Anne Hathaway is addressing the "Hathahate" movement that gained momentum a decade ago, saying that she saw it as an “opportunity” to learn.
The "Devil Wears Prada" star made the comments Monday night at Elle’s "Women in Hollywood" in response to the intense amount of online hate she received in 2013 for no apparent reason.
Hathaway was suddenly on everyone's radar after winning an Oscar for her role in "Les Misérables" and soon the vitriolic noise had grown so loud that it was trending on social media as #HathaHate.
Suddenly there was a long list of grievances against the star ranging from her so-called "annoying" earnest demeanor to her joyful exuberance. As one writer noted, "I don’t find her perfection charming. I find it annoying."
On Monday night, Hathaway stood tall as she spoke about her experience of dealing with cyberbullying.
"Ten years ago, I was given an opportunity to look at the language of hatred from a new perspective," Hathaway said, according to a transcript published by Elle. "For context — this was a language I had employed with myself since I was 7. And when your self-inflicted pain is suddenly somehow amplified back at you at, say, the full volume of the internet … It’s a thing."
Hathaway said her experience made her realize she "had no desire to have anything to do with this line of energy," adding that she would "no longer create art from this place."
"I would no longer hold space for it, live in fear of it, nor speak its language for any reason. To anyone. Including myself," she said.
"There is a difference between existence and behavior," Hathaway continued. "You can judge behavior. You can forgive behavior, or not. But you do not have the right to judge — and especially not hate — someone for existing. And if you do, you’re not where it’s at."
There was a positive takeaway in her speech. As Hathaway pointed out, hatred is a learned behavior that can be unlearned and changed.
"The good news about hate being learned is that whoever learned it can learn," she said. "There is a brain there. I hope they give themselves a chance to relearn love."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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