Anne Hathaway Explains Why She Stepped Away From Film In 2013

Anne Hathaway attends the "She Came to Me" premiere and Opening Ceremony red carpet during the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Berlinale Palast on February 16, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.
(Image credit: Sebastian Reuter / Stringer)

After a huge 2012 that saw her star as Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises and portray Fantine in Tom Hooper's Les Miserables, Anne Hathaway basically disappeared for all of last year. After picking up her first Academy Award for her performance in Les Mis last February, the only time that the actress appeared on the big screen was for a very small cameo in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Don Jon. Because of all the attention and acclaim that comes with winning an Oscar, it was strange to see her step out of the spotlight - but according to Hathaway it was all very much a part of a plan. The Huffington Post caught up with the actress at the on-going Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and while discussing her latest film, Song One, Hathaway revealed why she was barely seen on screen last year. "My impression is that people needed a break from me," she said.

Hathaway was far and away the favorite to win the Best Supporting Actress prize at last year's Academy Awards, but at the time she was also the subject of plenty of debate in social circles. Journalists were writing pieces regularly about the actress' likability, particularly in comparison to fellow Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence (who has basically earned the love of everyone on the planet). Hathaway didn't go into length about her absence from theaters in the interview, but it's not too hard to believe that this wave of press is what convinced her to take a year off from starring roles.

All the same, she is ready to have a big "comeback" in 2014. In addition to Song One, which features Hathaway playing young archaeologist who strikes up a relationship with her injured brother's favorite musician, the next few months will feature plenty of her - both in live action and animation. First up comes the animated Rio 2, which has the actress reprising her role as Jewel from the first movie:

Then there's the sci-fi epic Interstellar that reteams her with Christopher Nolan:

And then, still without a release date, is the bizarro indie comedy Don Peyote:

Are you happy that Anne Hathaway is coming back to cinema? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.