Anne Hathaway, the beloved star of The Devil Wears Prada, Les Misérables and, of course, One Day, has some thoughts on the recent Netflix adaptation of the David Nicholls bestseller. ‘It’s such a beautiful book and such a wonderful story and I’m thrilled to see people fall in love with it more deeply,’ she gushes to ELLE UK of the esteemed story, whose 2011 feature film adaptation she starred in opposite actor Jim Sturgess.
But it’s not One Day that Hathaway is here to discuss. Along with her co-star Jessica Chastain, the two Oscar winners are joining ELLE UK to play a game of Ask Me Anything, in honour of the upcoming release of their latest collaborative effort, Mothers' Instinct. The thriller, which is set in the 1960s, tells the story of two best friends as they tread the fine line between emancipation and blissful domesticity, before the unthinkable happens and they become firm enemies.
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Method acting aside – Hathaway semi-stayed in character for the duration of the month-long shoot – the pair found joy in their retro-inflected costumes, which are comprised of the sorbet-toned separates and larger-than-life Bouffants that defined the era. ‘I loved everything [the costumes] up until about 10 minutes in,’ Hathaway laughs. ‘In those first 10 minutes, I really leaned into the brightest pinks and the biggest hair. Everything was just a little bit of exaggerated joy.’
![hollywood, ca october 26 actresses anne hathaway l and jessica chastain attend the premiere of paramount pictures interstellar at tcl chinese theatre imax on october 26, 2014 in hollywood, california photo by kevin wintergetty images](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/anne-hathaway-jessica-chastain-mothers-instinct-65fafde5e443d.jpg?resize=980:* "Premiere Of Paramount Pictures' "Interstellar" - Red Carpet")
In fact, it’s the glamour of the era that Chastain, who affectionately refers to her collaborator and friend as 'Annie', admits she’d love to be adopted by society today. ‘One thing I’d love to see nowadays is that sense of glamour from the 1960s,’ she says. ‘I love hats and gloves with clothing, I think it’s so chic. And yet, y’know, it’s not happening right now.'
Hathaway’s favourite element of the era, meanwhile, is its ‘distinct lack of irony.’
‘In the 1960s, when people loved something, they just really loved it. People seemed to dance; people seemed to want to have a good time,’ she says. ‘What I would leave behind is all of the repression in all of the ways that probably made them really want to have a good time because they really needed to otherwise, they were going to scream.’
From their go-to ways to let down their hair after a tense day of filming to their favourite costumes from the film, watch the rest of Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain’s Ask Me Anything video at the top of this article.
Mothers' Instinct is out in UK cinemas from March 27.
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Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
