Anne Hathaway revealed a "gross" practice from the 2000s where producers of a film she starred in required her to kiss several potential co-stars.
The actor shared her opinion during an interview with V Magazine, saying the method of testing chemistry between actors was "actually the worst way to do it."
"It was considered normal to ask an actor to make out with other actors to test for chemistry. Which is actually the worst way to do it," she said.
"I was told, 'We have 10 guys coming today and you're cast. Aren't you excited to make out with all of them?' And I thought, 'Is there something wrong with me?' Because I wasn't excited. I thought it sounded gross."
Hathaway reluctantly agreed to the request.
"And I was so young and terribly aware how easy it was to lose everything by being labeled 'difficult', so I just pretended I was excited and got on with it," she said. "It wasn't a power play, no one was trying to be awful or hurt me. It was just a very different time and now we know better."
Hathaway, 41, who serves as a producer on her latest film depicting the bond between a single mother and a boy band star portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine, noted that she now approaches such chemistry tests differently.
"We asked each of the actors coming in to choose a song that they felt their character would love, that they would put on to get my character to dance, and then we'd do a short little improv," she said. "I was sitting in a chair like we had come in from dinner or a walk or something, we pressed play, and we just started dancing together."
Galitzine chose a song by the rock band Alabama Shakes.
"I heard Brittany's [Howard] voice and I just started smiling," said Hathaway. "And he saw me smile, so he relaxed, and we just started dancing. Nobody was showing off. Nobody was trying to get the gig. We were just in a space dancing. I looked over and Michael Showalter, our director, was beaming. Spark!"