Anne Hathaway Won Her Oscar In Only 15 Minutes of Screentime
Each year Hollywood’s finest film talent and A-list celebrities dress to perfection to attend the esteemed Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars.
An Oscar is a prestigious award bestowed upon Hollywood’s most talented people. Some actors spend decades ruthlessly pursuing the elusive trophy. In contrast, other performers seem to earn an Oscar quickly.
Anne Hathaway is undoubtedly in the latter category; she won an Oscar for her role in Les Miserables, a film where she had a mere fifteen minutes of screen time.
Who is Anne Hathaway?
Hathaway launched into stardom and won fans’ hearts with her performance in the 2001 family comedy, The Princess Diaries. The budding actress was 17 years old when she portrayed Mia Thermopolis in her debut movie role; fans and critics were instantly captivated by her humor, wit, and charm.
It wasn’t long before Hathaway signed on for other prominent movie roles, including The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and Hoodwinked!. Hathaway starred alongside Hugh Dancy and Cary Elwes in the 2004 family comedy Ella Enchanted.
In 2006, Hathaway played alongside Adrian Grenier and three-time Oscar-winner Meryl Streep in the dramedy The Devil Wears Prada. Hathaway’s gave a stunning performance of the overworked and underappreciated assistant, Andy Sachs.
The iconic role pivoted Hathaway’s acting career from her early career’s innocent and charming roles into more mature roles in movies such as The Intern, Becoming Jane, and Les Miserables.
The renowned actress starred alongside Rebel Wilson in the comedy, The Hustle (2019). Recently, the 38-year-old portrayed Grand High Witch in the family comedy, The Witches.
Anne Hathaway’s role in ‘Les Miserables’
Hathaway nailed the heartbreaking role of Fantine in the drama Les Miserables; she sang the nearly five-minute-long iconic song, I Dreamed a Dream with such raw emotion, the effect was visceral. She starred alongside Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in the film. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds to be entranced in Hathaway’s captivating portrayal of Fantine.
The Oscar-winning actress truly poured her heart and soul into the role; she even lost 25 pounds and dealt with resulting health issues in her pursuit of accurately portraying the miserable life of Fantine. Fantine is impregnated out of wedlock by a wealthy student. He abandons her as soon as he learns of Fantine’s pregnancy. Fantine loves her daughter completely; however, she experiences extreme poverty and a series of terrible hardships.
Though the story of Fantine is absolutely heartbreaking, Hathaway portrayed the character impeccably; she is truly a master of the craft.
Anne Hathaway’s Oscar-Worthy Performance
BuzzFeed recently pointed out that Hathaway’s powerful performance in the nearly 3-hour long film Les Miserables totaled just 15 minutes. However, Hathaway packed a soulful performance into every moment of her role in the 2012 film. IMDb states Hathaway was awarded the 2012 Oscar for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.”
Although she only has 15 minutes of screen time, it is evident that Hathaway spent months preparing for the role, getting into character, and perfecting her portrayal of Fantine. She made every second of screen time count and indeed provided the audience with an Oscar-Worthy performance.
Hathaway hit the ground running in 1999 with her first TV role on the show Get Real, which was closely followed by her debut movie role in The Princess Diaries. Hathaway remains active in the film industry with 45 TV and movie credits and five more projects in various production stages.
Hathaway stars in the upcoming romantic comedy, Lockdown, set to premiere on HBO Max on January 14, 2021.
