to the character and its message. "It was a great part and a fun premise and for some reason, we talk about coming-of-age stories as being something that happens to [the] earliest part of your life," she told the crowd at a screening of the film, as per Teen Vogue. "And I don't know about you but I feel like I keep blooming." 

Hathaway had previously returned to the rom-com world when she starred in 2009's "Bride Wars" alongside Kate Hudson and in 2010's "Valentine's Day." That said, she took a decades-long break from the genre before making her triumphant return in "The Idea of You." 

Anne Hathaway gave audiences exactly what they'd been dreaming of after 20 years, as she reunited with Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci for the highly-anticipated "The Devil Wears Prada 2" in 2026. The original film was a hit with audiences and became Anne Hathaway's breakout role in Hollywood, and after years of speculation and hoping (by both the cast members and fans), the sequel landed in theaters on May 1, 2026.

In the followup, Hathaway once again played Andy Sachs and proved that audiences were yearning for a heaping dose of nostalgia. "The Devil Wears Prada 2" grossed a whopping $76.7 million in the U.S. at the box office on its opening weekend. As if that exciting sequel wasn't enough, Hathaway has also updated fans on the third installment in "The Princess Diaries" series, announcing her official return in a 2024 Instagram post. 

"The intention is to make 'Princess Diaries' hopefully next," she told Entertainment Weekly in 2026. "If I learned anything from ['The Devil Wears Prada 2'], it's that expectations are very, very high. And if you're going to do it, you have to knock it out of the park."