If you want to break into acting, you could always try what Anne Hathaway did. She fell off a stool during her audition for The Princess Diaries. Director Gary Marshall was so impressed with her klutzy behaviour she got the part. It also didnt hurt that Marshalls kids thought Hathaway had nice hair. Luckily for her, the family friendly film did well at the box office and she was given another opportunity to prove she was more than un-coordinated, and well groomed. Roles in Ella Enchanted and Princess Diaries 2 soon followed but the novelty of wearing a tiara everyday was wearing thin. Hathaway decided it was time to distance herself from G Rated family fare. In 2005 she appeared topless in Havoc, and had a rather steamy sex scene. She followed that up with THE film of last year; the multi Academy Award winning Brokeback Mountain. Now that shes proved she really can act, Hathaway returns to what she knows best, comedy. In The Devil Wears Prada, she stars as Andy, a recent journalism graduate who unfortunately ends up working as an assistant for Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep)the demanding, ruthless editor of top fashion magazine Runway.
Hathaway was at the recent Venice International Film Festival where Gaynor Flynn caught up with the busy young actress.
Gaynor Flynn In the film, your character Andy doesnt know anything about fashion, what about you?
Anne Hathaway: I do like fashion a lot. I like it onother people but fashion for me means whats cleanthat day so I do the best I can.
Gaynor Flynn: Did you relate to Andys struggle tosucceed?
Anne Hathaway: Oh yeah absolutely. I love my job andI love trying to find a way to marry art and commerceand I think thats very similar to the struggle thatAndy has and theres really no preparation that anyonecan tell you. Everyone reaches success at differentages everyone has different climbs. Ive already hadswings and Im only 23 and thats very rare to havehad quite a few highs and lows so early on and I thinkultimately all you can do hope that you live withoutregret. And what keeps you from regretting thesacrifices, is making sure that you love the job so Ithink I have that in common with Andy. So now when Ihave to make choices that involve sacrifices I want tomake sure that I really believe in them and I thinkonce Andy realised what was required for her tosucceed quickly she chose to step back. And I thinkthat Ive done that myself. I didnt try to go off andjust have a career by wearing a tiara for 30 years. Idecided to step back and decide what was going to makeme happy. What was going to make me a better actor.
Gaynor Flynn: How did you get into the headspace ofthe character?
Anne Hathaway: Well something that always helps me isthe shoes because once you get their shoes you canfigure out how they walk. But it was really helpfulto have the costumes tell the story visually and thatwas just wonderful because then you can just trust thewhole package. You can trust the way theyre shootingand supporting the genesis of the character as well asthe look of it visually with the clothes.
Gaynor Flynn: What was the main challenge in thispart?
Anne Hathaway: Working with Meryl Streep and notgiggling through every scene because I couldntbelieve what I was doing. The audacity of me workingwith Meryl Streep and I think getting comfortableenough to get over the fact that I felt so beneath herlevel as an actress. Realising how much experienceshe has over me and there was just this moment when Iwas freaking out going how am I going to do it? Andone of my favourite actresses is Uma Thurman and I sawPrime and I thought it was a really charming movie andas a New Yorker I really got it. I think Uma Thurmanis one of the most beautiful, brilliant adorablewatchable actresses out there and yet when she had ascene with Meryl I didnt care, she could have beenanybody. I was on Meryl and I realised thats thepower of her. And I realised you know what, theyrenot even going to watch me (laughs) when Im doingscenes with her. So I calmed down quite a bit afterthat.
Gaynor Flynn: In the film, much is made of yourcharacters weight. Are you under a lot of pressure tolose weight?
Anne Hathaway: Honestly I suppose theres pressure butI really dont care. If I lose or gain weight its fora character its not really for me and Ive done it.Like once I dropped 15 pounds for a character and forthis one I dropped 5 pounds, and you kind of do whatsrequired. I think people take it a little bit tooseriously and I think a lot of actresses put thepressure on themselves and I think one of the reasonwe put that pressure on ourselves is that were askedthat question in every interview.
Gaynor Flynn: What do you think the difference isbetween Andy Sachs and Jane Austen your upcoming role?
Anne Hathaway: Well the societies in which theylived. Its impossible to compare the charactersbecause theyre just two different characters but thefact that Andy said to her parents that she wanted tobe a writer and they said great heres money to go offto do that. And Jane Austen said she wanted to be awriter and her parents said go find a husband. That Isuppose is the huge difference between the two ofthem.
Gaynor Flynn: Youre main fan base at the moment isteenage girls. Do you think that girls who go see thismovie might come out and think oh I have to have thoseclothes and shoes and buy into that whole message?
Anne Hathaway: I really dont know I think its up tothem. I think that certain ones will get the wholepackage and certain ones wont and theres nothingthat I can do about that. Somebody asked me earlieron if I was worried about girls who starve themselvesto fit into size 2 jeans or that there are girls outthere who are going without food to buy these fashionitems and I was just like okay they should probablydirect their gaze outwards and get happy withthemselves and then if theyre fortunate enoughtheyll get the handbag as well. You know I thinktheres nothing wrong with wanting nice things, andwanting designer labels but I think you have tomaintain a healthy respect for the fact that theyrenot the be all and end all of life so I just hopeparents raise their kinds right because then the kidswill automatically know that.
