Anne Hathaway almost quit 'Mother Mary' after seeing early footage of herself on screen
Hathaway spent months on dance lessons and a year on vocals after nearly quitting A24's Mother Mary
- Anne Hathaway nearly quit Mother Mary after seeing early footage of herself and calling it "really bad"
- She told her husband she wanted to leave the project before ultimately deciding to stay and push through
- Hathaway spent months on dance training and a year working on her vocals during post-production
Anne Hathaway is no stranger to musical roles, but the Oscar winner has revealed she came close to walking away from A24's Mother Mary after seeing early footage of herself in the film and deciding it was not good enough.
The actress told her husband she wanted to quit after viewing footage of herself performing original songs by Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX and FKA twigs in the David Lowery-written and directed A24 production.
'I don't know that I can ask people to come to see this'
"This is really bad," she recalled thinking to Elle after watching the footage back. "I don't know that I can ask people to come to see this."
Hathaway ultimately chose to press on rather than walk away. "I came to the conclusion that there would be no shame if I was fired, but there would be if I quit," she said.
Months of dance lessons and a year of vocal work
The decision to stay led to an intensive period of preparation. Hathaway undertook months of dance training for the role and spent a year working on her vocals during post-production, eventually returning to the studio with Antonoff to re-record the majority of her parts.
The effort paid off. "He whipped his head at me goes, 'You have been working,'" she recalled Antonoff saying upon hearing her improved recordings.
About the film
In Mother Mary, which had its theatrical première last month, Hathaway portrays the titular pop star, who must confront unresolved personal wounds when she is reunited with her estranged best friend and former costume designer Sam, played by Michaela Coel, ahead of a long-awaited comeback performance.
Hathaway previously won her first Academy Award in 2013, claiming Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Fantine in the film musical adaptation of Les Misérables.
