In a raw and revealing Vogue cover story, Anne Hathaway opened up about the intense emotional and physical demands of her upcoming A24 drama Mother Mary, directed by David Lowery (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight). The film, which co-stars Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You), follows a pop superstar (Hathaway) who abandons her tour mid-breakdown to reconnect with an old friend who shaped her public image. Described by Lowery as feeling “like shooting Apocalypse Now,” the production pushed Hathaway to her limits—culminating in a moment where she tearfully warned her co-star, “I have to apologize, because I think what’s going to come out of me will hurt you.”
The climactic scene, which took a week to film, left the cast and crew in what Coel called “various stages of intensity.” Lowery recalled Coel responding to Hathaway’s vulnerability by clasping her hands and assuring her, “I love you, I trust you.” To cope with the weight of the role, Coel escaped to Berlin-style techno clubs—sometimes dragging Hathaway along—to “blow off steam.” But the Les Misérables Oscar winner faced unique challenges: mastering a pop diva’s physicality through months of vocal and dance training, all while filming without finalized music. Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX penned original songs for the film, but Hathaway recorded them during post-production, a disorienting process she called “confusing” but ultimately freeing. “I had to shed things that were hard to shed,” she admitted. “Showing up every day knowing you’re going to suck… that mindset was hard-won.”
Hathaway’s commitment stunned Coel, who praised her “gallons and tons” of strength during relentless takes. Plot details remain scarce, but the film’s meta-narrative—a star deconstructing her persona—mirrors Hathaway’s own surrender to Lowery’s vision: “You can’t ‘perform’ Mother Mary,” she said. “I had to become material David could craft with.” A24 has yet to announce a release date, but Hathaway’s transformative plunge ensures Mother Mary will be anything but another celebrity biopic.
Read Hathaway’s full Vogue interview here.
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