Gaynor Flynn: Whats your favourite fashion item?
Anne Hathaway: Shoes are it for me. Im not reallymuch of a jewellery girl. Im very simple.
Gaynor Flynn: Any particular designer in shoes?
Anne Hathaway: Its funny with clothes designer Iwill always love Channel. Anything Channel makes, Ithink is absolutely brilliant. Im irrational when itcomes to Channel. Ill look at a dress and I wontlike it and then Ill hear its Channel and I do likeit and its the only designer I can say Ive been likethat with. Im just in love with it. But with shoesits different. A designer can have 12 completelydifferent pairs of shoes within a season so you reallyjust need to go by the individual shoe but I do loveMarc Jacobs for shoes a lot.
Gaynor Flynn: Was it your influence who got Channelto come on board in the film?
Anne Hathaway: Well when I told Pat (costume designerPatricia Field from Sex and the City) that I lovedChannel and Ive had a really good relationship withthem for a few years, Pat called them and they werereally chuffed to be a part of the film and be used somuch.
Gaynor Flynn: After working with Pat on the film didyour personal style change, how much influence didbeing in a film about fashion have on you?
Anne Hathaway: Well it definitely made one of my NewYears resolutions be to try harder. Pat taught me howto make fashion accessible for me because it wasalways something that I viewed with a certain sense oftrepidation and almost with a sense of insecurity. Like Id think, oh I cant really do that or wear thator Ill never be able to pull that off and what shemade me realise and so many women have said it beforebut I never really got it before, you have to be theone to wear the dress. And she said if youre notgoing to be the one to wear the dress then take offthe dress. It doesnt matter how beautiful it is findsomething that youre going to be in control of andthen make it work for you and so she taught me how tomake fashion work for me as opposed to the other wayaround.
Gaynor Flynn: Did you get to keep any clothes?
Anne Hathaway: We actually auctioned off the clothesfor charity.
Gaynor Flynn: Did you keep anything?
Anne Hathaway: I got one shirt, a Marc Jacobs topwhich is amazing and I wear all the time and Iactually bought one of the coats from the auction.
Gaynor Flynn: Which one?
Anne Hathaway: The vintage green one with the leopard cuffs andnormally I would never wear fur but oh Jesus who caresits gorgeous.
Gaynor Flynn: Who designed that one?
Anne Hathaway: It was vintage.
Gaynor Flynn: How much did you pay for the coat atauction?
Anne Hathaway: Im going to keep that one to myself.Its really honestly unconscionable so Im not goingto mention it.
Gaynor Flynn: What are you wearing today?
Anne Hathaway: Im wearing a lovely pair of vintageChannel pants that I just had for years and years thatthey gave to me oh my god and Im wearing a Temperleyjacket that I dont think they will give to me. Thats the kind of the thing when youre an actressyou can never really fall in love with an outfitbecause if you do youll have to buy it and god whocan afford that? So its really cool when you really,really, really fall in love with something and theysay oh just keep it.
Gaynor Flynn: Is there a danger in the magazineswhere they say oh she wore that before. Do you everthink about that when youre out at a premier and thensix months later youre wearing the same thing again?
Anne Hathaway: People dont realise that I rotate thesame three shoes to premiers all the time and nobodysever called me on it. I have a pair of black Pradas,a pair of black open toed Marc Jacobs and a pair ofgold Manolo Blahniks and Ive literally worn the sameshoes for the last five years and no ones notice andnow the secrets out but I wont stop and I knowtheres certain dresses Ive been photographed in thatI cant wear to events but Ill wear them in mypersonal life. Not that theres anything bad about itbut I guess theres a certain aspect of selling theoutfit that youre in and I dont know why itsimportant its just considered not very good to be seenin the same thing twice.
Gaynor Flynn: When were you least content with theway you looked?
Anne Hathaway: I think when I was an adolescent. Imean Ive never met an adolescent who liked the waythey looked so that was probably the hardest time forme dealing with all that and then I grew up andrealised there are more important things in life thanthe size of your hips.
Gaynor Flynn: Who do you really look up to stylewise?
Anne Hathaway: You know no one ever gets this becauseshes never been known for her style but Kate Winslet. I love the way she dresses its always just so down toearth but also really, really chic. I love EmilyBlunts style to be perfectly honest. She would justcome on to set and look great and individual. KateMoss is always the ideal and no one else can reallypull it off. I also think Catherine Zeta Jones isalso a great dresser. Catherine Zeta Jones issomebody I really look up to because were similarlybuilt so its great to look at her choices over thelast decade and see the way shes brought glamour backand made it okay.
Gaynor Flynn: Do you think this movie will have abigger impact on your career or Brokeback?
Anne Hathaway: Theyre both so different you know. I mean America could ignore this one as well. But thething that was so wonderful about Brokeback was Ithink Id been, and probably rightfully so, labelled aone trick pony, and I kept assuring people that no,no, no theres more to me than just the tiara I swear. And finally with Brokeback Ang Lee helped me give aperformance that proved that and it was the mostextraordinary experience and I hope Im able to do itagain because you dont know how cool it is wheneverybody thinks they know you and youre able tocompletely surprise them. Its the most rewardingthing as an actress.

Gaynor Flynn at Venice International Film Festival